The Canada-India Institutional Cooperation Project (CIICP) is a joint venture by the Association of Canadian Community Colleges and the governments of India and Canada designed to contribute to human resource development in India’s polytechnic system. Specifically, the project seeks to develop replicable models of institutional development in 13 pilot polytechnic institutes in southern India to help make these institutions more responsive to the workforce training needs of local industry, businesses, and communities. The approach to human resource development taken by the project is one of learning by doing, with educators learning planning skills by actually planning project activities. Since implementation in September 1991, improvements within the polytechnics have been noted in the areas of strategic planning, management training, staff development activities, continuing education, industry and community interaction, the participation of women, and environmental education. The success of the partnership is attributed to the CIICP partnership strategy, which is based on building effective relationships, joint implementation, the provision of training for participation in the partnership, and the counterpart approach to the implementation of project activities in which every training session is offered jointly by Canadian and Indian partners. The CIICP has been successful in helping the polytechnics improve the quality of education, provide training relevant to community needs, and generate revenue in their communities. In addition, Canadian colleges have gained important linkages with Indian institutions, opportunities to internationalize their campuses, and vast professional development experiences for faculty.

Changing technology, as well as economic reforms in India, has created a need within Business, Industry and the community for a more highly skillled workforce at the shopfloor level. Persons already on the job also need trainning in new and emerging technologies as well as modern business strategies and production methods. With this perspective in mind, Canada-India Institutional Cooperation Project (CIICP) was launched in 1991 through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of India. CIICP involves Canadian Community Colleges, 12 Polytechnics in Southern India, Technical Teacher’s Training Institute (TTTI) Madras and the Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE).

The Strategic Plan states the ways, means and procedures for monitoring it and how it will be checked and updated. it enables an organization to optimize its resources and to maximize its performance and power through a bottom up approach. Sankara Polytechnic College undertook Strategic document in order to use effectively all its resources – human, physical and financial to respond to changing needs of is clients.