Focused and passionate innovator in product design, engineering support, quality testing, and programme management, Prof. S. Dhamodharan is the Principal of JCT Polytechnic College. He has more than 11 years of experience in exploring engineering through teaching and learning in academics with a creative mindset to work on real-time engineering problems. Mr. Dhamodharan thrives in a variety of environments and has a  ositive track record of producing results in product development by mentoring students for hackathons and startups.

Prof S. Dhamodharan

What are your roles and responsibilities towards students in JCT Polytechnic College,Tamil Nadu?

As a Principal, my responsibility for academic growth as well as the personal growth of studentsis routine. Apart from the routine duties, I also work on establishing clear understanding methods, building a team environment, and improving the teaching methodology and interpersonal skills of teachers, among others.

How do you tend to establish healthy relations with the students and fellow faculty?

My approach begins with respecting fellow faculty, approaching students in the campus area for informal discussions to listen to their ideas and concerns and motivating them towards overall progress to achieve their goals. Regular meetings with heads of the departments are also conducted to review the internal quality of teaching and learning and approach challenges, if any. We also mentor and create trust among students and fellow faculty, which is the key to maintaining healthy relations in the academic world.

How do you try to bring in a practical approach towards subjects and make it industry- oriented?

Every month we organise industry expert sessions for the students related to their subject and job market. Additionally, every week there are hands-on sessions for each subject where students are demonstrated with a working model of core concepts in their subject. By doing this, they will understand the fundamentals of the subjects and will practice developing a demonstration of any idea. This way, students get a clear understanding of how the subject concepts are implemented in industry for any manufacturing or service.

What are the best practices offered by the department to the students which help them gain the necessary skills?

We offer an industry-orientated curriculum with practical and theory classes. We emphasise a hands-on approach to teaching the core concepts and have our students complete mini-projects for all subjects. There are also industrial visits, industry expert sessions and alumni interaction sessions as well. Government initiatives like Naan Mudhalvan and NPTEL courses are compulsory, along with project guidance from industry and senior lecturers.

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How do you strategize the curriculum and get updated to make it beneficial for the students?

We have signed MoUs with top industry corporations. Also, we follow the new updated syllabus (Regulation 2023) released by DoTE. We also send faculty for industry training programmes and faculty development programs and workshops, so that faculty can teach with realtime experience and application of the subjects. Also, we conduct workshops and seminars on the latest technology for students and faculty every month.

What are your views on the placements and higher education of the students from JCT Polytechnic College, Tamil Nadu?

We have a dedicated placement and training cell, where we identify the potential of the students and conduct skill level based learning by conducting mock interviews, aptitude tests and group discussions. We identify the industry needs from our industry connections and train the students on the demand so that they are able to grab the best placement offers in the top companies. For higher education guidance, we have JCT College of Engineering and Technology on our campus, where senior professors from engineering college will address the students in their sixth semester about opportunities and scope of higher education.

How do you help students cope with the competition being so high in the outside world?

We teach our students wholesome engineering and technology concepts to ensure their basics are clear before they move on to advanced topics. We also make it a point to mentor students with their mentors in small batches of 20 students so that everyone receives individual attention. Students also receive project guidance, along with which we also arrange industry expert sessions and alumni interactions.

What are the challenges you face in uplifting the quality of education at JCT Polytechnic College, Tamil Nadu?

We do face numerous challenges when running our college. Our biggest challenge is our student’s diversion with technical gadgets. It is harder to get them to focus on their studies and in their classes. It ends up hampering their GPA and higher education or job opportunities. We also struggle with faculty retention for which we are trying to introduce FDPs and teacher training sessions to stimulate them.

How does your college enhance the skills of faculty members and prepare them according to industry standards?

For our faculty members, the college makes us attend faculty development programs organised by DoTE. We also attend industry oriented skill building sessions where we learn the latest skills and knowledge the industry is using at the moment. We also make use of flipped classrooms and regularly review subject notes and implementation methods to ensure our teaching methods are at par with other colleges. Towards that, we also make use of innovative teaching methodology.

What do you think is the greatest strength of JCT Polytechnic College, Tamil Nadu?

Our biggest strength is our network of strong industry relationships we maintain with educational institutes and organisations. They help us with education exchange, internships and jobs. Additionally, we have a dedicated faculty team who have years of experience in the industry, which they bring to the classroom to make classes engaging. Our students are also highly cooperative, which makes launching new initiatives easy.

What valuable advice do you like to give for the students to have a prosperous career ahead?

I would like to advise my students to think broadly. Don’t be limited in your dreams and the possibilities you can achieve with your determination. Try to learn something every day; it will keep you competitive. Build a professional network, as it will help you find the best opportunities. Set your own goals and work towards them but also maintain a work-life balance.