IIT Madras launches finishing school to bridge skills gap

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) has launched a new finishing school called UDYOG (Upskilling and Development for Young Graduates) to address the growing shortage of professionals with practical expertise in India's expanding biotechnology and biopharmaceutical sectors. This industry-oriented program aims to bridge the gap between academic education and industry requirements by providing students with essential skills and professional competencies needed in these fields.

UDYOG follows a three-stage training pathway. The initial stage involves three months of online learning through the Centre for Outreach and Digital Education (CODE), complemented by lectures from industry experts. This is followed by a four-week intensive hands-on training program at the institute's Biofoundry, where students will be introduced to laboratory processes and manufacturing workflows.

After completing this training, selected participants may have opportunities to engage with industry partners and participate in interviews for long-term internships, potentially bridging the gap between academic learning and workplace experience. V Kamakoti, the IIT-M director, emphasized the importance of AI in making various disciplines of science and engineering relevant to the modern world, stating that UDYOG is another effort taken by IIT-M in this direction.

The first cohort of UDYOG will commence from January 2027, and early-bird registration will close on December 15, 2026. Students in their pre-final-year or final-year, pursuing BTech, MTech, or MSc degrees in biotechnology or related disciplines from all colleges and institutes in India are eligible to apply.