The skills and education that students acquire during their undergraduate studies have now become extremely important.

The time when students could complete a three- or four-year degree and then learn the skills required for a specific field afterward is long gone. Today, it is essential for students to gain comprehensive, domain-specific skills during their period of study itself.

In the modern world, educational institutions and industries have become closely interconnected. In the future, neither institutions nor industries can function and sustain themselves independently. When industries operate in close association with educational institutions, students can gain practical, job-related experience even while pursuing their studies.

An educational institution should no longer remain a place where only “learning” happens, but should evolve into a space where “innovation and creation” thrive. Moreover, institutions must transform from being mere “teaching centers” into “learning experience centers.” This shift is already being implemented in most countries and across many institutions.

In today's industries, there is a growing preference for “plug-and-play” approaches—where individuals can be immediately productive upon joining. Students must therefore equip themselves accordingly and continuously upgrade their skills.

An important point to remember is that technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, are meant to assist us and not overpower us. While it is acceptable to depend on technology, we must ensure that we do not become completely controlled by it.

If we maintain the awareness that we should control technology, no advancement can harm us. No technology can take away human jobs or rights if we use it wisely.

As companies increasingly recruit candidates with strong domain-specific skills, continuous skill development is no longer a matter of choice—it has become a necessity.

— Dr. R. Devi Priya, Principal, KPR Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore.