These courses launched by IIT Madras DS Academy are designed to equip final year engineering students and graduates with programming skills through industry professionals in a hands-on way making them ready for internships and jobs in IT.

The courses of IIT Madras DS Academy are offered in collaboration with IIT Madras incubated startup GUVI.

The 120 hours of programming course will help professionals and students to obtain experiential learning equivalent to about three months of actual working experience in each of these courses and makes them job-ready.

Students and professionals who are aspiring for a career in IT industry can register for this course by IIT Madras DS Academy.

Read More – KEAM 2021 – Application Form, Exam Dates, Eligibility Criteria, Syllabus Offline

A formal certificate will be issued by the trainer and the knowledge partner – the Centre for Continuing Education, IIT Madras, for those who successfully complete the course offered by IIT Madras DS Academy.

Details of the course offered by IIT Madras DS Academy are available at the website ‘https://skillsacademy.iitm.ac.in’

Students or professionals willing to join the course offered by IIT Madras DS Academy can use the link ‘https://www.guvi.in/IIT-Madras-Certified-Professional-in-Programming’

Speaking about the course, Professor Mangala Sundar said the objective behind introducing the course by IIT Madras DS Academy is to provide graduating students from Indian academic institutions and employees in multiple industrial sectors the necessary skills towards employment or reskilling in relevant sectors.

Also read ‘These are the top 10 exams in India that would provide PhD admission in reputed institutes‘

IIT Madras DS Academy courses will also make them industry and job-ready, said Professor Sundar.

‘In addition, the trainers will cover multiple areas through large problem sets, that will also help the students to do competitive examinations in the banking and finance sector well and with confidence.’

Speaking about the course offered by IIT Madras DS Academy, S.P. Balamurugan, Co-Founder and CEO of GUVI said programming skill is the need of the hour for every aspiring and ambitious candidate to get placement in IT companies.

The Gamified learning and practise platform designed by GUVI will provide a unique and exclusive training environment for the learners through various modes, he said.

Professor Balaraman Ravindran, head of Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RBCDSAI) said there is a great need for people skilled in data science and analytics across multiple disciplines.

These two courses are aimed at providing the programming training needed for practitioners looking to build data-driven solutions for their business needs.

The courses are designed to suit either absolute beginners or people with some familiarity in programming and introduce them to building real-world applications, he said.

To obtain information about the courses offered by IIT Madras DS Academy, individuals can contact Professor Mangala Sundar at ‘mangalas@dth.ac.in’ or ‘mangal@iitm.ac.in’

Interested individuals can even contact Mr. S.P. Balamurugan at ‘spbalamurugan@guvi.in’

IIT Madras DS Academy or IIT Madras Digitial Skills Academy is a joint venture of IIT Madras and NASSCOM IT-IT Enabled Services Sector Skill Council of India.

The Academy is governed by an Advisory Council with members from NASSCOM, industry and Academia. The Director of IIT Madras is the chief patron.

The objective is to accelerate adoption of Zero Emission Trucks (ZET) like Electric Trucks in India as despite trucks representing only 5% of the vehicle fleet, they consume nearly 65% of diesel, leading to substantial pollution and fuel consumption costs.

1. Project Driver Rating Application (DRA): An AI-driven mobile app to assess truck driving behaviour on safety and energy efficiency

Ø The mobile app will include anticipative alerts designed to inform drivers of inadequate driving behaviour relative to the static context of road infrastructure.

Ø Enrol drivers of diesel trucks, which are operating in long distances of minimum of 4,000 km per month.

2. Project Outreach: Generate awareness about Zero Emission Trucking (ZETs) among the truck drivers and operators

Ø Conducting outreach events to generate awareness about ZETs among end users including drivers, helpers, mechanics, fuel pump operators, body fabricators, and small fleet operators.

Ø Project to cover States that contribute to 80% of the population of Medium and Heavy-Duty Trucks (more than 12T Gross Vehicle Weight – GVW).

Ø The project aims to cover the trucking community directly through physical events at a minimum of 200 locations across South, Central, West, and Eastern States (excluding North Zone States, which were covered during pilot trials) and through digital communications that are apt for the user layer.

Awareness and Acceptance

Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said awareness, acceptance and Adoption – that is the process being taken.

This first step is to make these stakeholders aware of the different aspects of truck electrification – the trends, advantages, challenges and technologies, he said.

The idea is to build a strong relationship based on trust. Once that relationship is in place, we plan to engage with them in order to help them accept the electrification journey – appreciating the benefits that accrue to them as well as the country and world at large, said IIT Madras director.

Prof Kamakoti further said “Finally, we will help them adopt truck electrification with the right tools, training and preparations.”

There are many people who are working with different Stakeholders for Truck Electrification – IIT Madras is engaging with this mostly neglected community that is going to be most critical in the Adoption of e-Trucks, said director of IIT Madras.

Fast growth

India’s trucking industry is on a fast growth trajectory with freight movement making up 70% of road-based transportation.

Such initiatives, launched early and with prolonged engagement, is expected to help India accelerate the Electrification of Trucks, thereby saving import costs of petroleum, improving competitiveness, reducing emissions and increasing driver comfort and well-being, say sources from IIT Madras.

This layer of stakeholders consisting of drivers, cleaners, operators, mechanics, dhabha owners, masseurs, barbers and pump operators, among others, widely called the ‘User Layer’, will be the most critical layer from a psychological acceptance perspective, he said.

Prof Shankar Ram of IIT Madras further said while most of the other Stakeholders like fleets, Government, etc., will be influenced by the main monetary, policy, emission and energy security considerations.

This layer actually feels the direct impact of any change in Trucking and, that too, on a day-to-day base, said Prof Shankar of IIT Madras.

The drivers, especially, will be seeing significant improvements in their personal comfort due to truck electrification- the noise, vibration, heat, fatigue, acceleration and many other criteria will see significant improvements, he said.

But they will also be required to replan their schedules in order to find that extra couple of hours to break journey for charging, he said.

This community needs to understand and accept these changes well in advance, he said.

Key highlights

Key highlights of the new initiatives are:

Ø Content and communication shall be in local languages, or English or Hindi, depending on the local requirement.

Ø Digital communications and updates on ZETs to engage end users continuously. And live streaming of select events at select locations.

Ø Create digital content and activities such as a YouTube channel, YouTube advertisements, testimony videos, a digital quiz, dissemination via WhatsApp groups, etc.

Ø Share insights from end users with organisations such as thinktanks, OEMs, and supporting infrastructures, working towards accelerated adoption of ZETs.

Ø Project duration – 16 to 18 months.

Community

T. K. Ajithkumar, CEO, Centre of Excellence for ZET said they will be working with this community over the next 12 to 18 months through partners.

While the engagement details are conceived and designed by CoEZET, it is implemented through our partners who are skilled in the communication and technology tools required for these engagements.

One of our partners will be doing hyper-local events in the dhabas, truck stops, goods exchanges and Logistics parks, he said.

Such initiatives, launched early and with prolonged engagement, is expected to help India accelerate the Electrification of Trucks, thereby saving import costs of petroleum, improve competitiveness, reduce emissions and increase driver comfort and well-being, he said.

Also Read – Top 20 Law Colleges in India in 2024 As Per NIRF 2024 Rank