Dr. Parag Amin on “Empowering Students with Skills to Become Job Creators”

“We have created a tech-driven environment where everything—from attendance monitoring to assignments, examinations, and assessments—is digital” said Dr. Parag Amin

Q: What are some new skill initiatives at your university?
A: First and foremost, let me thank Kumar Anand for organizing this wonderful conclave. I think the theme ‘Digital Bharat’ is not only innovative but also very contemporary and realistic in today’s context.

India needs a lot of focus on skills, but the real question is—what are we doing about it? At our university, we take pride in being the first urban private skills university based in Mumbai’s corporate hub, BKC. Our emphasis is on empowering students to learn by doing. Traditional learning has two components—knowing and doing. As a SkillTech university, we prioritize the latter.

For example, one of the biggest challenges in India today is employment. Many seek jobs, but few generate employment. At our university, we focus on fostering entrepreneurship by developing startups so students can become employment generators rather than seekers. This is achieved through a confluence of technology, leadership, management, and design—our four core pillars. We ensure our students are equipped to stand on their own and create their own enterprises.

Q: What initiatives have you taken in teacher training?
A: We do not just train or teach teachers—we empower them. There are three key areas where we focus on faculty empowerment:

1. Technology Integration: We have created a tech-driven environment where everything—from attendance monitoring to assignments, examinations, and assessments—is digital. We empower faculty by providing them with this environment and training them to leverage it effectively.
2. Creating a Learning Environment: We conduct faculty development programs every semester, where faculty share best practices, and experts from outside bring fresh perspectives.
3. Student-Centric Approach: We believe students must be at the center of the learning process. Faculty are trained to bring student-centricity and empathy into the classroom, ensuring a more engaging and effective learning experience.

Q: How do forums like this help stakeholders in education?
A: You are doing a commendable job by bringing all key stakeholders together. Some are providers (like universities), some are consumers (like corporates hiring students), and then there are regulators (like government bodies). If these stakeholders do not share a common platform, a communication gap arises.

For example, what we produce as a university and what the industry wants should align. Similarly, regulatory policies should empower universities to meet industry demands. Platforms like this bridge the gap between education providers, employers, and policymakers, ensuring a balanced demand-supply equation in the skill development ecosystem.

This is the second event I am attending organized by ArdorComm Media, and I was very impressed by the first event in Pune last year.