LJ Group of Institutes is overseen by Lok Jagruti Kendra (LJK), a Charitable Trust and Registered Society founded in 1980 by distinguished academicians and visionaries such as Prof. B.M. Peerzada, former Dean of Commerce Faculty at Gujarat University, Padma Bhushan Lord Meghnad Desai (London School of Economics), Prof. Gautam Appa (LSE), Late Prof. M.S. Trivedi, former Vice Chancellor of South Gujarat University, esteemed jurist Late Shri Girishbhai Patel, and Shri Subodhbhai Shah. The vision was to be "a key player in education and social development by promoting and nurturing creativity, scholarship, innovation, and excellence through a chain of quality institutes." LJK's mission has been "to establish and manage institutions with an environment in which new ideas, delivery strategies, and scholarship flourish, and from where leaders and innovators of tomorrow shall emerge."
LJK oversees 32 institutions on two well-developed, environmentally friendly campuses with dedicated buildings and infrastructure facilities. These institutes offer various diploma, undergraduate, and postgraduate programs approved by respective apex bodies. LJ Institutes collectively serve over 21,000 students and have 1000+ faculties engaged in teaching, learning, research, and extension activities. The focus is on developing students into well-rounded citizens equipped not only with the necessary subject knowledge and skills but also with empathy towards various environmental, social, cultural, and other issues affecting society.
Some of the remarkable initiatives/activities/features of the LJ Institutes are:
Ø The Business Incubator is an initiative to encourage, promote and support entrepreneurship and innovative Start-ups by bringing national angel syndicates and angel investors for funding.
Ø LJK has set up LJ Knowledge Foundation to promote innovation and start-up interventions in the campus, which has pioneered a series of efforts to harness creative potential of students. It is a nodal agency of Start-up Innovation Scheme of the Government of Gujarat.
Ø For promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship, an annual LJ Innovation Village is being organised since 2013 displaying the projects of students of LJ Institutes as well those from over 10 other states of India.
Ø A unique program, Project to Product, in which student-projects get converted into productive solutions and then taken to the market.
Ø Collaborating with industry to conduct Corporate & Skill Development Training for their employees. More than 5000 employees of Ford, Toyota, Suzuki and the Pharma Industry have been trained so far.
Ø Central Placement Cell is associated with more than 200 leading national and multinational companies to facilitate students for the best job.
Ø LJ School of Law has has taken a pioneering initiative called Law on Wheels designed to serve twin purposes: social as well as academic. Under this the students go to interior villages to study the social reality, legal problems of different classes of people and to spread legal awareness by rendering legal advice and assistance to the socio-economically backward classes.
Ø Through LJ Sahyog more than 2000 engineering students visited 250 villages and successfully developed websites and Facebook pages for them, contributing thereby towards Digital India initiative.
Ø LJ also runs several Centres of Excellence focused on communication/ presentation skills, personality development, etc. to empower the students with sharp minds and exceptional talent.
Ø LJ Software Factory prepares customized application softwares for business houses and industries.
Ø Regular centre for Conduct of Online Examinations such as CAT, MAT, GATE, AIEE, BITS Pilani, GCET, etc.
Ø Congenial learning environment with state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities with Technologically Well-Equipped classrooms, laboratories, faculty rooms, rich libraries, seminar halls and auditoria.
Ø Learner-centred academic culture without compromise on teaching standards and the knowledge distribution system leading to overall development of students with balanced emphasis on sports, cultural and other extra-curricular activities.
Ø Curriculum enrichment with skill-oriented add-on courses and innovative co-curricular activities followed by varied delivery strategies.
Ø Over 2000 computers linked with optic fiber network.
Ø International Collaborations with faculty exchange, student exchange, joint research projects and research publications as thrust areas.
Ø Strong Alumni Base spread across the country and abroad and occupying key positions in various organizations.
LJK, where education is a passion, the passion which leads to incessant pursuit of knowledge and acquisition of skills, has become the ultimate destination for complete education.
Feather in the Cap of LJK: Establishment of LJ University (Lok Jagruti Kendra University)
The LJ Group of Institutes has an illustrious track record, marked by significant achievements and notable contributions to society since 1980. This impactful journey has culminated in the establishment of Lok Jagruti Kendra University (LJU) through Gujarat Act No. 19 of 2019.
Objectives
Ø Affordability: Providing accessible, high-quality higher education in Gujarat
Ø Impact: Making substantial contributions to local industrial requirements and social progress
Ø Skill Enhancement : Emphasizing skill development, employability, and holistic growth
Ø Community Engagement : Fostering social responsibility by creating value in the local community
Ø Diversity: Promoting inclusive education for all
Ø Teaching Methodology : Implementing a lab-to-land-to-lab pedagogy approach. ffordable higher education of high quality in Gujarat
LJU is intended to be University with a difference with the following agenda:
Ø Skilling local youth as per cutting edge needs of local and global industries
Ø 1 % of our graduates to be job creators or self employed
Ø Access to higher education to around 1 lakh youth in next decade
Ø Benefit to nearby community through community engagement program
Ø Collaboration with local industries to work on their challenges
Ø Capacity building of human resources of local MSMEs and large industries
Ø Attracting global academic communities through international collaborations for syllabus designing, delivery and evaluation.
Ø Nurturing graduates to be job ready and also make them entrepreneurial
Thrust Areas of the LJU
Ø Engineering Cluster: All domains of UG, PG, Ph.D. programs, Applied Engineering, Architecture, Computer Applications, manufacturing
Ø Applied Sciences Cluster: UG, PG, Ph.D. in Applied Sciences, Industrial Biotechnology, Agriculture Biotechnology, Material Science, Chemical and Food
Ø Liberal Arts Cluster: Social Sciences, Fine Arts, Design, Film and allied studies, Commerce, Management, Applied Economics and allied domains
Ø Skill Cluster: Skill Academy, Vocational and blended skill, Skilling industrial human resources, skilling around emerging technology
Ø Health Cluster: Ayurveda, Bio Tech, Applied Bio sciences, Agriculture and allied domains
Academic Programmes
Ø Full-time Diploma, UG, PG, and Ph.D. programmes
Ø Joint programmes with collaborating academia in India and abroad
Ø Certificate courses
Ø Short term professional education programmes
Ø Extension studies
Ø Blended MOOC/virtual learning
Qualities/ Attributes of LJU Graduate
Ø Quick to learn new things and implement them
Ø Quick to adapt to new environment and changes and find solutions to problems
Ø Be open to new ideas and concepts and shall be able to take the risk of implementing them by rational consideration
Ø Discipline and integrity
Ø Ethically and socially responsible
Ø Innovative and entrepreneurial
Ø Academic, research, digital and information literacy
Ø Collaboration and team work
Ø Strong communicate and interpersonal skills
LJU has commenced its academic operations from the academic year 2019-20 with the following constituent institution:
Institution: L. J. School of Architecture, L.J. Campus, S. G. Road, Ahmedabad
Programme: Bachelor of Architecture
Work for developing academic programmes, systems and processes is in progress. Other constituent institutions and programmes will be added in subsequent years in a phased manner.