Importance of Industrial Visits for Engineering Students

Industrial visits are an essential part of the educational program in the top engineering colleges in Gujarat as it helps in achieving various objectives of the course. Many studies have emphasized making industrial visits an integral part of the engineering students curriculum. These visits make the student aware of the industries that they would be eligible to work in once they have completed their training and education.

With the increasing number of engineering admission in Gujarat, several universities routinely conduct industrial visit as a part of their curriculum. The tour generally involves teaching about the company or the factory that is to be visited. These visits aim to prepare students about:

• Recognizing the machinery and various other processing units
• Identifying the input and output of the different industrial processes
• Learning about the significance of safety at work
• Understanding the practical applications of theoretical concepts in industries
• Learning about product interface and quality guidelines.

Planning for industrial visits:

The industrial visit planning starts by first contacting the company for seeking permission for visiting its industrial site. It is also essential to obtain the schematics of the factory floor as well the details of the processes and machinery that are used in that particular factory. This information is vital as the students need to be fully aware of the theoretical and scientific principles that make the basis for the manufacturing processes. Also, this information can be used to create a list of questions related to operations, safety guidelines, etc. These questions can be asked to the students before as well as after the visit so that they have a better knowledge of the expected learning outcomes from the visit and to test their grasping of the knowledge acquired during the visit.

Industrial visits have many benefits for the students like:

• Validation of the curriculum work: In industrial visits, the students get to see the importance and real-world application of the science that they learn in their classrooms.
• Industrial visits can highlight to the students a variety of careers that they can follow after completing their degree course. This helps them in making an informed decision for their careers. Often it can even influence a student to pursue specialization or masters in a particular field after having a look at the technical aspects.
• The students get the opportunity to meet passionate people who are working within the industry, who may change their perception about the particular career and the work that they carry out.
• Students attain an appreciation for the requirements and demands of operating in an industrial environment.