Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Nagpur, through its Training and Placement Section, has formally launched an Industry Mentorship Programme for second-year B.Tech and B.Arch students admitted in 2024. The programme is being implemented with the theme “Hand-holding from the classroom to the real world.”
The initiative aims to bridge the gap between academic learning and industry expectations by providing structured mentorship to students. Mentors have been drawn from diverse professional domains including Core Engineering, Consulting, Defence Services, Information Technology, Start-ups, and Management. More than 90 mentors from across the globe have given their consent to mentor VNIT students. A majority of the mentors are distinguished VNIT alumni, representing batches from 1962 to 2010. Mentors were from Mercedes Benz, Tata Steels, Indian Navy, Indian Army, Accenture strategy, Texas Instrumentation, Oracle, Amazon, Meta, Lowe’s Technology and many more giant companies. In addition, mentors include professionals from Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and other leading industries with whom VNIT has active Memoranda of Understanding for academic and research collaborations.
The inaugural mentoring session was held at the Training and Placement Section, wherein each mentor was assigned a group of 8–10 students. These mentoring interactions will be conducted monthly, and mentors will continue to guide their respective student groups for the next three years or until graduation, supporting them in making informed career choices.
The VNIT Alumni Association is partnering with VNIT in inviting and coordinating mentors. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Uday Kamat, Founder Member of the Alumni Association, emphasized the importance of such structured mentorship initiatives and highlighted their long-term impact on students’ professional growth. He also noted that mentors themselves gain valuable insights by interacting with the younger generation.
In his presidential address, Dr. Prem Lal Patel, Director, VNIT, highlighted the significance of internships during the course of study and acknowledged the vital role played by mentors in shaping the careers of young students.
The programme commenced with opening remarks by Dr. Aniruddha Ghare, Dean (Student Welfare), who expressed his best wishes for the success of the initiative. Dr. Rashmi Uddanwadiker, Associate Dean (Training and Placement), presented the structure of the mentorship programme and introduced the mentors to the audience. More than 25 mentors participated in person, while others joined the event virtually
through a YouTube link. The mentors were felicitated by Director Dr. Prem Lal Patel and Distinguished Alumnus Mr. Uday Kamat.
The vote of thanks was proposed by Dr. Sunil Bhat, Associate Dean (Alumni), and the programme was anchored by Ms. Yogita Deshmukh. Ms. Shreya Kide and Mr. Harshad Panse played a key role in mapping mentors and students based on domains and expertise. Rahul, Lipika, Shivam, Rani, and Reddy contributed significantly to the successful organization of the event.