The role of Anna University in continuous professional development: a model for countries with a developing economy

Rapid advancements in the development and services of IT and the increasing complexities of global industrial and educational practices have resulted in a huge global demand for quality training and continuous re-training of engineers and instructors. Especially in countries with a rapidly developing economy such as India, the need for large-scale continuous professional development strategies have become inevitable for a leading technical institutions. Responding to this, Anna University is executing a range of continuous professional development activities at all levels of education and services, including: on-campus evening programmes, off-campus web- and Internet-based education for advanced research and consultancy. Anna University has established the Centre for Professional Development Education, the Centre for Academic Partnership and Technology Gateway, plus collaborative research and training activities with all national laboratories. The paper's objective is to discuss the varied range of services and programmes of Anna University towards the effective continuous professional development of practicing engineers, researchers and technical teachers in India. As these activities have proven to be effective and economical, they can also be models for many developing countries.