Redefining Engineering Education to Produce High Quality Leaders

Technology is evolving at a faster pace than ever. And it is no longer a linear evolution. The ideas of singularity that drive many technological disciplines across computing, biology, energy, etc., are inherently exponential and disruptive in nature. Part of such disruption is driven by digitization, which has resulted in an immense quantity, variety and velocity of data being captured at various touchpoints, along with the availability of the necessary tools to analyze this data. Organizations are also breaking their hierarchical structures to build more agile and cross-functional capabilities. A pipeline-driven organization with well-defined roles, where activities flow from one part of the organization to another in a lockstep manner, is no longer well-positioned to take advantage of these rapid changes.

The fittest organizations of the future will be the most agile and seamless ones. Hence, small, data-driven teams with interdisciplinary skills, decision-making capability and clear accountability for outcomes will drive the organizational structures of tomorrow. It is in this context of society and changing job roles that engineering education must reimagine itself.

Plaksha University aims to redefine engineering education for this world by empowering its graduates with more than just a deep understanding of science and technology. The university also seeks to instill an entrepreneurial mindset through experiential learning to inspire future unicorns to develop sustainable and scalable solutions. Plaksha aims to provide holistic development to its students that shatters the boundaries of traditional engineering, creating the entrepreneurs of tomorrow. It should not sound too ambitious to say that the university aims to create 100 startups in the next decade.

Plaksha is redefining engineering education by combining a rigorous interdisciplinary B.Tech curriculum with leadership training, experiential learning, and real-world problem-solving. Students develop a strong foundation in science and technology while building the leadership, entrepreneurial, and collaborative skills needed to become high-quality engineering graduates and future technology leaders.

“India has to create millions of jobs over the next 10 years. We must create productive jobs on a large scale. This can only be done with the right kind of education foundation which I strongly believe Plaksha can provide. Plaksha is a unique education model, and it is going to equip the youth of India to create jobs which are so desperately required.”

– Dalip Pathak, Founder and Trustee, Plaksha University

At Plaksha, students receive guidance, mentorship, support and exclusive access to the Plaksha community of founders, which consists of entrepreneurs, consultants and business leaders. They also receive opportunities for networking and pitch sessions through the support of the founders.

“Plaksha will nurture students who will endeavour to solve some of the problems that have plagued this world for centuries. Students who graduate from Plaksha will understand how technology can change the world. They will create businesses and enterprises which address issues that exist in this world today.”

– Hitesh Oberoi, Founder and Trustee, Plaksha University

To help students transition into entrepreneurs, Plaksha launched PESP (Plaksha Entrepreneurship Support Program). It provides an entrepreneurial ecosystem that enables students to build breakthrough companies and solve some of the world's greatest challenges. PESP is already bearing fruit, with TLP students building path-breaking ventures.

Synth, an AI-based knowledge platform, took shape when three tech leaders from the Class of 2022 — Suneel Matham, Urvin Soneta and Vaibhav Saxena — reconnected through the Plaksha Entrepreneurship Support Program. Under the guidance and support of mentors from the Plaksha community, they created Synth. They recently raised funding from Y Combinator.

StimVeda was born during the Program when classmates Ramya Yellagaprada and Lakshay Sahni discovered that they both wanted to work on mental wellness. Together, they designed the technology behind a non-invasive brain stimulation device with encouragement and hands-on mentoring from the Plaksha community.

“Being a part of Plaksha Entrepreneurship Support Program (PESP) helped us build the foundation of our entrepreneurial journey,” says Ramya.

StimVeda has been identified as one of the top seven global healthcare startups to watch out for in 2021.

The Content Team at Plaksha University leads storytelling, blog and website content, social media, newsletters and event coverage and press and media coverage. The team writes about the University's initiatives, academic programs, research, innovation, and the impact created by the students, faculty, and collaborators and in the process offer readers a closer look at the people and ideas shaping the future of technology education.