After engineering colleges, campus placements have now become the norm at arts and science colleges too. College life is not all about fun and enjoyment; college is the place where youngsters prepare themselves for workplace etiquette. Following studies on the poor placement record at engineering colleges and complaints of unemployability, efforts are being made to train students. Latesh S, a third-year B. Com Bank Management student of D.G. Vaishnav College who has been placed in Ernst Young, says he underwent 40 hours of aptitude and soft skills training. Apart from learning about logical reasoning, he benefited from lessons on tips to attend a job interview.
S.B. Charan, his batch-mate who is also placed in the same company, says the alumni also offered training sessions to build his confidence. According to college principal Santhosh Baboo, the pre-placement training begins in the second year. Students with a good academic record and a desire to take up jobs are selected. Alumni are roped in to train the students.
Madras Christian College principal P. Wilson says the strategy is to help 500 of the 1,800 student land a job. Already, 300 students have been placed.
Princely Samuel, Director of Training and Placements, Loyola College, says students have been trained, and placement will begin in January. “We are targeting 650-700 placements.” His earlier work experience at Infosys is helping him train the students.
Preference for B. Com students
Usually B. Com students get placed the most, with the college admitting 300 students. However, the market forces have led to very few students being hired and the companies expect technical, analytical and communication skills from the students.
This year, 38 companies have visited the MCC as against 24 last year. The average annual cost to company has risen from ₹5.70 lakh to ₹6.60 lakh, says Mr. Wilson. In 2023, 326 candidates were placed; so far this year, 431 students have received offers.
College placement officers teach students how to understand their priorities. At D.G. Vaishnav College, students who have scored over 60% in Class 10 are selected, and based on their socio-economic background and their desire for placement, the students are trained. The college’s alumni from human resource and management programmes provide the students tips and training to ace the interview. The job market has been dull this year. It was predicted as early as in June 2023 that fewer companies would scout for students on college campuses. Placement officers developed strategies to counter the impact of the low turnout of companies.
While the banking and financial sectors were more generous in job offers, computer science, computer applications, and allied subjects faced the heat. College officials say the IT and ITeS companies are selective and seek skilled students.
Mr. Princely says that at Loyola College, students are trained in behavioural and communication skills. “We were trying to set the tone: if you have thirst and hunger, things will fall in place. For example, the trainers taught them [the students] to work in a team and how to focus on the job description and work on it.”
