The Volvo Group in India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with three universities across India—Manipal University, KIIT University, and SRM University to partner for strategic industry-academia collaborations. 

The signings of the MoU on Friday saw Kamal Bali, President and Managing Director, Volvo Group India Private Limited,  Dr. Abhishek Ray, Dean -KIIT University, Commander(Dr.) Anil Rana, Director – Manipal University, Dr M S Vivekanandan, Director – Corporate relations and career services, SRM University , Dr Maheshwar Dwivedy , Associate Dean – Academia-Industry Relations and Professional Internships, SRM University , Dr. N.Venkata Sastry, Director – Career Centre, SRM University and Dr. Priyadarshi Biswal, Dean – KIIT Industry.

The collaborations will include programs designed to offer mentorship programmes to postgraduates in mechanical, electrical, electronics, and computer science streams. Additionally, students will also be offered internship opportunities and pre-placement offers, which will be instrumental in nurturing the top talents in the country at the onset of their career pathway in automotive engineering.

The bedrock of this collaboration is a two-semester-long credit programme focusing on industry-specific subjects conducted by the partnered universities to equip the students with holistic understanding and knowledge in the realm of automotive engineering. Volvo Group will actively support this initiative by training faculty members, facilitating industry-specific sessions with seasoned professionals, providing relevant use-cases and problem statements for developing practical knowledge, conducting guest lectures, and imparting educational assistance to the other faculty members of the institutions. In addition, Volvo Group will provide scholarships for female students opting for these programmes, promoting diversity and inclusion in the automotive industry.

Speaking at the occasion, Bali said, “We firmly believe in the strength of collaboration. Our collaboration with these esteemed colleges is a significant move in the direction of enabling the next generation of engineers. We’re eager to nurture these bright minds, equip them with practical, industry-specific skills, and guide them towards becoming future leaders of the automotive sector. This collaboration is part of our commitment towards nurturing talent and fostering innovation in the automotive sector. It is also about equipping engineers with the required skills and opportunities for a thriving career in the automotive industry.”

Reiterating that these partnerships would have an impact on placements in these varsities, he clarified that the agenda was to benefit the industry as a whole by coordinating for industry-ready graduates rather than catering to Volvo alone. 

Action plan 

The MoU will facilitate a 6-month-long internship for 50-75 students each year. A month-long training would be offered to atleast 30 faculty per year who will be entrusted with the task of taking back the knowledge to colleges. 

Boost female participation

The Volvo Group India Private Limited will take initiatives striving towards boosting the participation of women in the automotive, mechanical and allied industries, Kamal Bali, President and Managing Director said on Friday in Bengaluru. He said that  scholarships and support would be provided to female students to help realise this goal. 

Also read: Volvo Group collaborates with VIT to shape future auto engineers