Mangaluru: St. Joseph’s Engineering College, Mangaluru celebrated its 16th College Day on February 23. The celebrations commenced at 5:30 PM in the Open Air Stage of the college.

The event witnessed the participation of two esteemed personages, from IT giants TCS and Wipro, as special guests. B B Shetty, Head- Regional HR, Tata Consultancy Services, Bengaluru graced the occasion as the chief guest and Praveen Kamath, General Manager and Head HR, Technology Practice Units, Wipro Ltd. Bengaluru, participated as the guest of honour. Most Rev. Dr. Aloysius Paul D’Souza, Bishop of Mangaluru and President of SJEC, presided over the function.

Addressing the gathering, Praveen Kamath highlighted the need for the educational system to step up to the rising challenges and competitions. “The Chinese with their increasing proficiency in English, are challenging the innate IT edge of India. The Philippines is also emerging as a hub for customer support. The academic rigour is essential and is the first source of truth in student’s capabilities”, he added. He asked students to engage in online certification through platforms such as Coursera.org. He pointed out that while curriculum provided only the fundamentals, recruitment by top companies mandated value additional certified courses that complemented the work done in college.

B B Shetty in his address, provided insights to the students from the perspective of a recruiter. He asked students to be proficient in latest technologies and stay updated. He focused on the need for students to prioritise their work and put in hard work daily. He asked students to pursue their interests with passion. He asked them to plan their career goals right now and identify their career path.

The event also witnessed the felicitations of all the student achievers in sports and academics. In his presidential address, the Bishop of Mangaluru thanked the two eminent guests for their presence and words of encouragement and wisdom offered to the students. He advised students to use the facilities provided by the college and build competencies and knowledge to become capable engineers.

Dr. Babitha Rohit, convener of the event proposed a vote of thanks. Rev. Fr. Rohith D’Costa, Assistant Director, SJEC, and Dr. Rio D’Souza, Vice Principal, SJEC, along with Rudolf Charles D’Souza, Convener of the function, were the other dignitaries on the dais.