WorkLab

As a part of Industries Department Budget Announcement in 2021, WorkLabs has been set up in Guidance. WorkLabs is a cell set up to promote, facilitate, and expand industry and academia collaboration in the state to address and minimise talent and skills gap in the workforce for the industries in Tamil Nadu.

The primary roles and responsibilities of WorkLabs is to:

Engage: With higher and technical education bodies to facilitate revision and development of core learning curriculum on par with industrial requirements.
Enhance: Industry participation and involvement with the academia to develop industry-ready talent pool and higher employability amongst graduates.
Support: Initiatives and programmes on academia-industry linkages by other govt. bodies and business chambers.
Lead: Outreach and public engagement activities for greater visibility of state’s talent and skilled workforce.
Facilitate: Knowledge transfer and seamless mobility of resources between industry and academia for application-inspired research and innovation in the state.
Form: Bilateral collaborations and strategic partnerships between the state and international academia and industry bodies to develop a talent pipeline on par with global standards.

Industry-academia collaboration framework

Level 1: Aware

Level 2: Engage

Level 3: Progress

Level 4: Innovate

Industrial training workshops for students
Exposure to industrial shop floors
Guest lectures from industry experts for higher education colleges and universities
Short-term faculty development programme

Longer term and continuous collaboration for student's internship and apprenticeships on a regular basis with industries
Campus recruitment and industry-readiness programmes for students in higher education
Cross appointments - faculty in industry and industry subject matter experts in colleges

Hackathons
Industrial training hubs and CoEs in colleges
Industry-aligned curriculum reform
Industry-curated programmes and courses offered at colleges, work-integrated learning programmes

Establishment of tech-enablement centres, incubators and start-up hubs at colleges backed by industries
Applied research and industry consultancy at colleges and universities
Collaborative R&D activities between industries-academia for real-time problem-solving engagements

Industry-academia collaboration framework

Level 1: Aware

Industrial training workshops for students
Exposure to industrial shop floors
Guest lectures from industry experts for higher education colleges and universities
Short-term faculty development programme

Level 2: Engage

Longer term and continuous collaboration for student's internship and apprenticeships on a regular basis with industries
Campus recruitment and industry-readiness programmes for students in higher education
Cross appointments – faculty in industry and industry subject matter experts in colleges

Level 3: Progress

Hackathons
Industrial training hubs and CoEs in colleges
Industry-aligned curriculum reform
Industry-curated programmes and courses offered at colleges, work-integrated learning programmes

Level 4: Innovate

Establishment of tech-enablement centres, incubators and start-up hubs at colleges backed by industries
Applied research and industry consultancy at colleges and universities
Collaborative R&D activities between industries-academia for real-time problem-solving engagements

WorkLabs identifies and matches the top industries and academic institutions in the State. In collaboration with the industries and universities/colleges, the cell helps design curriculums for programs/certifications/credit courses focused on experiential learning.

Partnering opportunities for Academic institutions

Sector-Terrain consultation: to determine requirements for long-term fundamental research in the specific sector setting. University expertise can be mapped to the industrial sector for collaboration opportunities.
Faculty Orientation Programmes: Faculty to spend up to two years in industrial laboratories to gain invaluable experience of working on complex industrial projects.
Innovation Management: To catalyse entrepreneurial activities in the campus through creation of incubation centres, and technology/research parks
Establishing Research Relationship: Academic institution and industry mutually support each other in receiving patent for products, tech transfer and faculties to take up applied research
Hackathons: Conducting concept competition in colleges to develop proposals on the core areas of entrepreneurship, design thinking and applied education
Curriculum, Jobs, Internships: To enjoin inclusion of industry experts in all boards of studies, curriculum revision and create jobs/internships opportunities for students.

Our key stakeholders from the academia

Department of Employment and Training

Tamil Nadu Skills Development Corporation

State Higher Education Department

Research and Innovation Hubs

NSQF Levels 1 - 4 (Unskilled workforce, ITI students and technicians)
Industrial Training Institutes - infrastructure and faculty development supported by industries
Support in mobilising industries for district and state level job fairs and recruitment drives.

NSQF Levels 4 - 7 (ITI students, Polytechnic and undergraduates)
Naan Mudhalvan - Facilitation of skills and recruitment proposals from large industries. Onboarding industries as partners in the web portal.
Facilitation of partnerships with skills development bodies run/supported by industries

NSQF Levels 6 - 7 (Diploma, Undergraduate and Post Graduate Programmes)
Industrial training hubs and CoEs in colleges
Industry-aligned curriculum reform, faculty development, internships and recruitment support
Industry-curated programmes and courses offered at colleges, work-integrated learning programmes

NSQF Levels 7 - 10 (Undergraduate, Post Graduate and Doctoral Programmes)
Tech-enablement centres and tech-incubators at academic institutions with support from industries
Tech transfer and commercialisation of research
Applied research and industry consultancy at R&D centres and universities

Our key stakeholders from the academia

Department of Employment and Training

NSQF Levels 1 - 4 (Unskilled workforce, ITI students and technicians)
Industrial Training Institutes - infrastructure and faculty development supported by industries
Support in mobilising industries for district and state level job fairs and recruitment drives.

Tamil Nadu Skills Development Corporation

NSQF Levels 4 - 7 (ITI students, Polytechnic and undergraduates)
Naan Mudhalvan - Facilitation of skills and recruitment proposals from large industries. Onboarding industries as partners in the web portal.
Facilitation of partnerships with skills development bodies run/supported by industries

State Higher Education Department

NSQF Levels 6 - 7 (Diploma, Undergraduate and Post Graduate Programmes)
Industrial training hubs and CoEs in colleges
Industry-aligned curriculum reform, faculty development, internships and recruitment support
Industry-curated programmes and courses offered at colleges, work-integrated learning programmes

Research and Innovation Hubs

NSQF Levels 7 - 10 (Undergraduate, Post Graduate and Doctoral Programmes)
Tech-enablement centres and tech-incubators at academic institutions with support from industries
Tech transfer and commercialisation of research
Applied research and industry consultancy at R&D centres and universities

Please use this form if you are an academic institution and would like to collaborate with us

WorkLabs coordinates with governmental agencies/departments to ensure a seamless and one-stop approach for enabling industries in creating talent in the State. This will catalyse the transformation required in institutions and industries that is required to create a future-ready workforce.

Partnering opportunities for Industries

Sector-Terrain consultation: to determine requirements for long-term training, research and development in the specific sector setting. Industries willing to engage with research institutions for critical problem solving and innovation
Cross Appointment Programmes: Industries willing to engage with academic faculty and enable them to gain invaluable experience of working on complex industrial projects. Industry subject matter experts willing to engage as adjunct faculty in academia
Innovation Management: willing to support entrepreneurial activities in the academic campus through creation of incubation centres, and technology/research parks
Establishing Research Relationship: Industries keen to engage with academic institution in receiving patent for products, tech transfer and with faculties to take up applied research
Hackathons: Industries willing to host, co-create concept competition in colleges to develop core areas of entrepreneurship, design thinking and applied education
Curriculum, Jobs, Internships: Inclusion of industry experts in all boards of studies, curriculum revision and create jobs/internships opportunities for students

Our key stakeholders from the academia

Key Initiatives from the State

Key Partners

Naan Mudhalvan Upskilling Platform
TN Private jobs portal
FORT SIPCOT INNOVATION PLATFORMS
Tamil Nadu Smart and Advanced Manufacturing Centre
Tamil Nadu Centre of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing

Tamil Nadu Labour and Skills Department - Department of employment and training, Tamil Nadu Skills Development Corporation
Tamil Nadu Higher Education Department - Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education (TANSCHE), Directorate of Technical Education
Tamil Nadu Universities
Tamil Nadu R&D Ecosystem

Our key stakeholders from the academia

Department of Employment and Training

NSQF Levels 1 - 4 (Unskilled workforce, ITI students and technicians)
Industrial Training Institutes - infrastructure and faculty development supported by industries
Support in mobilising industries for district and state level job fairs and recruitment drives.

Tamil Nadu Skills Development Corporation

NSQF Levels 4 - 7 (ITI students, Polytechnic and undergraduates)
Naan Mudhalvan - Facilitation of skills and recruitment proposals from large industries. Onboarding industries as partners in the web portal.
Facilitation of partnerships with skills development bodies run/supported by industries

Please use this form if you are an industry and would like to collaborate with us

Sector-specific think tanks: Over 12 sector-specific roundtables were conducted, involving around 150 industry leaders from 110 organisations, for identifying challenges and gap areas in industry-academia collaboration.
Faculty development: and industrial exposure programs were conducted for faculty from government engineering and polytechnic colleges, in partnership with industries
Naan Mudhalvan: Industries Onboarding - large industries from e-commerce, automotive, electronics, advanced manufacturing, chemical engineering and industrial engineering onboarded on the Naan Mudhalvan web portal
Recruitment and Internships: Industrial internships facilitated for over 1000 graduate students in 50+ industries.
Curriculum Reform: In consultation with DoTE and TANSCHE and industry experts to support curriculum reform for collegiate and higher education programmes, benefitting over 200,000 graduate students in the state every year.
Strategic MoUs: signed with organisations for new work-integrated degree/diploma programs, industry-led skilling programs, industrial consultancy and applied research, and collaborating with international skill bodies in countries such as Japan, USA, Germany, and Singapore.