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First double diplomas for Indian knowledge workers
4 september 2008 - There are too few Dutch beta students to make up for the shortage on the Dutch labor and research markets. For this reason the TU/e, too, has started looking abroad for knowledge workers. Especially in India a search is being conducted for scientific talent for a two-year Master course. Dutch companies support attractive labor contracts with industrial grants. The first batch of eight ‘knowledge workers’ were awarded their diplomas last week.
Photo: Bart van Overbeeke

Prof.dr. Jos Baeten from the Department of Mathematics & Computer Science and project leader of the Master course: “The demand coming from the business community is much greater than we can satisfy. In disciplines such as biomedical engineering, environmental science and physics the Netherlands has hundreds of vacancies. We are considering setting up a similar project for those degree programs as well.”

The eight brand-new Masters were presented with double diplomas last week, one from the TU/e and one from Manipal University in India. This is because the Master’s course comprises a study year in India, followed by six months of study in Eindhoven and a six-month internship. In advance the students commit themselves to a Dutch enterprise that is paying for their education. In exchange for a grant they will work for the financier for three years after having obtained their diplomas. The first batch involved Philips, Capgemini and Cordys: multinationals with major branches in the Netherlands and India.

A direct video link between the two universities makes it possible on both sides to follow lectures, to meet, and to defend dissertations. “We are just one inch short of offering each other coffee”, says prof.dr. Raj Warrier with a smile. The vice-chancellor of Manipal University has flown over for the presentation of the diplomas to emphasize the importance of the two-year Master course. Manipal has a strong interest in solidifying the cooperation with the TU/e. “We want to become a global player”, says Warrier in smooth English. “Our students are not just bringing home knowledge, but also a piece of the culture from the Netherlands. These knowledge workers are the world citizens of the future. They are open, cosmopolitan and proud. And rightly so, for their double diplomas will secure them jobs all over the world.”

Teething troubles
It stands to reason that there are teething troubles for this course. PhD candidate Abhiram Ganesh (26): “We did not know what was expected from us. That may well have been the major problem when this course was started. You are beginning on something without knowing precisely what universities and enterprises envisage. As the studies progressed, and during our internships in particular, this has become much clearer.”

Debjyoti Bera (26) can only confirm this. “Especially the internship was a great learning experience for me. In Eindhoven I have gathered more knowledge than I could ever have gathered in India. At the TU/e the study is far more profound.”
Ashwin Vijayaraghavan also could not agree more. “The program in Eindhoven is more specific. Students are expected to develop an independent approach. In India professors help out more. Well, there are benefits and drawbacks in both educational systems. I think that a study in India is better for your basic knowledge and that Eindhoven is good for more specific knowledge.”/.