E-Paper
Academic centre at CoEP to provide hands-on training in electronics manufacturing
The centre – which has been witnessing faculty and industrial training programmes as well as machine installation work for a year – now aims to train 400 to 500 students every year beginning October 2024
A year after Maharashtra’s first-ever academic Centre of Excellence in Advanced Electronics Manufacturing (CoEAEM) was inaugurated at the College of Engineering Pune (CoEP) Technological University in September 2023, it is now all set to provide hands-on training in electronics manufacturing not only to students from an engineering background but also those pursuing higher or vocational education from October this year. The centre – which has been witnessing faculty and industrial training programmes as well as machine installation work for a year – now aims to train 400 to 500 students every year beginning October 2024, said Shrinivas Mahajan, head of the centre who has been instrumental in its evolution.
“The CoEAEM will not only cater to the training needs of Maharashtra but also to those of the whole of western India. In this facility, students and industry employees will receive training in surface mount technology (SMT) or the process wherein components are mounted onto the surface of a printed circuit board,” said Sunil Bhirud, vice-chancellor, CoEP Technological University.
About the significance of the centre, Mahajan, said, “This is only the second academic centre in India after IIT Chennai. While IIT Chennai aims to provide training in south India, the training centre at CoEP is designed to cater to the needs of western India. Today, the manufacturing industry in India needs trained manpower in the SMT line production process. While providing basic and advanced training in the SMT line, the centre will also support new startups and small/medium electronic manufacturing industries to prepare prototypes of their products and support the ‘Make in India’ initiative.”
The centre, designed to build skills for electronics manufacturing and interdisciplinary research and prototyping, is billed to be a game changer for the Pune region that will create industry-ready talent. The centre has a dedicated management team of eight members, which includes faculty members as well as technical and industry experts. In keeping with the New Education Policy and ‘Skill India’ initiative, the centre will provide advanced training to students. Admissions to the training in electronics manufacturing have been undertaken with the help of organisations such as Saarthi, Barti, and Maha Jyoti to reach out to a maximum number of students. Mahajan said, “With the help of the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture, Pune, we are reaching out to industries and informing them about the training facility available at the centre.”
The centre’s expansion plan includes wave soldering and Xray inspection. “Multilayer PCB requires internal inspection. While the existing technology helps in external assessment, the expansion plan will enable us provide advanced training in internal instructions as well. However, this will take some time,” said Mahajan.
With India’s electronics market growing rapidly, the government is aiming to address the issue of unemployment by creating jobs in the electronics manufacturing sector. Such a growing industry will require skilled employees with hands-on experience in all kinds of related work. The CoEAEM was set up by the CoEP Technological University with the help of industry giants and college alumni to meet this demand. Industries including MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions; Jabil Circuit India, Pune; and Bajaj Auto Ltd., Pune made significant contributions towards setting up of the centre.
