Pune : Behind the nondescript, dusty entrance to the Industrial Training Institute in Aundh lies a state-of-the-art facility which has placed Pune on the industrial map of the country.
The newly-launched mechatronics department is now among the few centres in the country to provide modular training in automating machinery and factory floors, to skilled industrial workers, advanced-level students and others.
Set up using incentive funds provided by the World Bank, the long-awaited facility is launched.
The department is helping industrial workers upgrade their skill-sets, while giving students — many of whom come from economically weak backgrounds — the perfect platform to enhance their employability. It has already attracted workers from a couple of major companies for short, two-week courses.
Prakash Sayagaonkar, ITI’s principal, is happy that the facility is helping the industry. “Skilled manpower is a serious requirement in Pune — demand for trained workers is sometimes greater than even that for engineers. This facility is thus timely and much-needed,” he said.
The students are only too happy to learn from the latest technology.
“I am here practically every day from 10am to 5pm. I appreciate the facility as it gives me a platform to practise what I have learnt,” says Pratiksha Kailas Birhade, who has completed a three-year diploma in robotics and mechatronics and is now upgrading her skill-set.
Hajarat Patil, a final-year engineering student, too is excited to avail the services of the set-up. “I am currently doing a PLC course (at ITI). This will improve my chances of getting a good job. My father is a farmer in Solapur but I want to work in the industrial sector,” he said.
While keeping pace with technology, the institute is also championing civic causes through its students. It recently distributed several thousand cloth bags among vegetable vendors and residential societies in the area, under the message of ‘Say No To Plastics’.
“The students got practical training of making bags, while we also helped a larger cause. The idea was to go beyond mere preaching and help the students learn that it’s possible,” says a satisfied Sanjay Ghodke, vice principal.
Note: News shared for public awareness with reference from the information provided at online news portals.
