On February 13th, we came together at GEC Surat for the Gujarat Innovation Showcase, organized as part of the Edunet Foundation’s Skills4Future program. The program focuses on helping students apply green skills and AI to real-world problems, and this event was a chance to see that learning in action.
The day began with a lab walkthrough where students gave live demonstrations of tools, technologies, and EV benches to leaders from Shell. This was followed by an exhibition area with five student project booths, each set up by teams showcasing their work through live demonstrations and direct interaction with industry leaders. In the event hall, three student teams delivered project pitches, with each team getting approximately five minutes to present. The focus was on innovation, execution approach, and impact. This was followed by 2-3 minutes of Q&A per project, with the Shell leadership panel evaluating the projects using scoring sheets.
We also heard experience sharing from students and teachers about their journey in the program. Mr. Dhirendra Mishra, Terminal Manager at Shell India, delivered the keynote address. The day concluded with felicitation of participating colleges and announcement of top performing teams. Award categories included 1st and 2nd prize for project pitching, and 1st and 2nd prize for booth setup and project showcase. A total of 21 students participated, representing colleges including Parul University, SNPIT, GEC Surat, Vishwakarma Government Engineering College, and Silver Oak University. Faculty and principals from these institutions were also present and felicitated.
Thank you to the Shell leadership team—Mr. Dhirendra Mishra, Mr. Bhairu Singh Bhati, Mr. Piyushkumar Desai, and Mr. Mahendra Patel—for their time and engagement. The showcase was a platform for direct industry-student interaction, and it was encouraging to see students explain their projects with confidence and talk about the problems they are trying to solve.
Congratulations to all the students for their hard work.
