Engg colleges see drop in placements

In the ongoing placement season, the engineering colleges in the city have recorded a decline in the number of students placed this year due to the overall slump in the Information Technology (IT) and infrastructure industry. At the same time, some of the students have been offered annual packages of upto 16 lakh.

Even as there is increased fluidity across branches these days and students get recruited even outside the core companies, the branches of IT and Computer Science remain the favorites, followed by Electronics and Electrical Engineering. "A software service provider company that picked up 83 students, selected only 15 students this time. Also, many electronic and communications companies are recruiting through third-party vendors and not freshers from campus," said Puneet Garg, Training and Placement Officer at Chandigarh College of Engineering and Technology (CCET).

There have been a total of 48 companies that have visited the Punjab Engineering College campus this year and placed a total of 230 B.Tech students, of which 60 percent have been recruited in core companies. "For a branch like Material and Metallurgy Engineering, the offers are always limited in the beginning but eventually we ensure 80 per cent placement. There have been many off-beat companies that have visited us for the first time this year and we have a minimum of Rs 3.25 lakh annual packages," said Veena Manocha from PEC. The highest package, of Rs 16.8 per annum, has been offered to four students by a software company.

Around 25 companies have visited the University Institute of Engineering Technology (UIET) so far and recruited 250 students. The highest package that has been offered is worth Rs 10 lakh and the minimum is Rs 3 lakh.

Institutes prepare students in soft skills

Depending on the number of jobs that a student can accept, faculty have reported that many companies do not come twice if they have a bitter experience once. "Very often, students accept job offers initially but they continue sitting for other jobs and if they get a better offer later, they change their minds. Some students want to continue higher education or be self-employed but still block the seats. It reflects badly on the trust with which we invite these companies," says Puneet Garg.

... contd.

ALSO READ

Life of Pi singer Bombay Jayashri to perform in Chandigarh

Theories of Sino-India war far-fetched, says ex-Army chief

HC rejects Punjab plea on Bhattal’s govt house

Civic body moots Rs 616-cr budget, discussion today