Mahindra École Centrale, an engineering college set up by premier European institution École Centrale Paris (ECP) and Indian IT major Tech Mahindra, is set to kick-start its academic session from 2014.

This seems like good news in the education space. There is a predicted shortage of employable engineers of 2.45 million by 2020. In an optimistic scenario, the shortage would still be 1.6 million in 2020, according to the National Council of Applied Research.

Interestingly, ECP, founded in 1829 to cater to the French industry’s needs, is the institution where Gustave Eiffel, the creator of Eiffel Tower, studied.

Mahindra École Centrale (MEC) Hyderabad is set to admit its first batch in the summer of 2014. The college will take students on the basis of the JEE exam along with a possible interview process.

Sanjay Dhande, Founder-Director, MEC, said, “Quality engineering education is the single most powerful intervention that the industry requires right now to bridge the gap between the demand and the supply. We need institutes which work on the industry-academia relationship model. MEC will lead this effort.”

On how this college plans to stand out among the thousands of engineering institutions in India which have mushroomed over the past many years, Dhande said, “ MEC is committed to providing world-class research infrastructure to support a strong research vision.”

While MEC is set to bring an international flavour to the education space in India, one might think that the French model, very different from the Indian academic model, may be difficult to apply here. But, John Cagnol, Deputy Dean of Studies, ECP, says, “We are trying to create a school that fosters the DNA of École Centrale Paris and the DNA of Mahindra. Each country has different needs but these are linked to the international scene.”

ECP sends each student abroad for at least six months. The student does not get the degree if he or she has not spent this time abroad either with companies, laboratories or universities. Interestingly, the institution already has a successful six-year programme in China.

But in India, every kid who wants to become an engineer dreams of going to an IIT. To this Dhande said, “We are in the no-competition zone, locally speaking. We have embarked on creating an entirely new model of education that is inter-disciplinary, activity based and industry oriented with an emphasis on humanities, social and management sciences.”

The AICTE approval process is well underway and MEC has been aligning itself both in terms of infrastructure facilitation as well as administrative adjuncts. While the fee structure will be announced at the time of admission, Christopher Cripps, Dean of International Affairs, ECP, said, “We are talking about potential scholarships for students from economically weaker backgrounds. We want our registration to be totally merit based, and we don’t plan to leave anybody behind because of financial difficulties.”

On different employment scenarios in the two countries, Cagnol said, “The question is not the France job market or Indian job market but how we can add value to the international job market.”

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