Dassault Systèmes (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), announced at the 3D EXPERIENCE FORUM 2017, the commencement of the first and second batch at the Aerospace & Defense Centre of Excellence (CoE) set up at  Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) in association with Government of Karnataka. The first two batches of total 50 students is undergoing a one month long foundation course.  Simultaneously, there are plans to launch an advanced course for four months on overall Aircraft Design & Development process, Structural Engineering and Equipment Engineering.

Karnataka is a hub for the Aerospace and Defense sector with several companies and organizations having their operations here while others have planned to set up centers in the state. Samson Khaou, Managing Director, India, Dassault Systèmes said, “India is expected to emerge as the world's third largest aviation market by 2020 and there will be a significant demand for skilled workforce in Aerospace R&D, manufacturing, assembling, maintenance, warehousing and training facilities in India. The global OEMs in Aerospace and Defense have a very strong supplier network in India and there is a huge potential to employ trained professionals passing out from the CoE. We are delighted to have collaborated with the Government of Karnataka and VTU in this journey to achieve this common goal.”

Commodore Balaji, Chairman, CoE A&D, Distinguished Scientist, former Director, ADA, “The CoE in Aerospace and Defense will ensure that the competitive advantage of Karnataka as the aerospace hub is retained and strengthened further. The youth would get a holistic Aerospace Design & Development exposure essential for robust career opportunities in the industry.  At the same time, professionals already working in the industry would receive highly coveted industry-grade skill enhancement to enable better productivity and for better prospects. The response from students has been excellent; we have received close to 160 registrations for a 25 seat capacity per batch. With this overwhelming response of the first and second batches, the CoE plans to start the third batch of the foundation course shortly. We also plan to start the advanced course in the last quarter of this year itself.”