Practical and paying

Students who are good with technology but who haven’t gained admission into engineering courses either because they have not scored the required marks or because they do not have the ability to pay up whopping capitation fees could enroll for a diploma course in one of the many polytechnic institutes across the country.

 Most technical subjects offer diploma courses, which aim to make the student industry-ready.
Ramya Ganesh,  a student of engineering who says she did not do well in the Common Entrance Test because she did not attend tuitions, enrolled into a diploma course two years ago at Sri Jayachamarajendra Polytechnic, Bangalore. In her second year, she  applied for a B.E. seat and obtained it.

“The transition from diploma to engineering was smooth because the first year syllabus was more or less the same. There are many like me who use the first year of a diploma course as a stepping stone to enter mainstream engineering,” she says.
There is always a demand for technical support executives, who have hands-on experience, in the job market. Moreover, say industry watchers, those with a B.E. degree often pursue higher studies, leaving the job market open for the diploma holders. Though the latter usually settle for a leaner pay packet, they invariably work their way up.
Shiva Subramaniam (27), a diploma holder who joined BEL for a stipend of Rs 3,000 seven years ago, was drawing eight times that amount in five years. He now heads a team of apprentice technicians.

Karnataka has industries like BEML, BHEL, BEL, HAL, ITI and MICO, research and development organisations and software development centres which offer employment opportunities for those who hone their technical skills with a diploma course.
Many diploma holders take the self-employment route and start their own businesses. They are eligible for associate memberships to the Institution of Engineers (AMIE), quite like their professional counterparts with a B.E. degree.
SP Manoharan, principal of KS Polytechnic College, says students who work hard for their diplomas certainly have an edge over their engineering counterparts as they have sound practical grounding in their subject.

Punith Muniyappa is a case in point. This engineering graduate from MSRIT first did a diploma course in Electronics and Communications from PES Polytechnic. “My diploma course prepared me for the real world,” he says. Yoganand, superintendent in  the Department of Technical Education, Karnataka describes a diploma course as a “poor man’s engineering course which leads a student to the same destination”. There are certain diploma courses that can be taken up after Class X exams. A complete list of the courses offered can be obtained on www.indiastudychannel.com.