The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has announced three new projects to revamp India's technical education. Dr Vineet Joshi, Secretary of Higher Education, launched Project PRACTICE, the AICTE Research Internship (ARI) Portal, and AICTE R&D and Climate Cells in all recognised institutions. 

Dr Joshi, who launched the programmes, emphasised the need for training India's engineering graduates for global technological and innovation leadership roles. He also revealed that students will have free access to AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity Go.

What is AICTE PRACTICE?

Project PRACTICE (Project for Advanced Critical Thinking, Industry Connect and Employability) is a novel program that aims to improve the academic performance of 1,000 tier 2 and 3 engineering universities by introducing project-based learning, real-world industry projects, and enhanced employability. 

The Maker Bhavan Foundation (MBF), the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras)-backed LEAP (Learn Engineering by Activity with Products), and CRISP (Centre for Research in Schemes) have all supported this project, which is worth Rs 23 crores. 

Over the next three years, project PRACTICE seeks to benefit 20 lakh students and 10,000 faculty members, enabling improved industry links and innovation throughout the country's engineering ecosystem.

Enhanced research opportunities for students

Prof TG Sitharam, Chairman, AICTE, said, “Project PRACTICE will redefine project-based learning and strengthen industry-academia collaboration, particularly in aspirational colleges with untapped potential.” 

He stated that, along with Project PRACTICE, the Research Internship Portal and R&D Cell will provide students with relevant research opportunities, while the establishment of Climate Cells in institutions will promote environmental responsibility and accelerate India's commitment to sustainable development goals.

AICTE-approved institutions in India, which house over 30 lakh students in 5,868 engineering and diploma colleges, are anticipated to close the skills gap, particularly in developing disciplines such as AI, data science, and cloud computing.