Comments
Just being a top ranking engineer from an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) is no longer enough to bag a plum job. As recruiters increasingly look for job-ready candidates, premier engineering institutes are focusing on improving the soft skills of their students for ensuring their job-readiness.
As part of campus placements, IIT-Madras has hired two external agencies this year and conducted extensive workshops on six customised modules such as communication skills, personal interviews and case studies.
IIT-Bombay has also hired three service providers this year to conduct tests and assess students in communication skills, problem solving skills, body language, grammar, vocabulary, fluency, listening skills and assertiveness.
Sunil Mehta, Assistant Training and Placement Officer, IIT-Bombay, said, since the last 3-4 years, efforts have been made with the support of external organisations to improve the soft skill assessment and guidance for the graduating students. “Over the years, this has become more organised and is compulsory for all students participating in campus placement. It helps candidates realise their shortcomings and accordingly, they can be better prepared for the selection process of companies during campus placement,” said Mehta.
According to B. Rajesh Kumar, co-founder of Focus Academy for Career Enhancement (FACE), “We have seen that most bulk recruiters are looking at cutting down on their training budgets, especially in the context of the slowing economic environment. Most of them now want candidates who are ready to go and step into the job from day one.”
During this year, FACE has trained 2.25 lakh students across different engineering colleges, including the graduating batch at IIT-Madras.
IIT-Kanpur is roping in its vast alumni network to reach out to its students this year. “It will help us improve our negotiation skills and also give us a better idea of what the industry demands of us,” said Amit Saraswat, Overall Placement Coordinator, IIT-K.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.