For years, August to June is the season for campus placements across Engineering colleges in Pune. Being known as an educational hub, several companies (big, small) ensure to have their presence in the various engineering colleges in the city.
Over the years it was realised that though the companies are getting good students, lack of skills does make a difference. Recently, Chairman @pinnacle_ind & @ekamobility and former president Marhatta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) had tweeted, “Most engineering industries in Pune are short of trained manpower even for basic tasks like welding, fitters etc let alone advanced skills. We continue to have a complete mismatch in skilling. Unless we reform labour laws & our vocational system this conundrum will continue”.
Echoing the same sentiments, president of Maharashtra Training and placement officer Shitalkumar Rawandale said, “Earlier companies would give feedback to engineering colleges about how students lack the communication skills, English language speaking skills, but now students across the state have shown improvement in these skill sets.
More internship programs needed
"These days industries feel that the students are not deployable or billable. By this, industries mean that the students lack technically, concept wise. And for that we need to have as many as internship programs designed in the four years degree program”, explained Rawanadle.
“The problem is the ‘academic ego’, among the faculty and colleges, needs to go off. Students do get good knowledge in the colleges/institutes but they get hands-on training only when they are actually working on the field. “But colleges instead of focussing on internships of the students try to engage them in various tests and tutorials”, added Rawandale.
"Similarly, the curriculum should be made with having industry people on board of studies in the colleges or institutes. Joint projects should be carried out with industries to understand the nature and magnitude of the problem”, he added.
Training and placement officer of MMCoE Rahul Undegaonkar too said, “internship of short durations of three months or long duration of six months help the students to learn the trade secrets. At colleges they get good academic knowledge but while doing the internship they can actually work on machines or problems.
IT placement on hold?
For the academic year 2022-23 although the IT sector remained a major puller of jobs, the recent layoffs in various big, small and medium companies have not affected the recruitment scenario.
Prof. Rawandale said, “Well like for previous many years, IT has been popular among students and recruiters. After Covid-19 pandemic, the academic year 2021-22 saw a whopping placement season with 2,324 students receiving the offer letters. This year the IT companies have been adopting the ‘wait and watch’, situation over recession in the USA and Russia Ukraine war”.
Undegaonkar said, “we have had a good placement this year, though, the IT sector saw less companies coming to the campus. Mechanical and electrical branches saw a good placement. IT had recruitments, but the salary offered was less compared to the last few years”.
Training and placement officer at College of Engineering, Pune (COEP) Meera Murali said, “there was no issue and along with computer science, mechanical, electronics, E&TC saw a good response from the recruiters. Generally, the placement season spreads over from August to June.
