International Conference Explores Skill Development And Industry Collaboration In North East

Collaborations with foreign institutions for developing skills in youths of the North Eastern region in the electronics and IT sector and aligning their education with industry needs were mooted during an international conference here on digital technologies, an official release said on Sunday.

The importance of international internship and leveraging online platforms and smart classroom concepts for the maximum benefit of the students were also explored during the two-day meet, which concluded on Saturday.

The conference targeted a wide range of audience and participants from across the globe covering researchers, academicians and industry professionals, the release said.

Interdisciplinary collaboration

In his keynote address, Prof Rajeev Ahuja, director of IIT Ropar, underlined the significance of interdisciplinary collaboration, emphasising the collective strength that emerges when diverse expertise converges towards shared goals.

During the discussions at the conference organised by the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), Karel Sterckx from Bangkok University spoke about collaboration models in Thailand and the varsity's internship programme.

He emphasised the importance of international internship programs in exposing students to diverse cultural and engineering perspectives.

Sterckx also highlighted the benefits of hosting students from different countries, including India, and the opportunities for collaboration that arise from such exchanges.

Hybrid training model

Nitin Kumar Tripathi, acting vice-president for Academic Affairs at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Thailand, proposed a hybrid training model to accommodate large-scale skill development efforts, leveraging online platforms and smart classrooms.

He underscored the importance of collaboration in the context of India's Act East Policy, positioning AIT as a valuable partner in training initiatives for the North East region.

Tripathi pledged to support these efforts, leveraging AIT's international resources and expertise to enhance skill development programmes effectively.

More collaboration opportunities

The discussions also focused on potential collaborations between the government of Assam, international bodies and industry partners, with NIELIT serving as a liaison to facilitate such partnerships, the release said.

The general chairs of the conference were Yumnam Jayanta Singh, executive director, NIELIT Guwahati, and N Debachandra Singh, director, NIELIT Imphal.

The conference received over 200 full-length articles, with approximately 80 papers slated for publication in the Springer Book Series 'Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems', the release added.