Polytechnic admission: Eligibility, entrance exams and dates, institutes and job roles

There are not many choices when it comes to doing a professional course right after the Class X or Class XII board exams. This is where Polytechnic courses can come in handy — they prepare students for jobs in the Engineering domain. You can go for these courses to secure jobs sooner than your friends and can even enrol in a BTech course after your polytechnic education.

What is Polytechnic

Polytechnic is a diploma or vocational course in technical education comprising applied science and industrial arts. These courses aim to equip you with practical industry expertise and field knowledge rather than theoretical details. Engineering, Technology, Social Sciences and Natural Sciences are some of the areas explored under Polytechnic education.

Differences between BTech and Polytechnic education:

• BTech is a four-year undergraduate programme, while Polytechnic is generally a three-year course.
• You earn a degree in BTech, but you get a diploma on completion of your Polytechnic course.
• You can do a BTech course only after completing your Class XII board exams, while you can go for a Polytechnic course right after finishing your Class X board exams.
• The cost of doing a BTech course is higher than enrolling in a Polytechnic course.

Studying Polytechnic:

• You need to clear your Class X or Class XII board exams to go for Polytechnic education.
• You need at least 40% aggregate in your last qualifying exams with Maths, Science and English as mandatory subjects. Different institutes set different cut-offs for admission to Polytechnic courses.
• Entrance exams are conducted by different states. After clearing these exams, you need to go through counselling as part of the admission process.

State entrance examinations:

Various states conduct their own polytechnic entrance exams across the country.

Joint Entrance Exam for Polytechnic (JEXPO) — West Bengal (for admission in the first year)

• Eligibility: You must be an Indian citizen.
• Application window: Active till April 4, 2022.
• Exam date: May 7, 2022.
• Subjects: Maths, Physics, Chemistry, English, Aptitude.
• Click here to learn more.

Vocational Education and Skill Development (VOCLET) — West Bengal (for admission in the second year)

• Eligibility: You must be an Indian citizen.
• Application window: Active till April 4, 2022.
• Exam date: May 7, 2022.
• Subjects: Maths, Physics, Chemistry, English, Aptitude.
• Click here to learn more.

Bihar Diploma Certificate Entrance Competitive Examination (DCECE)

• Eligibility: You must be an Indian citizen.
• Domicile requirement: You must be a local resident of Bihar.
• Subjects: Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Agricultural Science.
• Click here to learn more.

Jharkhand Polytechnic Entrance Competitive Examination (PECE)

• Eligibility: You must be an Indian citizen and should complete your Class X board exams from a recognised board with at least 35% aggregate.
• Subjects: Maths, Physics, Chemistry.
• Exam Date: May 2022 (tentative)
• Click here to learn more.

Some top Institutes to study Polytechnic in West Bengal:

APC Ray Polytechnic College, Kolkata

• Eligibility: Merit score in JEXPO or VOCLET.
• Courses offered: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Computer Science & Technology, Electronics & Instrumentation, Food Processing Technology.
• Click here to learn more.

Birla Institute of Technology, Kolkata

• Eligibility: Merit score in JEXPO or VOCLET.
• Courses offered: Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics & Telecommunication, Electronics & Instrumentation, Packaging Technology
• Click here to learn more.

Ramakrishna Mission Shilpapitha, Kolkata

• Eligibility: Merit score in JEXPO or VOCLET.
• Courses offered: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics & Telecommunication.
• Click here to learn more.

Asansol Polytechnic College, Asansol

• Eligibility: Merit score in JEXPO or VOCLET.
• Courses offered: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics & Telecommunication, Metallurgical Engineering, Mining Engineering.
• Click here to learn more.

Jnan Chandra Ghosh Polytechnic College, Kolkata

• Eligibility: Merit score in JEXPO or VOCLET.
• Courses offered: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering.
• Click here to learn more.

Other top institutions in India that offer Polytechnic courses:

• Government Polytechnic, Balasore, Odisha
• Bhubanananda Orissa School of Engineering, Cuttack, Odisha
• Buddha Institute of Technology, Gaya, Bihar
• K K Polytechnic, Nalanda, Bihar
• BITT Polytechnic, Ranchi
• Government Polytechnic, Dhanbad, Jharkhand
• Government Polytechnic, Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Government Polytechnic, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Job roles after with a degree in Polytechnic:

• IT engineer: They are responsible for the design, installation and maintenance of a company's computer systems. They are in charge of evaluating, configuring, and debugging hardware, software, and networking systems to ensure that they fulfil the employer's requirements. IT engineers may be called upon to train employees and manage projects.
  
• Mechanical design engineer: They plan the designs before mechanical engineers put the plans into action. They are mostly recruited in the automobile sector where they develop plans and prototypes and test their functionality.

• Junior engineer: Junior engineers are under the supervision of an engineer. They assist engineers in projects and work for the improvement of product quality, client requirements, process efficacy and efficiency of plans.

• Airport technical engineer: If you have a diploma in aeronautical or aviation engineering, you can go for a job in the airport. The Airport Authority of India recruits candidates with diplomas for the machinery and technical checks before a flight takes off.

• Lab assistant: They collaborate with researchers and scientists to perform experiments, culturing, sampling and quality control. They are responsible for maintaining the cleanliness and work environment of a lab. These professionals also take care of the supply of lab equipment.

• Piping designer: They are responsible for detailed design of pipelines. These professionals prepare schematics focusing on the construction, installation and operation of pipes according to the fluid and chemical they carry.

• Government jobs: For a job in the government sector after completing a diploma, you need to sit for exams like SSC, PWD and RRB. The sectors which recruit candidates from polytechnic streams include the National Highway Authority of India, Indian Railways, Steel Authority of India, Municipal Corporations and Government Housing Schemes.