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Options galore for engineering students [Goa] [Times of India](Times of India Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) PANAJI: Today, Goa has much to offer engineering aspirants in the state, not only in terms of the number of seats - that have gone up to 1,230 - but also in the variety of streams on offer. Goan students are no longer forced to explore options across the border if the attempt at an engineering seat in Goa fails. That is not all, placement offers for Goa's engineering graduates range from starting packages of Rs 3 lakh per annum to even Rs 13 lakh a year. According to those in the know, Goa is able to retain only 25% of its engineering graduates with the rest grabbing offers from national and international companies. Goa's institutes even train students in enterprenuership skills in recent times, and successfully at that. "Other than the students who receive placements to work across the globe, those that receive offers to work in India, mostly get placements in Pune and Bangalore and more recently in Gurgaon and Noida. Hyderabad and Chennai are usually second tier options for students," a state official of the directorate of technical education (DTE) at Porvorim said. Popular Engineering Colleges The addition of Don Bosco College of Engineering (DBCE) in Fatorda and Fr Agnel Engineering College at Assagao in recent years has been responsible to take Goa's engineering seat count up by nearly 400. But of the five engineering colleges in Goa, the state-run Goa Engineering College (GEC) at Farmagudi and Padre Conceicao College of Engineering (PCCE) at Verna see the most students vying for a seat in the institutes, official at the DTE informs. The very recent DBCE is fast-gaining popularity as well. V N Shet, principal of GEC, said, "That GEC offers subsidized fees is only a small consideration for the students. If a student's choice is a private institute, he or she will get into the institute regardless of the fees. Students prefer GEC because of its facilities. The state government provides around 1 crore to 1.5 crore to GEC to upgrade its infrastructure each year. A private college may spend only upto 10-12 lakh per year in comparison." An official of the PCCE said, "International companies have been coming to PCCE, year-on-year, and some of them come only to our institute to recruit students. We provide enterprenuership training to students and internships of three to four weeks in various companies like Bosche, TCS etc and specialized technical training in both hardware and software, which is why students have been increasingly opting for PCCE." Most Preferred Streams "Electronics, mechanical and computer engineering remain the most sought after streams, in that order. Students prefer these streams because they feel that these are the areas where the latest technological developments take place and they want to be a part of the revolution and contribute to the economy," officials said. After the increase in seats, only a third of the seats at the Shiroda-based Shree Rayeshwar Institute of Engineering and Information Technology (RIEIT) remained unfilled last year. Takers for seats at the institute have seen a steady decline in recent years. "Despite the rise in Goa's seats, all seats in the four other institutes were filled to capacity. Students want to get into engineering as there are always jobs on offer ,in-plenty in the field, though there may be some ups and downs depending on the economy," the state official said. The Goa Common Entrance Test (GCET) will be held on May 6 and 7, 2014 for admission to engineering seats in Goa, along with entrance to other professional degree courses. Forms for GCET are still being accepted presently alongwith a late fee. Based on the test results, the DTE will draw up a merit list, which will determine the stream a student is qualified to get into based on the demand for a particular stream. Engineering After Class X But students can also start planning early for an engineering seat. Even for students who have cleared Class X, there are over 1,000 seats on offer in various streams in polytechnic colleges across Goa. These students are allowed to seek direct admissions to second year of the degree course in engineering on completion of the three-four year diploma in engineering. The option is available to diploma students of civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical & electronics engineering, electronics & telecommunication engineering, computer engineering, information technology engineering and mining engineering. These students will only get admission in a degree course of the same stream as that of their diploma course. Admissions to diploma courses will begin in last week of May. For direct admissions to a degree course, for which seats are reserved in the second year of the degree, the students' final year score in the diploma course is essential to determine admissions. Sale of prospectus with admission forms for the direct admissions will begin on May 5, 2014. "The diploma course in shipbuilding is also very popular because it is run by a society made of Goa's top industrialists and so the latest trends in the industry are passed on to the students and they fit into jobs readily on course completion. The students get placements across the globe and very good pay packages. But the job involves a lot of hardwork," a state official said. (c) 2014 Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited |