Kurukshetra: Kurukshetra University (KU) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Naveen Jindal Foundation (NJF) to set up the ‘Naveen AVSAR (Advance Vocational Skills for Aspirational and Rewarding Lives) UIET Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Employability Skills‘ at the University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET). The initiative aims to strengthen employability, career readiness, and global exposure among engineering students.The MoU was formally signed by registrar Prof Virender Pal on behalf of KU and Maneesh Mishra, vice-president of NJF. Speaking on the occasion, KU vice-chancellor Prof Som Nath Sachdeva said the AVSAR Centre of Excellence would play a vital role in enhancing students’ career clarity, professional confidence and placement preparedness. He added that the initiative would further reinforce KU’s vision of becoming a future-ready institution committed to holistic student development and global competitiveness.

Director, UIET, Prof Sunil Dhingra said the Centre of Excellence will function through three major interventions: AI-enabled career counselling supported by personalised mentoring; focused training in English language and employability skills to ensure workplace readiness; and international mobility pathways that will provide students access to global internships and international exposure opportunities.

Maneesh Mishra said all services offered under the AVSAR Centre of Excellence will be provided free of cost to students, ensuring equitable access to quality career development support.

KU deputy director, public relations, Jimmy Sharma, said the MoU will initially be implemented as a one-year pilot project, with provisions for expansion and long-term continuation based on outcomes and mutual consent of both institutions. He also said a separate MoU was signed on Feb 4 between Ruhil Future Technologies Private Limited (RFT), Bahadurgarh, and UIET, KU, to establish a Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence, further strengthening industry-academia collaboration at the university.

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