Last September, during the second quarter of the academic year 2023-24, college placement cells were concerned that students graduating in May 2024 would face a challenging time, as companies were cutting back on hiring. They were anticipating lower placement scenarios, as the Information Technology (IT) industry sector had been expecting a turbulent phase, and was risk averse.
Some industry observers blamed the Covid-19 pandemic- induced lockdown for having robbed from students, the opportunity for hands-on experience and the developing of interpersonal skills at workplace settings. K.E. Raghunathan, national chairman, Association of Indian Entrepreneurs, observed that placements drives would have been better but for the pandemic. “The present batch of students underwent at least one year under the Covid-19 lockdown phase, where they lost practical experiences and missed out on in-person classes, affecting their interpersonal and communication skills,” he said.
Most students depend on campus placements, as such recruitments ensure a higher pay scale as compared to direct walk-ins and through Human Resources (HR) consultancies. Campus placements have been a disappointment however, for engineering students this year, who had centred their hopes on landing a job in an IT company. Four years ago, when these students enrolled for an engineering degree, the IT industry was hiring from campuses in bulk, but not this year. Colleges report that while compared to previous years, the number of IT campus placements have come down, companies are now focusing on specialised skill sets among students. Even in arts and science colleges, students who took up technical courses and commerce graduates followed by those from science disciplines, have had it better than engineering students, said placement officials.
