ConnectNext Program, empowering Students to be Future Ready

La Fondation Dassault Systèmes has launched ConnectNext program in India for co-creation of a vibrant ‘Industry-Academia eco system for future’ to address the “Talent Readiness and Employability challenges” experienced by the Industries and Academia eco system. We believe that both these challenges are interconnected and are two sides of the same coin. La Fondation Dassault Systemes is playing a catalysts role to create a vibrant “Industry and Academia collaboration Framework” and encouraging Industries and Academia to work together to address these challenges with appropriate contribution from Industries, Academia and La Fondation Dassault Systemes. La Fondation Dassault Systemes aims to help the Industry-Academia eco system to address these challenges by helping students to be “Industry Ready”, to be “Future Ready”.

In conjunction with various Industry representatives and thought leaders from the Academia world, La Fondation Dassault Systèmes has developed a well-designed Student Project Framework as part of the ConnectNext program for Industries and Academia, to collaborate on addressing the important challenges this ecosystem is facing over the years.

• they provide impactful project ideas;
• they build libraries of projects defined by domain experts from different fields;
• they nominate experts to be part of a mentor pool to guide students during projects;
• they explore internship opportunities for students to be exposed to industrial environment/processes and knowhow (internships at an Industry campus or in remote mode).

• Redefining Student Projects' Framework to enable them to easily choose industry defined projects;
• Allowing external experts to be mentors for the projects;
• Assigning the college faculty to be the local guide and to account for the project's execution, deliverables, by meeting the time lines;
• Anticipating students' organization and timetables to avail internship opportunities (on site or in remote mode);
• Bringing insights about a needed change of mindset for students and teachers.

• Creating a collaboration platform, be the facilitator for industries and Indian engineering universities / colleges / institutes for ‘many to many’ collaborations and mutual benefits of the Industry-Academia ecosystem;
• Building the framework and digital infrastructure for these collaborations;
• Creating a platform:
  • for industries to spot talent from academic systems / universities / institutes across India and
  • for students to present their demonstrated skills / know-how to industries across India
• Support with funding qualified and relevant projects to build working prototypes / VR experiences to demonstrate their innovation in action;
• Create a platform to bring projects out of college libraries into the field, for young people to use the verified projects for intended end use as ‘Open source’ product ideas;
• Through this entire process, helping students to be Industry Ready, explore upcoming technologies, encourage hands-on experiences, empowering them to be Future Ready;
• Encourage industries also, to support with funding of qualified and relevant projects.

The successful implementation of this program, with active participation of industry experts, will help students to gain valuable Industry experience while still being in college. Moreover, this will immensely benefit the involved industries.