In a Mission to Bridge the Gap

Jimmy’s company located at Trinity College aims at providing exposure to the students owing to the existing gulf between the industry and academia

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: : He aims to bridge the industry-academia gap. Jimmy Bentex S, professor and head of the department of Mechanical Engineering department, Trinity College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram is an entrepreneur-cum-teacher who believes in imparting industry exposure to his students. An extension of his own company C and T Consulting Engineers Private Limited functions within the college where students work part-time after class hours to gain work experience and also earn a modest payment.

A major reason for unemployment among engineering graduates is the huge gulf between the industry and academia. The lone solution is to equip students to face the challenging industry. Here, I wish to utilise the experience I gained from the industry over the years. The company offers opportunities not only for students pursuing their education on the campus but also for those who have completed their course. The pass-outs work on a contractual basis while the other category works on hourly wages,” he said.

Jimmy has over 15 years experience in the engineering industry. After his M.Tech, he started off as a site engineer in Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) with Blue Star Limited and later moved on to work with organisations such as Bilt Middle East LLC- Dubai as design and estimation engineer; Voltas Limited, Kochi as project engineer; Chalmers Engineering Company LLC Dubai as HVAC design engineer and Blue Star Limited, Kochi as assistant manager, construction. Some of the major works undertaken by him include the mechanical, electrical and plumbing design of the Downtown Mall in Dubai; shipping, ventilation and air conditioning design in Marine Engineering among others.

Other than the employer that he is, Jimmy handles a job-oriented certificate programme for B.Tech graduates in association with the Innovation, Entrepreneurship Development Cell (IEDC) of Technopark Technology Business Incubator (TBI). According to him, five students who completed the course in the previous academic year are currently employed in various companies in the Middle East.

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