Being one of the best in the country’s technological institutes, Agni College of Technology (ACT) shares a principal goal to provide students with high-quality research training and making sure that students are open to innovation throughout their lives. The journey of this excellent engineering college from the down south started in 2001, when its founders realized the rising demand for quality technical education and decided to establish ACT to produce exceptional engineers and technology professionals. Today, ACT is ranked 26th on the list of top Private Engineering in 2020 and 38th out of 540 colleges in Tamil Nadu by the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA). The institute is affiliated with Anna University Chennai, accredited by the National Board of Accreditation, New Delhi, and is approved by AICTE, New Delhi.
Located in Thalambur, Chennai, the 20-acre lush green ACT campus that ACT houses state-of-the-art facilities, from classrooms to fully equipped laboratories and a library that encompasses various subjects to aid students in their academic pursuits. The college has established the Centre for Research and Development that was founded and inaugurated by Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai, a prominent ISRO scientist and the Project Director of Chandrayaan I and Chandrayaan II. “The college has the facility of 20 industry-powered laboratories, 15 centers of excellence, and has 22 professional bodies and 10 technical clubs, providing 780 hours of skill training per student. The institute involves 220 faculty members, with 61 holding PhDs. Thus, ACT can be the absolute best choice for students looking for engineering education. Moreover, our students are the engineers behind the world-class drone-based startup Garuda Aerospace,” says Mr. J Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Vice Chairman of Agni College of Technology.
In addition to academic excellence, ACT also provides excellent accommodation for students by giving them access to amenities like badminton courts, basketball courts, weekly yoga classes, and sufficient playground facilities. The college has its fleet of buses connecting the campus with different points of Chennai and suburbs for the benefit of the students and staff.
Together we can Change
ACT has students from all over the country, coming from diverse backgrounds and speak different languages. To bring them together, the institution hosts multiple workshops and events for students to carry on their research work in an effective way and increase the quality of work by taking in different perspectives. The college essentially conducts these workshops to make students future-ready by being a platform for enlightening research scholars to be change-makers and contribute to society. To bring out the spirit of research, ACT has partnered with over 30 universities across the world, including Arizona State University, USA. With the help of such collaborations, ACT develops augments academic and research activities inside the campus and provides high-quality research training for students. This produces a new generation of young innovative professionals to meet the emerging needs of the industry and society.
On the side, the pandemic has left everyone in the lurch. With no view of the future, there is only so much anyone can do to be prepared. At ACT, they realized that they need to be doing more and decided to innovate their educational policies and become one of the best in the world. By quickly and readily adapting to the new normal, the students and faculty worked together to keep classes on track and continue the teaching and learning process by making most of the coursework online and making resources easily available and accessible. “Our education policies have long been the best in the world, and we’ve seen advancements in every area: teaching standards, infrastructure and facilities, educational practices, and resource management, and here we are emerging stronger than ever,” says Mr. Agnishwar.
Taking the Next Step
ACT is situated 20 km from Adyar and 3 km from Navalar, two upcoming business hubs in Chennai. With the Old Mahabalipuram Road, also called the IT Highway, just a few kilometers away, the institute is located in a prime location for companies that are looking to hire accomplished and well-trained students. “We took measures to make sure to help the students be industry-ready and made the placement process entirely virtual to help the deserving students get placed in their chosen career field or domain. This time, we managed to bring in around 100 companies into our campus for placements. More than 90% of our students got placed in reputed companies,” Mr. Agnishwar states.
Besides looking for employment opportunities, ACT also encourages students to come up with creative ideas and strive to foster an entrepreneurial culture among them. The college has one such entrepreneurial success story with a firm called Garuda Aerospace that was founded by ACT students that has assisted different states in the country to implement automated drone-based sanitization programmes to disinfect public spaces and prevent the spread of coronavirus. “At ACT, we help our students learn and brainstorm entrepreneur potential ideas. In collaboration with many organizations, we host programs for bringing together young minds to think about innovative ideas and implement them practically,” shares Mr. Agnishwar.
By providing them with the best of equipment and facilities, ACT helps students realize their potential and ignite their inquisitive minds and propels them to be better citizens of the country. The management has also taken all efforts to build a team of committed faculty members, who form an integral part in the growth and development of the college.
Over the years, students from Agni have proven to be the best in their fields. Today, thanks to their excelling reputation and the fame they have brought to the institution, the college has tie-ups with over 139 companies that offer internships for students and has also signed 32 MoUs with various organizations to help students be industry-ready, including Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, HCL, Tech Mahindra, Accenture, Magzter, Softgel and RWD to name a few. The college has been involved in 300 startups and recognized by PM-YUVA Yojana for offering courses and supporting entrepreneurship. The college has commenced 5 startups and has done 452 publications. “Health Watch Telediagnostics Pvt. Ltd., CSS Corp. Pvt. Ltd., Sutherland Global, IEQS, and Future General Total Insurance have all recently hired 188 students from the college. We promise 90% placement for eligible students and are recognized by IIT Bombay and IIT Kharagpur as their remote centers. Thus, it is hugely helping the university to attract more students to the campus,” says Mr. Agnishwar.
Agni College of Technology continues to have a positive approach to education and encourages students to take part in technical Fests, workshops, scientific displays, original workshop/paper presentations, and more innovative initiatives for students to equip themselves with every potential skill when they leave the college after the course. “We want to become a center of excellence in the field of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities by providing a variety of institutionally recognized programs that turn students into competitive individuals. In the coming years, we will continue developing new solutions for societal challenges and share critical knowledge with the global community,” Mr. Agnishwar concludes.
About J Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Vice Chairman
Agnishwar Jayaprakash is a global youth activist, community mobilizer & campaign strategist, driving advocacy & policy on sustainability, youth & human rights, and gender justice. He is currently the Vice-Chairman of Agni College of Technology. He uses his interpersonal skills and experience around collective action to engage citizens at all levels, from grassroots to government (Glocal), to promote progress in the areas of youth, education, climate change and gender in particular. Mindful of the need for inclusive campaigning & advocacy, Agnishwar Jayaprakash’s outreach encompasses change-makers stemming from rural, semi-urban, and urban areas.
In addition to advocacy & policy, Agnishwar Jayaprakash is a frequent speaker, facilitator, commentator and writer on several issues (youth, education, equality, social inclusion, disability, SDGs, climate etc.) and has tried to contribute to leading international & national media outlets from the perspective of a Millennial Youth. He has contributed to 4 UN publications and authored/contributed to several articles for The Guardian, Thomson Reuters and other blogs & newspapers.