Just a year ago,employers jostled with each other to hire students from the Indian Institutes of Technology,but even the premier institutions are uncertain about placement prospects for their students now. For the first time in many years,the IITs are feeling the need to take more proactive measures to push for the 100 per cent placement that was theirs for the taking earlier. While some IITs are planning to send students to companies if the latter do not come to them,others are considering extending the placements season by months together. IIT Kanpur,which was jolted by the suicide of an M Tech student who hanged himself after he could not bag a job,has decided that if companies skip the annual ritual of on-campus recruitments this time,the institute itself will sponsor visits of students to companies for interviews. We are taking a series of elaborate steps for placements this year. Usually every year before the Holi vacations,we manage to get placements for all students,this year there havent been so many advance offers. While last year the placements ratio was some 75 per cent at this point of time,this year its just 50 per cent. Keeping all these issues in mind,we have decided that if companies do not travel to the campus for recruitments,we will fund the travel of students to the companies or their headquarters,in Delhi or wherever,for the interviews. We are hoping attempts like these will help placement rates crawl up, Prof S G Dhande,Director,IIT-Kanpur told The Indian Express. The placement cells at IIT-Kharagpur and IIT-Roorkee are bracing themselves for tougher times as well. While both institutes have boasted 100 per cent placement by mid-February,they do not expect such smooth sailing this year. Placement cells will remain active,and aggressively so,well through June or until all students find employment. At IIT-Roorkee,we had 90 per cent placements across all courses by mid-January last year. This year,the placement rate ranges from 23 per cent for M Techs to 57 per cent for undergraduates. Those doing their MCA have a 40 per cent placement ratio this year,while those enrolled in the Integrated Dual Degree five-year course have a 70 per cent placement rate so far, said Prof S C Saxena,Director,IIT-Roorkee. Against some 138 companies that visited us last year,this year we have had about 82 so far. So,we will have to work extra hard this year to ensure placements for all. The placement session,instead of being spread across just two months,usually January and February,will be extended well through June this year. The cell is already closely pursuing companies to come for placements,but while most are coming,they are recruiting fewer students than before, added Prof Saxena. The story is similar in IIT-Kharagpur,confirmed its placement head,Prof B K Mathur. M Tech placement is slightly slow this year,so we will extend the placement session, he said. Interestingly,Mathur pointed out that the recession has made this a bonanza year for PSUs,with students slowly veering towards the stability of a government job. Students are shifting preferences towards the public sector,looking for stability rather than the high pay packets that were opted for every year. As many as 500 students have been placed in PSUs this year, added Mathur. Prof S Prasad,Director,IIT-Delhi,noted that besides the drop in the number of companies coming to the campus for recruitments,the students are also concerned that the profiles of companies visiting this year have changed. The placement cell head at IIT Delhi,Prof Kushal Sen,however,maintained that the cell has almost the same quantum of work on its hands every year. IIT-Guwahatis Director Prof Gautam Barua said that while almost 65-70 per cent B Techs have bagged jobs already,its been a little slower for M Techs. The institute,will wait and watch before deciding on a further course of action. At IIT Madras,Dean Students,VG Idichandy says that while they are 10 per cent short of the placement rates achieved by the institute last year 521 of the 1,058 students have been placed so far this year as against 577 last year the situation is worse for postgraduates. M Tech students are a little disappointed. While most recruiters are coming to IIT-Madras,the problem is they are taking just two-three students as against 10 or more last year. So,we have a lot of work on our hands in the placement cell. However,IITs are meant to provide a great education,not to ensure placements it is a service we do for students, Idichandy pointed out.
