A Bachelor of Vocation in electrical or an electrical engineering will prepare skilled manpower to address a variety of the crucial issues being faced by the society, says Dr Surjit Singh Pabla
With the Government initiative to provide power 24x7 to all by 2022, impetus is on strengthening sub-transmission and distribution system including provisioning of solar panels, metering of distribution transformers/feeders/consumer in urban areas and IT enablement of distribution sector. To fulfill the huge demand and supply gap, the need of the hour is to skill people working in electrical stream.
A focused vocational skill development programme like a Bachelor of Vocation (B Voc) in electrical skills or doing electrical engineering is a course that deals with power generation, distribution, transmission, manufacturing and utility sectors. A person with electrical skills can be employed in any Computer, Electronics & Communication, Instrumentation and Control, Robotics, Mechanical Industry, and others.
As India’s demand for power is growing and will be about three times the present consumption in coming 25 years, unreliable electrical supplies with increased consumption are are leading to several problems. Skilled electrical persons are well positioned to address a variety of the crucial issues being faced by the society including power outages, dangling wires and faulty transmission lines.
Road Ahead
The sector is expected to grow faster with Government’s thrust to provide power to all. New companies and a lot of employment opportunities with good career growth is on offer to the ones who are joining this stream. It is a matter of paramount importance for students to select the right avenue at the right time to make a successful professional career.
Prospects
The students, who wish to pursue their career in electrical after their degrees will have greater job opportunities as electrical specialist for both private and public sectors in sectors like Railways, Civil Aviation, Electricity Board and utility companies, electrical designing and consultancy firms and of course all types of manufacturing industries. Power generating and transmission companies like Tata, NTPC, NHPC and State Power generating companies can be a very good job avenue.
Electrical manufacturing companies will give students an experience of manufacturing various components like power transformer, circuit breakers, isolators, substation like schneider, alstom and ABB.
Solar power is new and emerging field in India and companies in the sector offer high paying jobs. Organisations like Bajaj International Private ltd, Siemens ltd, Reliance Power ltd, Crompton Greaves limited,, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Steel Authority of India limited (SAIl), Coal India limited (CIl), Bharat Heavy Electricals limited (BHEl), Power Grid Corporation of India limited (PGCIl), Centre for Electronics Design and Technology and Wipro lighting are some of the biggest brands of today’s times that are hiring electrical specialists.
Eligibility
The eligibility for the admission into the programme is 10+2, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics or ITI after Class X or Polytechnic diploma will be considered as equivalent to 10+2.
BVOC Courses
looking at the increasing demand nationwide, UGC has given B Voc courses a status equivalent to graduation degree and the students after completing B Voc degrees can definitely compete for Government jobs.
Admission will be through an entrance exam or based on the merit of the qualifying examination.
One of the specialties of B Voc degrees are that they are modular in nature with multiple entry and exit points at certificate (after six months), diploma (after one-year), advanced diploma (after two years) and BVoc.
There are many colleges and universities which offer BVoc graduation degrees. The prominent ones are the Bhartiya Skill Development University, (BSDU) Jaipur, Teamlease Skills University, Centurian University, Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education, Etc.
Remuneration
The starting salary after completing vocational degree in electrical skills is ranging from Rs 3 to Rs 8 lakh per annum but not restricted to that for good candidates. Good experience and talent in this field can easily lead to a highly-paid job.
Notably the salaries related to skill works always have an increasing trend, 10 years down the line a skilled professional with rich experience will have higher package and one can attain the satisfaction, good package and a senior position in the industry within short span of time.
Students, while joining a company, should always check company profile as well work profile of the company as it directly affects their career plans.
The writer is president, Bhartiya Skill Development University, Jaipur