Puttur: St Philomena College (Autonomous), Puttur, on Tuesday inaugurated a certificate bootcamp titled “Getting Started with AI” under the IBM Skills Build initiative, in collaboration with the NASSCOM Foundation. The programme has been organised jointly by the College’s Training and Placement Cell and the Department of Postgraduate Computer Science as part of a national initiative aimed at equipping Indian youth with artificial intelligence and digital skills for the emerging digital economy.
The bootcamp, conducted under the theme of empowering young people for India’s digital future, seeks to familiarise students with the fundamentals of artificial intelligence, responsible AI practices, digital competencies and future-ready skills required by industry.
Presiding over the inaugural programme, the Principal, Rev. Dr. Antony Prakash Monteiro, said that the institution was committed to providing students not only with subject knowledge prescribed in their academic curriculum but also with the knowledge, skills and critical thinking required to adapt to rapidly changing global developments.
“Industry-academia collaborations such as these provide students with meaningful experiential learning opportunities while strengthening their professional competencies. The holistic development of every student remains the institution’s foremost objective,” he said.
Addressing the gathering, Puneeth S., Course Consultant, NASSCOM Foundation, stressed the importance of introducing students to artificial intelligence at an early stage of their academic journey. While AI is driving transformative changes across the world, he observed that human values such as integrity, empathy, mutual respect, responsibility and ethical decision-making would continue to remain indispensable. He urged students to integrate these values into both their academic and professional lives to emerge as socially responsible citizens.
Kishore K.S., Course Consultant, NASSCOM Foundation, served as the resource person and conducted the technical training sessions.
Around 450 first-year undergraduate students from various academic programmes participated in the bootcamp. The participants received hands-on orientation on the basic concepts of artificial intelligence, its responsible application, digital skills and future-oriented competencies increasingly sought by industry.
The programme commenced with an invocation by Kaveramma and team, first-year BCA students. Dr. Vinayachandra, Dean of the Departments of Computer Science and Computer Applications, welcomed the gathering and outlined the objectives of the initiative. Dr. Geetha Poornima K., Training and Placement Officer, proposed the vote of thanks, while Sushma Crasta, Assistant Professor, Department of English, compered the programme.
Among those present on the dais were Dr. Vijayakumar M., Vice-Principal; Dr. Edwin S. D’Souza, IQAC Coordinator; and Abhishek Suvarna, Training and Placement Officer.
The programme was also attended by Ajay Shankar, Senior Manager, Social Innovation and CSR Programmes, NASSCOM Foundation, and Rashmi Lohani, CSR Professional, NASSCOM Foundation. First-year MCA students assisted the resource persons in facilitating the training sessions and ensuring the smooth conduct of the bootcamp.
Students who successfully completed the training were awarded IBM Skills Build certificates.
Speaking on the institution’s broader vision for employability, Rev. Dr. Monteiro observed that while no educational institution could guarantee employment to every student, it could certainly ensure that every learner acquired the knowledge, skills, confidence and professional attitude necessary for meaningful employment.
He said the college continuously prepares students to meet evolving industry requirements through industry partnerships, globally recognised certification programmes, innovation initiatives, skill development training and specialised workshops. He added that students’ career success ultimately depends on their commitment to learning, sustained effort and continuous self-improvement. The Training and Placement Cell, he said, organises a wide range of industry-linked training programmes throughout the year to nurture technical expertise, professional ethics, leadership qualities and essential life skills among students.