IITs have been serving the nation as temples of higher learning and research in engineering, technology, science, medical science and technology, management and law for over half a century. One of the areas in which the IITs have been contributing significantly for national developmnent is the Quality Improvement of Technical Teachers and Continuing Education of working professionals, which is assuming tremendous importance in shaping the human resource of our country. In the face of rapid technological advancement that is taking place around the globe, it is important for engineers and scientists to continue to learn new technologies, update and upgrade their knowledge, much after completing formal education in the college. IIT Kharagpur, the largest and the most diversified technical institute in the country, has been handling this responsibility almost from its inception in early 1950s.

Continuing Education Programme of I.I.T, Kharagpur administers mainly the following programme:

Commonly referred to as Q.I.P, the programme is funded by A.I.C.T.E. and provides opportunities for teachers sponsored by AICTE approved Engineering Colleges to improve their qualification by acquiring M.Tech and Ph.D Degrees from some of the reputed institutions in the country. Admitted candidates are paid scholarship, in addition to the salary from the sponsoring colleges. Since its inception in 1978 a large number of faculty members from engineering institutions all over the country have benefited from this scheme. Details of the admission procedure under QIP for M.Tech and Ph.D can be seen at QIP Admissions.

A recent addition to AICTE supported programmes to attract bright young students in teaching profession of engineering institutions is the Early Faculty Induction Programme (EFIP). Details of the programme can be seen at EFIP.

Curriculum Development Cell supported by AICTE provides financial support for book writing, course material preparation, curriculum development workshops, development of CAI packages and WEB based course material. Interested faculty members from IIT Kharagpur may visit Curriculum Development for details or contact Dean, CE

Various QIP short term courses of 1 week to 4 weeks are offered in each year for the teachers of AICTE approved Engineering Colleges financed by AICTE. Interested persons from Industry, R & D institutions and students are also welcome to participate on payment of a specified fee.

Specially formulated self-financing short term courses are offered to the industry and R & D personnel. Many programmes are tailor made to suit the requirements of organizations sponsoring the programme. The short term courses are conducted in the campus as well as at other places convenient to the sponsoring organizations. Fifty to sixty such courses are conducted each year. Details of such programmes can be obtained from Calendar of Short Term Courses.