Omkar Naik is the Administrative Officer at Sinhgad College of Engineering. He is also a former student of the Sinhgad Institute of Management. He has done BCA, PGDIV and has completed his MBA in Marketing. He identifies himself as a sportsperson and has played football and Karate at the state and national levels. 

Sinhgad Institute of Engineering College Vadgaon

You have held key positions at education institutes throughout your professional career. What keeps you connected with the Education Sector, and how has your experience been so far with the institute?

I had a great experience and training, and the working environment culture kept me connected to nature and problem-solving. I’m skilled in designing solutions for the betterment of people’s life, improving products and processes through innovation. My role in the institute is to provide solutions to problems and my connection to the education sector helps me do that. It also helps me gain more knowledge and connect with more people in the education sector.

Being the administrative officer of Sinhgad College of Engineering, what are your roles and responsibilities toward the students?

I ensure that no student encounters problems of any type, manage students and non-technical professionals, and successfully communicate throughout the entire institute as a part of my job. It's always fascinating to see what pupils are capable of, even before they have completed their formal education. They can influence the corporation to give their projects a top priority. Students can readily get promotions since they have technical knowledge and leadership skills.

Do you have any extracurricular activities/ programs to enhance the student’s skills or expose them to real-world challenges?

We take the best measures to engage students in extra-curricular activities. We have playgrounds, courts, and separate areas for cricket, swimming, lawn tennis, athletics, etc. We instill soft skills, presentation skills, and communication skills in students and train them for interviews, repo building, leadership, and collaboration. Additionally, we organize Karandak, Pune’s renowned college festival, annual events, virtual workshops, and NSS activities. 

Check Sinhgad Institute of Engineering College Vadgaon Courses & Fees

How does the curriculum of Sinhgad College of Engineering ensure that the students are being prepared for the future?

We are committed to producing not only good engineers but good human beings as well. We have created the working culture and the surrounding environment that makes students future-ready. We believe in and work for the holistic development of students and teachers. We strive to achieve this by instilling a distinct value system, a transparent work culture, and an outstanding academic and physical environment conducive to learning, creativity, and technology transfer. We aim to create, preserve, and share knowledge to build a vibrant society. Mechanical Engineering, Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering, Computer Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Information Technology, Production Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Bio-Technology are the eight undergraduate engineering programs offered by the institute. Post-graduate programs are available in six engineering departments. The University of Pune has designated the departments of Mechanical Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Civil Engineering as Ph.D. Research Centers. The institute also provides a post-graduate program leading to an MBA.

How do you try to bring in a practical approach towards subjects and make it industry oriented?

We organize numerous seminars and workshops in the institutes that help students to grow their skills and make them industry ready. These seminars bring practical insights into the theory and connect them to the innovations and technologies that industries use nowadays. We also ensure that students should do not feel stuck in the gap between education and industry by conducting conferences at state, national and international levels. Besides these, our curriculum includes a Student Training Program (STP) for the evaluation of the technical and non-technical skills of students. The institution's Training and Placement cell is constantly in contact with various companies; they forward the skills required by companies to the department's head and further plan the activities for students. Students participate in internship programs and receive company training. 

What would you like people to know about your institute they may not know?

I would like to tell them that Sinhgad Institute has a friendly environment. Sinhgad Vadgaon is the main campus of STES. The prime cultural fest of Sinhgad (Karandak) is organized at this campus only. Students from all over the state participate in this annual fest. 

The institute’s campus has several other colleges for management studies, engineering, and other fields. Recruiters mainly prefer students from Vadgaon in placement drives. Also, we have exemplary faculty and training and placement teams compared to others.

What do you see as the greatest strengths of Sinhgad College of Engineering?

The greatest strength of our institute is its highly qualified and experienced faculty. We have an educational tie-up with some renowned foreign universities and institutions. The Sinhgad Institutions were founded to provide quality education from elementary school to postgraduate programs in all disciplines. The classrooms are well-ventilated and the library is the best place in the college where there are numerous books. Being the first engineering college of Sinhgad Institutes, it has very experienced staff. I would recommend SCOE for Mechanical, Computer, and Civil and other core branches of engineering.

Click Sinhgad Institute of Engineering College Vadgaon Placements

What are some of the biggest challenges you see, both for higher education in general and for Sinhgad College of Engineering specifically?

In the face of extraordinary individuals' responses, education will be critical to addressing the challenges ahead. With increasingly automated, digital forms, and fluid job markets, today's higher education systems are rapidly becoming incompatible with the future we seek. When we talk about the biggest challenges, there are certain things that we need to implement in our institution’s curricula so that students do not face the challenge of a gap between their education and the needs of the industry. As we can see, AI is rapidly expanding, so we must revise the curriculum to meet the needs of the industry and future needs.

Any suggestions you would like to give to the current youth and the aspiring students?

It is common for young people to begin thinking about their future. You might start thinking about what kind of job and lifestyle you want to have. In some cases, particularly when it comes to academic choices, you can lay some groundwork for the future and sketch out a rough plan of what you want to do. However, you cannot always adhere rigidly to a plan, no matter how well thought out it is. While it is prudent to have some life goals in mind, you must also be willing to accept when things do not go as planned.