Mangaluru:A state-of-the-art automobile laboratory at Govt PU College, Sullia, will be inaugurated Wednesday by Sullia MLA Bhagirathi Murulya.According to vice-principal Prakasha Moodithaya, the lab has been established under the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF), which promotes outcome- and competency-based vocational education. The college offers automobile and information technology courses under the NSQF programme of Samagra Shikshana.Students can opt for these vocational subjects in place of the third language, Hindi. Owing to limited intake, the college conducts a basic entrance test to select candidates for the courses.Moodithaya said the upgraded facility is likely among the most advanced automobile laboratories in a government institution in the state and will particularly benefit students aspiring to pursue engineering and diploma programmes.Developed with guidance from education department resource persons, the laboratory was set up through the efforts of automobile lecturer Diwakar and support from the Kote Foundation. It is designed to provide practical exposure alongside classroom learning, helping students understand the fundamentals of automobile systems at the school level.“The course is a boon especially for students from rural areas,” Moodithaya said.