Mangaluru: It was an historic occasion for St Aloysius College (autonomous) when ten industrialists from here representing small and medium industries had a unique interaction with the academia of the college.

The event organized by the Foreign and Domestic Collaboration cell of the college provided an opportunity for both sides to discuss various opportunities of collaboration even beyond employment and internship for more than three hours. The industry representatives were informed about the capabilities of the college in providing consultancy and solutions to the problems through a wide range of presentations.

The industry representatives articulated their expectations from the college while appreciating the initiative and competence of the college. They are also of the opinion that youngsters going out of Mangaluru for smaller jobs elsewhere can be prevented, if the industry and the institution come together. More employment opportunities can be created here itself.

The programme began with a welcome address by Dr A M Narahari,registrar of the college.

The industry was represented by Gaurav Hegde, president, Kanara Small Industries Association and the following:

Walter D’Souza - cashew Industry
Kalbavi Prakash Rao - cashew Industry
Annappa Pai - Ace Foods
Ajith Kamath - Ajit Entrprises
Sulaj Kini - Bell Paints
Isaac Vas - Merger Soft Drinks
Mithun Bhat - Kakunje Polypacks
Ananthesh Prabhu - Aruna Industries
Swarna Sundar - Dinki Ice Cream

Fr Praveen Martis spoke on the recent initiatives by the college in seriously engaging the industry through a dialogue of mutual benefits and ultimately for the benefit of students and society.

The programme was conducted by Prof Vincent Mascarenhas, coordinator, Foreign and Domestic Collaborations.

After an elaborate discussion, the meeting decided the following:

To set up a coordination committee: The industry will have five representatives led by Gaurav Hegde, president, KSIA. The college will also nominate equal number of representatives. Prof Vincent Mascarenhas will be the coordinator.
The committee will study the requirements of the industry and the college with regard to consultancy, use of laboratories, use of expertise in ISSO standards, GST, soft skills training, internship, project studies and other related issues.
The collaborative projects will be undertaken on the recommendation of the coordination committee.