B'luru North varsity's courses to focus on employability

With a focus on employability, the newly formed Bengaluru North University plans to introduce courses which are tailor-made to meet the needs of local students.

The university, which was formed after the trifurcation of Bangalore University, will come up in Amaravathi, near H Cross in Chikkaballapur. It recently got recognition from the University Grants Commission (UGC).

The university’s jurisdiction covers the Assembly constituencies of KR Puram, CV Raman Nagar, Pulikeshinagar, Mahadevapura and Sarvajnanagar in Bengaluru Urban district. Hoskote, Devanahalli and Doddaballapur constituencies of Bengaluru Rural district and all constituencies in Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts also come under the new university.

BNU’s courses will take into account the aspirations of local students and opportunities for employment in these areas.

Registrar M Shankar Reddy said, “Chikkaballapur is known for its mangoes and there are a large number of mango farmers here. Similarly, the Kolar APMC has one of the biggest tomato markets in Asia. Keeping this in mind, a course in food technology, preservation and pest control will give students the right skills.” Students who have completed Bachelor of Science (BSc) can pursue a Postgraduate Diploma in food processing technology to gain the skills particularly required in the region. They can make their own products or help farmers make better use of their crop, he said.

“We want to not only give students just degrees but the skills to make them employable,” said Reddy.

The university officials also plan to invite owners of industries in Narasapura, Kolar, Hoskote and Bengaluru Rural for a meeting to understand what skills they look for in employees. “Do they need commerce graduates or business graduates? Are technical courses in demand? Based on industry requirements, we will know which courses have more employment opportunities,” Reddy said.

The university also plans to have a Masters in Political Science and Public Administration. “Students in this region are very keen on pursuing a career in the Indian Administrative Services (IAS). But there are not many colleges here that offer public administration as a subject,” Reddy said.

BNU has 209 colleges in its jurisdiction and four postgraduate departments in Kolar. In the 2018-19 academic year, the university hopes to start eight new postgraduate and three undergraduate courses. The new courses will be from the approved courses of the UGC.