Industrial Training and Career Guidance Unit (ITCGU) is responsible for arranging, monitoring and evaluation of the industrial training in liaison with the National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA). This unit is also responsible for planning and organizing activities in guiding students for gainful employment prospects.
TR400 Industrial Training (6 credits) is a compulsory course and successful completion of the course is required for the award of the Bachelor of the Science of Engineering. Students are given Pass/Fail grades and the student who scores highest marks at the assessment is awarded the “J.B. Dissanayake prize for Industrial Training”.
A student who fails to satisfactorily complete the Industrial Training course will be required to undergo further training and appear for an assessment to be eligible for the award of the degree of Bachelor of the Science of Engineering.
Placements in the participating industries are arranged for undergraduates during the industrial training sessions in the academic calendar of the Faculty so that 20 to 24 weeks in industry is achieved.
Undergraduates are expected to acquire hands-on experience not only of the engineering aspects of the work, but also of related matters such as administration, accounting, management, safety, quality assurance etc. Students have to maintain a daily diary during training and submit a comprehensive report covering each period of training. The assessment is done at an interview conducted by a panel consisting of a practicing engineer from industry, an officer from NAITA, a lecturer from the relevant department and staff of the ITCGU. This assessment is normally conducted in the second semester of the final year of studies.
Career Guidance has been recognized as an important part of the education and training that the undergraduate has to be exposed to. The undergraduates are assisted by the ITCGU to select their future careers to suit their abilities, wishes and expectations. This is to be achieved by means of enhancing the necessary attitude, motivation and the skills demanded by the engineering organizations both in the state and private sector. The ITCGU liaises with these industrial sector establishments to organize capacity building sessions to develop the skills required for the present day job market among undergraduates. These include orientation of the undergraduates to develop the career related skills such as communication skills, leadership and teamwork skills, managerial skills, marketing and entrepreneurial skills. The ITCGU maintains links with these organizations and exchange information mutually benefiting both. It collaborates with the Career Guidance Unit of the University of Peradeniya.
