UPES and IBM partner towards a New Education Paradigm

Agreement to enable cutting edge, industry aligned courses

University of Petroleum & Energy Studies (UPES) and IBM have signed a definitive agreement that will reinvent the Information Technology (IT) education in India, at the graduation level. UPES and IBM are coming together to launch a series of new, futuristic Bachelor of Technology (B Tech). courses which are industry-aligned. The courseware is being redesigned and a new delivery mechanism is being put in place to enable the students to learn industry –relevant skill sets.

As a part of the agreement, UPES and IBM India will partner to up-skill students by introducing ‘B.Tech in IT courses’ on the technologies which are in most demand in the IT industry and the emerging growth industries of Oil & Gas, Retail, Healthcare and Insurance. In addition, the courses will focus on addressing the skills demand for experts in the areas of Open Source Software and Open Standards, with live industry relevant projects for the students.

The four full-time ‘B.Tech in IT courses’ to be offered in the first phase of this agreement, include specialisations in:

1. Oil & Gas Informatics
2. Mainframe Technology
3. Cloud Computing & Virtualisation Technologies 
4. Open Source Software & Industry Vertical Domain Open Standards

The Innovation Centre for Open Standards (iCos), an online platform, will be the underlying framework for the engagement between IBM and UPES for the delivery of the courses. The IBM iCos platform links students' project based learning with IT industry mentors and subject matter experts. The platform will work as a support tool and will be seamlessly integrated to the UPES faculty to deliver the courses to the students. This effort will augment the Finishing School efforts of the IT Industry today, better preparing them for the future employability. The students will benefit from the innovative new course delivery by learning at their own pace, anytime, anywhere, and ensuring the students become future-ready.

'The B.Tech courses aim to ensure that students trained and accredited at the UPES will be ready for the requirements of the IT industry, which in turn will enhance their employability in the industry and deployment in to relevant client projects.

Dr. Parag Diwan, Vice Chancellor of UPES states, “IBM and UPES share a common goal - to ensure that the next generation of students have access to the right curriculum and delivery model, that will help them be more competitive when they enter the workforce. This agreement opens up the modernization of IT and Computer Science education as well as their applications in different vertical domains. Our students stand to benefit immensely from this initiative, as it provides them with a platform to help them transition from academia to industry while they are still in our campus. As a globally leading technology corporation, IBM will help bring in the right industry subject matter experts to develop a curriculum that meets the evolving needs of the industry, and also provide an innovative online platform to deliver this much needed program. Students graduating from this program will be equipped with the right skills to apply for jobs at leading technology companies in India, including IBM.”

UPES will deliver the course from their Dehradun campus, using all the learning models such as face to face, on-line, state of the art lab facility, print based, self learning. The continuous assessment, in this program, will enable skills development, to match with the emerging global demands in the industry.

Alok Ohrie, Director – Systems and Technology Group, IBM India/SA says, ‘There has never been a better opportunity to ensure we are arming our students with the smart skills for the future. We need to develop curriculum that meets the evolving needs of students and their employers. For this to happen, it is critical that businesses and academia work together to prepare students for these new opportunities. Academia, through initiatives like these, can help students to enhance their learning by bringing together the best of the traditional curriculum and current trends in technology specific course materials – which will help build smarter skills. It’s a whole new thinking, and a cutting edge approach to technology meritocracy.”

About UPES UPES have been a leader in bringing industry based courses to their graduate and post graduate students, by designing and delivering a world-class curriculum. Their professionalism and passion in delivering these well- thought-of courses reflects so well in the pace of their growth in placements and industry recognition. Their management is very professional, and the campus full of inspired exuberance. The hopes and smiles on their students’ faces tell a story.

For more information about UPES, visit http://www.upes.ac.in/

About IBM For more information about IBM, visit http://www.ibm.com