PLASTICS NEWS....Plastindia Foundation ties up with US universities to set up Plastindia International University at Vapi

Plastindia Foundation ties up with US universities to set up Plastindia International University at Vapi The Plastindia Foundation in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts Lowell (USA) and University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA) is setting up the Plastindia International University at Vapi in Gujarat. The initiative aims to develop a world class facility to develop skilled manpower for the plastics industry. "The initiative will ensure that the human resources being employed in the industry have exposure to the latest technology, production processes and management practices as part of their education and training," the Plastindia Foundation said. Plastindia Foundation is the apex body of major associations, organisations, and institutions connected with plastics, with common objectives to promote the development of plastics industry. The key focus of the Foundation is to facilitate export led growth of the Indian plastic industry and to make India a preferred global sourcing base for plastics products. To address the growing needs of plastics & polymer industry and its rapid expansion in Asia, Plastindia Foundation had conducted a survey among 50 key industrialists. The findings highlighted that majority of the employees were non-degree holders with an average work experience of 1-5 years. The survey underlined the need for a knowledge centre and short-term trainings for technical staff. Delegates and the faculty members of the University of Massachusetts Lowell recently visited India to meet industrialists and to ascertain the gap between education and skilled professionals in India. They visited India to familiarise themselves with the technology practices applied in plastic manufacturing companies in Vapi, Daman and Silvassa – known as a plastic manufacturing hub. The delegates also interacted with renowned industrialists to understand the educational needs of the plastic industry in India and incorporate those elements in the curriculum. The under-graduate engineering programme at the Plastindia International University (PIU) will incorporate all the components of the curriculum that has made U-Mass Lowell Plastics Engineering programme an international success. The programme aims to create a pool of skilled technicians/engineers who can think globally and implement expertise on the work floor that would be beneficial to the industry. Concept to commercialisation PIU will be the first institution in India which will teach polymer technology from concept to commercialisation. The PIU intends having courses in B.Tech, M.Tech, Ph.D, Management of Technology and Continuing Education. The Continuing Education Program (CEP) will be conducted periodically, with active involvement of the industry and will be focused on upgrading technical knowledge of human resources already employed in the industry. Speaking on the development, Mr. Bipin Shah, President of Plastindia Foundation, said, "Our aim is to keep people first, followed by the approach and ultimate selection of the process, which keeps integrity of the environment and ultimately brings sustainability for future growth. Our efforts will be to create entrepreneurship, logistics and problem solving methodology." The construction of the proposed university is already on and the campus being built will occupy 52,940 sq. mtrs in area and is being built at an estimated cost of Rs. 132-crore of which Rs. 9-crore have already been spent on the phase-I.

CHEMWEKLY 121218