khaskhabar career

Indian Infrastructure and Need for more Civil Engineers

A nation’s infrastructure development plays a significant role in its economic growth. A fast growing economy warrants an even faster development of infrastructure.  The cities shelter around 30 per cent of the population who contribute to the economic growth. However, the most vital part of economic growth, which is infrastructure, hardly matched the demands of even this 30 per cent of urban dwellers, spreading chaos at the slightest provocation with the danger of turning the clock backwards. This mismatch has been seen in the Mumbai deluge in September 2005 and a little later in Bangalore.

India has witnessed an absolute metamorphosis over the last decade. Sprawling cities, flourishing businesses, higher standard of living are all indicators of unprecedented growth, globalization, urbanization, expansion and diversification.  Infrastructure modernization and development is said to be the key driver of all the growth and economic activity. The Indian infrastructure sector is at an inflection point and there are immense opportunities for the private sector.

The highways sector received much required fillip when the government announced National Highway Development Programme and its first two phases-Golden Quadrilateral and North South-East West Corridor. These projects were funded by National Highways Authority of India. For the subsequent phases, i.e. III, IV & V, the government decided to involve the private sector by promulgating the BOT model which is bound to increase the momentum further. To sustain the growth in the construction sector, import duty on construction equipment and material such as bitumen, steel and cement is being reduced especially in PPP projects.

As this is just the beginning of the infrastructure boom in the country, the industry needs to prepare for execution needs. With the ramp up in manpower and other resources, Indian companies will be in a position to cash in on opportunities both domestically and internationally. Unless adequately addressed, shortage of skilled manpower will be the single most important hindrance to aggressive infrastructure development.  Newer trends in road projects such as six-eight laning of highways, large-scale and more complex projects in power sector, metro rails, monorails and high capacity bus systems mark the eagerness of our country to take its infrastructure to another level.

The Government is now putting in place a policy framework under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, which, would allow large infrastructure projects to come up on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) basis. India`s agenda to promote PPP for infrastructure development aims at enhancing the quality and quantum of infrastructure services, releasing the full potential of Public Sector Assets and ensuring that stakeholders receive a fair share of benefits from the PPP projects.

There should be a mechanism to ensure planned and expeditious implementation of infrastructure projects. It is essential to phase the projects in a continuous manner in order to optimize the scale up of resources in the infrastructure sector in India.  As this is just the beginning of the infrastructure boom in the country, the industry needs to prepare for execution needs. With the ramp up in manpower and other resources, Indian companies will be in a position to cash in on opportunities both domestically and internationally. Unless adequately addressed, shortage of skilled manpower will be the single most important hindrance to aggressive infrastructure development.  There is huge requirement for Civil Engineers in India.

Civil Engineering Outsourcing to India

In addition to domestic need, there is huge demand for good quality Civil Engineers in the international market. There has always been a lot of debate on outsourcing. However, outsourcing continues to increase its scope and span. One strong contributing factor is competitive advantages on global scales. India has been, more or less, the outsourcing hub for a variety of commercial, professional and social reasons. 2.5 million and more graduates, coming out every year, provide a large, skilled and cheap English-speaking workforce.   Four-fifths of the world’s 500 largest companies outsource to India.

Outsourcing Engineering Services to India gives competitive advantages on a global scale. As per a study, outsourcing of engineering services to India has the potential to grow to $10-$20 billions in three to five years. India provides outsourced services in a number of engineering areas including automotive design, aerospace design, electrical and electronics design, instrumentation design, telecommunications design, mechanical, civil and structural designs, to mention a few.

Civil Engineering services involve labor-intensive processes. Outsourcing of Civil Engineering services has seen a substantial increase in the current decade.  It is not only talent but also several other factors, which combine to provide offshore Civil Engineering services seekers with the following benefits.  Quality efficiency, capacities efficiency, capabilities efficiency, friendly approach to project management, accountability and dedication are other qualities, which invite services seekers worldwide to invest in India.  Outsourcing Civil Engineering services to India increases business performance and expansion for global companies.

Getting the Job

Becoming a Civil Engineer typically requires several years of experience, the employees move up from within their own companies. The personnel offices of such companies usually advertise openings within their firms. Employment opportunities are also advertised in newspaper classified sections, industry magazines, and Internet job banks. Civil Engineers who start out as part of a Site Supervisor’s team may eventually work up to positions as project manager, overseeing the work of an entire team. An experienced project manager may advance to a position in upper management within the company. Civil Engineers who are skillful in communicating complex ideas to clients may take positions administration where they can combine their technical knowledge and interpersonal skills.

Working Conditions

Civil Engineers spend a great deal of their time analyzing, designing, estimating, scheduling a project. This usually takes place in a clean and modern office environment. Once the design and layout is complete, the engineer must meet with clients to determine their needs and check if the design satisfies their requirements. Engineers may also have to visit the site and spend a fair amount of time outdoors to ensure proper execution of critical structural components.

Civil Engineering services involve labor-intensive processes. No wonder, with the labor strengths India provides, outsourcing of structural engineering services has seen a substantial increase in the current decade. It is not only talent but also several other factors, which combine to provide offshore structural engineering services seekers with the following benefits.

Earnings and Benefits

In 2004 the median annual earnings for Civil Engineers in general was Rs. 3 Lakhs per annum. A Civil Engineer with extensive experience who works as a project manager can earn up to Rs. 12 Lakhs per year. Most companies that employ Civil Engineers also offer benefits that include paid vacation, medical coverage, a retirement package, and perhaps incentive bonuses and profit sharing. Some firms offer a signing bonus to highly desirable applicants.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE DEPARTMENT

The best human and laboratory infrastructure combined with an ample variety of available learning resources rank the Department as one of the best Civil Engineering departments in a private college in North Coastal Andhra Pradesh.  A perfect blend of academic, research and industry experience among the faculty and staff provides an ideal platform for the students to build a strong foundation in Civil Engineering.  The college as well as the Department has one of the best students – staff ratio among all the private engineering colleges in the state.  Labs are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and libraries are flooded with digital and printed resources.  Alumni of the department are highly employable and are well placed in reputed companies, organizations and academic institutions across the globe. 

The Department faculty are alumni of reputed national and international institutes and some of them have decades of industrial experience in national and multinational companies in India and abroad.  The Department has Doctoral Degree holders in all sub disciplines such as Structures, Water Resources Engineering, Soil Mechanics,Geology and Transportation Engineering.  Senior staff members are registered PhD guides in reputed universities and guide Doctoral degree aspirants within the department as well as outside the college.  Faculty members with Masters Degree are pursuing PhD’s in reputed institutes in India and abroad.  The academic strength, industrial experience and diversity in capability of faculty members have motivated the Department to try for empanelment as consultants with Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.  Upon successful empanelment, the Department will be able to offer consultancy services from 2014 in ‘road and bridge design’ and detailed project report preparation for various road projects nationwide.

Structural Engineering is strength of the Department.  Along with regular B. Tech with a sanctioned intake of 120, the department offers M. Tech in Structural Engineering with a sanctioned intake of 18 and Doctoral guidance in Structural Engineering.  The Department provides standing consultancy in design and drawing of civil engineering structures to Greater Vishakhapatnam Municipal Corporation and Vishakhapatnam Urban Development Authority and the faculty have been invited for several consultancy assignments in the past.  State-of-the-art equipment in  the  laboratories and experienced staff have impressed the Vizianagaram Municipality which has entrusted the Department to carry out 3rd Party Quality Control and Quality Assurance for all civil engineering works undertaken by  Vizianagaram Municipality. 

The Department is also very strong in Transportation Engineering.  Faculty and students have done pioneering research in ‘adapted traffic conflict techniques’ to assess road safety and published several research papers in international journals and conferences.  Faculty have demonstrated their ability to study road safety issues and prepare master plans recommending phased road safety implementation plans at concerned offices in the Andhra Pradesh state government.  The Roads and Buildings Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh has entrusted a pilot study to prepare a road improvement master plan for NH-26 in the state.  The Department is collaborating with University of Washington; Seattle on researching use of recycled aggregates in building and pavement construction.  The Department has technical collaboration agreement with Centre for Advanced Transportation and Infrastructure Engineering Research Centre, Baltimore, MD, USA.

The Industry Institution Participation Cell in the Department is always on the hunt for mutually beneficial associations with industry in the fields of research, workshops and training. Individual faculty members and the Department are registered with major professional bodies and sponsored workshops and seminars are conducted to encourage ‘Capacity Building’ in the Department.  Faculty members attend training programs conducted by National Agencies, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, CII and other reputed organizations.  Multiple guest lectures by eminent civil engineering professionals are arranged in the Department so that students and faculty stay abreast with civil engineering work outside the college.  Several add-on programmes are conducted in the Department to increase the employability of the students.  Local chapter of the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board and the Department conduct workshops to increase awareness on environmental pollution control and sustainable natural resource usage.  ACC Cements Pvt. Ltd., and the Department together conduct Mason’s training programmes to sensitise the Masons on good building practices. 

Students are taken out on frequent Industrial tours to supplement their class room learning with hands on exposure through practical learning.  The ARC, which is a student body in the Department, engages in a variety of socially useful activities such as advice on low cost housing, blood donation camps, and support to charitable organizations.  The department encourages students to take part in NCC to enhance their leadership and comradeship qualities. Many students also participate in NSS camps to stay in touch with the community around them.  The students, parents, alumni, industry experts, academicians and researchers provide feedback on the Department’s performance on a continuous basis to help the department achieve its objectives, stay competent and taste success in all its endeavors.

ADVISORY BODY

In an attempt to keep learning of our students to be in-tune with what is expected in the industry and to cover the latest developments in technology, we have constituted a Department Advisory Committee (DAC) that would meet once/twice every year to review syllabus, course material, lab infrastructure, supplementary learning processes and recommend changes that would help us equip our students with skills needed to meet the ever dynamic needs of the Construction industry. The DAC will also recommend some advanced topics on which we can have guest lectures and seminars organized for the benefit of the students. The following eminent personalities from Construction Industry and Academics have kindly consented to be a part of our DAC.

The department advisory committee will also include the following members from MVGR.

A follow up department meeting is also organized to discuss the suggestions that come out from the department advisory committee meeting and follow-up action as necessary is initiated after deliberations in the staff meeting. 

Board of Studies (BOS) of Civil Engineering Department

Department Vision

To be prominent in producing Civil Engineering professionals with the technical proficiency and outreach who are ethically sound, globally employable and capable of addressing societal challenges to improve quality of life by providing sustainable solutions.

Department Mission

• Impart and enrich students with technical knowledge and problem solving skills.
• To have well qualified and experienced faculty on board.
• Offer a teaching-learning process abreast with changing industry needs.
• Build the best infrastructure and offer a nurturing environment to the students.
• Create synergy among academics, research and industry to increase outreach of the graduates.

Program Educational Objectives (PEOs)

PEO 1: DOMAIN KNOWLEDGE

Graduates will have the fundamental knowledge of mathematics, science, economics and computing and in-depth knowledge in Civil Engineering concepts through theoretical, laboratory and project based experiences so as to design, develop and solve engineering problems.

PEO 2: EMPLOYMENT

Graduates will get employed in national and international; government and private organizations, and will succeed in their chosen engineering careers through their skills, knowledge, personality and aptitude for innovation.

PEO 3: HIGHER STUDIES & LIFELONG EDUCATION

Graduates will have ability to pursue advanced degrees in engineering and other fields; and will have skills of continued, independent and life-long learning to become experts in their profession by self instilled passion and systematic approach.

PEO 4: PROFESSIONAL CITIZENSHIP

Graduates will have the ability to organize and present information, to write and speak well, work effectively with strong organizational skills in multidisciplinary teams on team-based engineering projects and practice ethics and have a sense of social responsibility.

Program Outcomes (POs)

a) An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science and engineering

b) An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data

c) An ability to design a system, component or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability and sustainability

d) An ability to function on multidisciplinary teams

e) An ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems

f) An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility

g) An ability to communicate effectively

h) The broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental and societal context

i) A recognition of the need for and ability to engage in life-long learning

j) A knowledge of contemporary issues

k) An ability to use the techniques, skills and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice