India has the distinction of producing the largest number of technically qualified personnel in the world. With over 450 recognized Engineering Institutions, 3000 polytechnics, and over 6000 technical trade training centres spread all over the country besides several Guild Institutions, around 50,000 graduate engineers ( in all the 15 recognized disciplines of engineering), about 350,000 diploma engineers, and over 500,000 technical tradesmen are trained every year. The nation spends a sum of over INR 20,000 Crores (Rs.2 billion) annually on the basic engineering education, which, in terms of cost of education per person, is the most economical facility created any where in the world.

Being an integral part of the social infrastructure, Education has remained a state subject, and continues to be highly subsidized. The situation has remained static for a number of years. With economic liberalization and the pressures on physical infrastructure, new demands are being generated, and new benchmarks are being established. Of late, there is a significant shift, in public perception and this sector, like other sectors, is experiencing the winds of change. HRD initiatives are also transforming, and several self financing / privately funded Institutions have grown to meet the growing demands of Industry.

But, first, let us take a stock of things.

As mentioned earlier, Engineering education in India has a four tier structure. This is as follows:-

• Tier I – Artisans / Workmen training
  Their training is traditional and is often a familial affair. A master craftsman trains his junior family members through practice mode. No formal training structure is followed, although there is a distinct bias in the types of trades a learner gets to choose. It is well known that, in our traditional society, the social hierarchy or caste is an outcome of the trade which a family practices and, for training too, the fraternity supported the individual.
  The winds of social change are now shaking the roots of traditional biases. In the area of education and training for this tier of education, efforts are now being made by the Industry to formalise, the system of training by creating

  • National Vocational Standards

  • Learning Materials

  • Institutions / Systems to impart the education

  • Creating modern learning tools

  
  New trades and, work practices, better safety and quality standards and productivity benchmarks, are being introduced both by government organizations and by the Industry.
  In this field, pioneering efforts have been made by CIDC, HUDCO, L & T , NBCC, NICMAR and a few others.

• Tier II – Certificate programme in engineering trades
  As a fall out of first National Plan for the development for the Nation, a strong need was felt to create trained and tested workmen and, in the decade of fifties and sixties, several Industrial Training Institutes (I.T.Is) were established all over the country. The main focus of training in these institutes was for the Manufacturing sector. Maintenance of the Industry is also now manned by trained personnel coming from these Institutes.
  Trades such as those for HVAC transmission, foremen, welders, electricians, plumbers are quite popular. The duration of the programmes vary between 6 months, to one year. The programmes being offered are heavily subsidized by the states, and can safely be termed as “Non Remunerative” in business parlance. Still, these have a tremendous social utility.
  Currently, these programmes are facing severe strain, since the funds which are to come from the state coffers are depleting day by day. This strain is reflected in the quality of training which is either static or deteriorating gradually.

• Tier III - Diploma Programmes in Engineering disciplines
  A major chunk of the field Engineers come from this tier. These undergo a formal technical School education of about 3 years duration. While the Scientific and theoretical aspects are taught in reasonable measure, practical and hands-on approach, is the main focus of these programmes.
  Provisions for extension education also exist for the learner to graduate to Tier IV described below, both through make up or quality improvement programmes, offered by both the Universities and Professional Guilds.

• Tier IV - Degree Programme in Engineering Disciplines
  With over 100,000 graduates completing four years of University education, the entire structure assumes a great importance, both in domestic as well as in Global markets. A very large portion of R & D personnel, Business Managers & Administrators the world over come from this tier. It becomes necessary to make a critical evaluation of this sector, which is the purpose of this theme note.
  A critical examination would reveal following strengths & weaknesses of this sector in India.

  • Strengths

    • Caters to a large section of society.

    • Provides a very affordable (economical) education.

    • Caters to the demands of domestic Industry and also the Global market.

  • Weaknesses

    • Questionable quality of training.

    • Excessive emphasis on theoretical aspects.

    • Irrelevant and obsolete syllabi.

    • Over dependence on State support for resources.

    • Questionable competence of management & faculty personnel.

    • Poor Infrastructure, gradually facing deterioration as well as obsoletion.

    • Rule-bound & rigid operation systems being thrust on account of public funding/ support.

    • Low level (In several cases, even total absence) of interaction with the Industry or market forces.

    • Undue & frequent interference of bureaucratic bodies in day-today functioning, even academic work, and several more.

  
  The outcome is that, while the Nation continues to derive satisfaction from the considerable number of engineers trained every year, the fact remains that the Industry continues to face an acute shortage of appropriately trained, and commercially useful manpower at this vital level. Admittedly there may be a few islands of excellence but the full potential of a vast machinery in which the nation has invested heavily remains unutilized.

Changes in Human Resource Development Systems are natural, and have been taking place all the time. These changes have come about, on account of the changes in life style of societies which in turn, have their roots in the changing mode of Governance. From Monarchies to Democracies, and now to a Global networking regimes, the ways of development of Human Resources, have to change in order to meet the new demands.

Globalization, specially the oncoming WTO regime, calls for harmonization of levels of skills for a meaningful trade in services.

An International Engineers’ Mobility Forum has been established, to maintain a register of “International Engineers”. India is likely to become a member Signatory. The objectives of this Forum are as follows.

• Develop, monitor, maintain and promote mutually acceptable standards and criteria for facilitating the cross-border mobility of experienced professional engineers;

• Seek to gain a greater understanding of the existing barriers to mobility and to develop and promote strategies to help governments and licensing authorities manage those barriers in an effective and non-discriminatory manner;

• Encourage the relevant governments and licensing authorities to adopt and implement mutual mobility procedures consistent with the standards and practices recommended by the signatories to such agreements as may be established by and through the EMF;

• Identify, and encourage the implementation of the best practice for the preparation and assessment of engineers intending to practice at the professional level; and

• Continue mutual monitoring and information exchange by whatever means are considered most appropriate, including :

  • Regular communication and sharing of information concerning assessment procedures, criteria, systems, manuals, publications and lists of recognized practitioners;

  • Invitations to observe the operation of the procedures of other participants; and

• Invitations to observe meetings of any boards and/ or commissions responsible for implementing key aspects of these procedures, and relevant meetings of the governing bodies of the participants.

• demonstrated, to the satisfaction of all signatories, a level of academic achievement at least equal to that of a graduate holding an engineering degree accredited by an organization holding full membership of, and acting in accordance with the terms of, the Washington Accord; and

• been recognized by a competent authority as a professional engineer, eligible for independent practice, in a jurisdiction within which the signatory has standing; and

• EITHER
  satisfied the relevant signatory organization that they have since becoming licensed, registered, or otherwise been deemed eligible for independent practice, gained a minimum of eight years acceptable practical experience;
  OR
  been assessed by the signatory organization, in accordance with agreed guidelines appropriate to the discipline concerned, as having spent at least four years in responsible charge of significant engineering work since becoming licensed, registered, or otherwise been deemed eligible for independent professional practices; and

• maintained their continuing professional development at a satisfactory level, in accordance with agreed guidelines appropriate to the discipline concerned.