Check out pre-sea training programme

Pervin Malhotra 

Q. I completed my BTech (Mechanical) last year, but have not managed to find a job till now. Is there any short-term course that can get me a decent job in my field and preferably one that involves travel? — Tarun Johri

A.You can do so by enrolling for a one-year Graduate Mechanical Engineer (GME) course. The age limit for admission to this Pre-Sea Training course is 28 years. I presume you’re medically fit. Glasses are permitted but the power in each eye should not exceed +/- 2.5. However, colour blindness is an absolute disqualifier. As far as academic qualifications are concerned you need a BE / BTech (Mech), BE (Naval Arch; 50 per cent) with minimum 50 per cent in English in Class X/ XII or Diploma in Engg or in BE or BTech. 

On completion of the course and after obtaining Part ‘A’ of the MEO Class IV Certificate of Competency issued by the M/o Shipping from the Directorate General of Shipping, you’ll be recruited as a Junior/Assistant Marine Engineer. With further experience at sea and upon obtaining higher Certificates of Competency (CoP) you can rise to the level of Chief Engineering Officer.

For the complete list of approved institutes that offer this and other courses in shipping, log on to the DGS website: www.dgshipping.gov.in

Several institutes like the Shipping Corporation of India’s Maritime Training Institute, Mumbai (www.shipindia.com/careers/fleet-personnel.aspx); Garden Reach Ship Builder & Engineers (www.grse.in);  and Tolani Maritime Institute, Pune (www.tolani.edu); affiliated to IMU), came out with their admission notifications recently. 

Selection to these courses is often through a written exam followed by an interview and a medical exam.

The written exam consists of: 

a) Objective-type questions on basic engineering knowledge.

b) An essay in English on a current topic. 

For more details, please check the respective websites.

Getting into architecture course

Q.I am a science student and will be taking my board exams this year. I have only recently realised that I don’t wish to go into hard core engineering. I think architecture would be a better option for me as I am quite creative. But I have not taken any coaching for this field. Is there any hope for me? — Avni Talwar

A.As you may perhaps have gathered by now, the National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) is mandatory for admission to all 5-year BArch courses offered at colleges of architecture, including the NITs, IITs, government institutions, government-aided institutions, universities, deemed universities and private universities in India. Admission will be done by the state govt/competent authority or the Association of Architectural Institutions in the State on the basis of NATA scores and the qualifying exams in the ratio of 50:50.

Eligibility: Plus II with physics, chemistry & maths (50 per cent). There’s no lower age limit

You can download the Application Brochure from the website:  www.nata.in

NATA measures your drawing and observation skills, sense of proportion, aesthetic sensitivity and critical thinking ability -- specifically related to the field of architecture. Mathematics is of Plus II level

Luckily for you and everyone else, this year, NATA will be conducted twice:

For Test-1: April 14, 2019

Registration open from: Jan 24, 2019

Registration Deadline: Feb 11, 2019

For Test-2: 7 July 2017

Registration opens: Jan 24, 2019

Registration Deadline: June 12, 2019

So I suggest you enrol for the Test-2 in July, which will give you some crucial time to prepare as soon as you’re done with your Board exams. A crash course would certainly help. The detailed pattern of the test is given on the NATA website. 

This will give you a fair idea of the type of questions that are likely to come and the level of preparation required. Best of luck!

Non-regular courses for commerce students

Q.I am studying in Class XI.  Please suggest some courses in commerce stream which I can pursue after Class XII.  I don’t want to go for a regular graduation course.  Is there anything that I can pursue outside India as well because my family might move to Europe after a few years? What would be the duration of these programmes? Aalso let me know about the cost? — Yash Ssampath

A.You can pursue CIMA or ACCA right now or after Class XII. These are some international professional qualifications in the commerce stream. These programmes can be done from anywhere in the world. There is a very easy registration process to become a student. The duration of these programs is approximately 2.5-3 years. You can pay for these qualifications paper-wise.  So, the total cost would depend upon the paper for which you are appearing.  Roughly, including coaching, the entire qualification will cost Rs 2.5-3 lakh in India. In India, we have different options available, the most relevant being the approved learning partners the details of which are available on the respective website.

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