Extended Curriculum Program for Engineering Students

With the legacy of working in the education ecosystem, MeritTrac understands the problem of employability in graduates. As a result, with an objective to improve the employability rates of graduates in India, MeritTrac has launched an Extended Curriculum Program (ECP).

Under the ECP program, a host of online supplementary courses will be offered to the partnering institutions. The program has been designed to ensure candidates are industry-ready by inculcating the competencies demanded by the industry.

Among the list of the courses, we are highlighting here some of the courses most suitable for students in engineering streams. Since the traditional engineering jobs are now almost stagnant and the current demand are for professionals with the skill in emerging technologies, ECP is focusing on giving hands-on training on these domains such as data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

ANALYTICS FOR ENGINEERS

We are living in the age of data. Data is the new oil. Demand for data analytics professionals is constantly increasing as more companies are moving towards exploring the possibilities of big data. Also, the payout for candidates is higher than any other profession. According to various reports, ‘data scientist’ is one of the hottest jobs for the last couple of years. This course prepares industry-ready data scientists.

Features of the program

• Offers several real-life case studies across different domains and industry
• 50+ hours of live lectures through industry experts
• 300+ hours of online content
• Provides assignments and Capstone projects across different domains and industry
• Completely hands-on program

Learning outcomes

• End to end overview and hands-on working on all aspects of Data Science
• Learn to implement techniques and tools using  Python, Python packages like Numpy, Pandas, Scikit Learn, Scipy, Excel, Tableau, Hadoop, Pig, Hive, and Spark
• Hands-on expertise on Python as well as a dedicated module on R for greater exposure and diversified opportunities to solve Data Science problems
• Hands-on Machine Learning experience with Trees, Ensemble Methods, Clustering and DIY project on Kaggle

Job Mapping

• Data Science & Machine Learning are among the most sought skillsets globally and Data Scientist has been ranked among the top emerging jobs on LinkedIn
• India has more than 10% of the total Data Science job openings in the world; number of jobs grew by 40-50% in the last three years
• Hiring sectors in the next 3-5 years: IT, FinTech, e-commerce, Healthcare, Agriculture, Retail, Travel & Hospitality, Banking & Insurance and others
• More than INR 1 lakh active jobs available on job portals like Naukri, Shine, Glassdoor and Indeed
• Job roles: Data Scientist, Data Engineer, Data Analyst, Data Architect, Data and Analytics Manager, Analytics Consultant, ML Analyst, ML Engineer
• Salary bands: A data science and ML professional with no experience earns INR 6-12 lakh p.a., 2-4 years’ experience earns INR 15-20 lakh p.a., while for 4-8 years it would be INR 20-50 lakh p.a.

ML & AI FOR ENGINEERS

Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have already made inroads in our day-to-day life. Most of the companies across sectors are now in demand for professionals in ML and AI as it becomes the core part of their operations and services. This course offers extensive training in  AI and ML for engineers.

Features of the program

• Offers several real-life case studies across different domains and industry
• 50+ hours of live lectures through industry experts
• 300+ hours of online content
• Provides assignments and Capstone projects across different domains and industry
• Completely hands-on program

Learning outcomes

• Overview of Data Science with Python includes Manipulation & Visualisation
• Get started with Machine Learning & Feature Engineering
• 360-degree view of recommendation engine, conceptualisation to prototyping
• Hands-on Deep Learning algorithms
• Getting Started with Tensor Flow
• End to End implementation with Crisp DM

Job mapping

• Data Science & Machine Learning are among the most sought skillset globally and Machine Learning has been ranked among the top emerging jobs on Linkedln
• India has 6% of the total AI&ML job openings in the world; number of AI&ML jobs grew by 45% in 2019
• Hiring Sectors in next 3-5 years: IT, FinTech, e-commerce, Healthcare, Agriculture, Retail, Travel & Hospitality, more than 300 AI & ML start-ups in India alone
• More than 25,000 active jobs available on job portals like Naukri, Shine, Glassdoor, Indeed etc
• Job Roles: ML Engineer, ML Developer, ML Application Engineer, ML Analyst, Data Scientist, Applied ML Engineer, Expert Analyst
• Salary bands: A machine learning professional with no experience earns INR6-10 lakh p.a. Mid-level candidates earn INR 12-15 lakh p.a., while more experienced professionals earn INR 18-20 lakhs p.a.

CLOUD COMPUTING AND PLATFORMS

Cloud professionals and engineers play a very crucial role in helping companies integrate cloud services into the traditional infrastructure. The industry has witnessed steady growth in the demand for efficient and industry-recognized cloud computing courses as more and more businesses are moving towards cloud services like AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure. This course covers all major elements of cloud computing.

Features of the program

• Mini Projects and Assignments for experiencing real project scenario
• 50+ hours of live lectures through industry experts
• 100+ hours of online content
• 50+ hours of hands-on exercises on Pivotal Cloud Foundry, Open Stack & Google Cloud Platform

Learning outcomes

• Learn to deploy private cloud network
• Learn to perform tasks on multiple public/open stack platforms, (Private Cloud)
• Learn the ecosystem of Private and Public Cloud management operations.
• Start your career as Cloud Architect/Administrator or System Operations on any cloud platform.

Job mapping

• As per LinkedIn Global Skillset Survey 2019, Cloud Computing has been the No 1 skillset which companies are looking for
• More than 50,000 Active Jobs for Cloud Professionals
• Job Roles: Cloud Practitioner, Cloud Developer, Cloud Architect, Cloud Administrator, Cloud System Operations Manager, Presales Cloud Consultant
• Salary bands: As per Payscale, a fresher with Cloud Computing skills certificate gets an average of INR 5 to 7 lakhs CTC in India, and with 5+ years, an average of INR 12 lakhs CTC in India.

Every year, about 15 lakh students are graduating from engineering colleges in India. The major concern for these students, their parents and institutions are post-program employment. Traditional engineering roles have almost stagnated. Of the 15 lakh graduates, 2.5 lakh end up in technical domains and a majority of them (about 2.2 lakhs) end up in the software and IT services segment.

However, the demand for the right talent in the emerging technologies is the highest and the shortage of the right talent is a real concern since even non-IT companies are adopting the cutting-edge technologies in their processes. The fresh engineering graduates with adequate knowledge of niche skills can easily find a lucrative job in top companies across sectors. Extended curriculum program will not only help the engineering graduates but will also help the engineering colleges to improve their placement rates.