Once perceived as an avenue for individuals unable to secure admission to engineering colleges, polytechnics have undergone a remarkable transformation. Today, these institutions are producing well-trained students proficient in various trades, with top-tier core companies in the country actively recruiting them. Moreover, they have achieved an additional milestone by earning the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) certification, stated a report in The New Indian Express.
Former Senior Joint Director (Polytechnic), Beena P, said that six Kerala government polytechnics and one from the self-financing sector have been granted NBA accreditation. According to her, there are 47 government polytechnics, 52 government-aided polytechnics and around 102 self-financing polytechnics in Kerala.
"The very first college to get the NBA accreditation was the Women's Polytechnic College at Thrissur," she said. "Furthermore, Government Polytechnic Palakkad, Kozhikode Government Polytechnic, Perumbavoor Government Polytechnic, and Pala Government Polytechnic have also obtained NBA certification for some of their courses," added Beena.
Geetha, Principal of Kalamassery Government Polytechnic (GPT), highlighted that in addition to government polytechnics, one self-financing polytechnic college also secured NBA accreditation."Getting an NBA certification for courses goes a long way in getting the students passing out from the institution good job prospects. It should be noted that only those institutions that have a good academic track record besides good placements get the certification," she said.
Importance of NBA accreditation
Explaining the NBA accreditation the Kalamassery GPT Principal said, "It is tough to get accredited by NBA. First of all, the institutions need to apply for it. We got NBA accreditation for three of our courses namely Chemical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Electronic and Electrical Engineering. Colleges are required to register themselves with the NBA, and there is a fee of Rs two lakh per course that must be paid for certification."
Elucidating the benefits of getting an NBA certification, Geetha said, "The accreditation makes the graduation certificate that the students get after the completion of their courses equivalent to the diploma certifications of nearly all the countries across the world. And hence, enables the mobility of graduates and professionals. It also makes the institutions strive continuously to improve the quality of the education provided by them."
According to her, with academic excellence comes job opportunities for the students. "Last year, around 80 final-year students in various streams had bagged placements before completing their course in August. Some of the major companies recruiting students from the campus include Infosys, MRF Tyres, Bajaj Auto, L&T Construction and Tata Hitachi Construction Machinery Company. This year too the placements are on and we have been getting enquiries from very big names in the core sector," she added.
In 2019, there had been an issue when many engineers faced the loss of jobs after the Kuwait government decided to recognise degrees only if the NBA approved these courses.
