Campus Placement: An overview

Source - CET King

In the present era, campus placement holds a great importance for students and educational institutes. While, it helps a student in building a strong foundation for the professional career ahead without facing the real-world job struggle, peer-competition or family pressure, a good placement record gives a competitive edge to an institute/ university in the education market.

Campus placements provide the students with a foot-in- the-door opportunity, enabling them to start off their career right after they have completed their course curriculum. Furthermore, they get to interact and engage with the industry professionals during the placement drives, which further help lay a foundation for their prospective career in the future as they familiarize with potential contacts from their chosen career field. Placements have gradually become an integral part of an institute’s offerings, which was not the scenario earlier. Nowadays, students pay special attention to placement records while selecting a college or university for the admission.

And it is rightly so, if a student is paying huge amount of parent’s hard-earned money as fees to the institutes/universities, he/she has the right to calculate the ROI (return on investment), which in this case is a job in a reputed company with Lucrative package. Moreover, placement track record of any institute or university helps the students to comprehend their future accomplishments and encourages them to register for admissions. Every institute is incorporated with a placement cell to assist the students in finding the right job where they can sharpen their skills and prepare for a bright future ahead.

Challenges

Technological Transformations:

With the technological advancements happening in every sector, the nature of jobs is changing rapidly. New and diversified jobs have come into existence, which were never heard of before. And the trend is going to continue in the future with Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Machine Learning taking over the traditional educational module.

Education system now has to be developed in such a way that it prepares the students for jobs which are not even created as of now. In short, there is an urgent need to bridge the gap between Industry requirements and the existent skill set of the students.

Gap between Skill Set and Industry Requirements:

Considering the trends, education system now has to be developed in such a way that it prepares the students for jobs which are not even created as of now. In short, there is an urgent need to bridge the gap between industry requirements and the existent skill set of the students.

According to a recent survey conducted by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), India’s unemployment rate rose to a 45-year high during 2017-2018. Another report by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) says that almost 11 million Indians lost their jobs during 2018. While there can be many other reasons behind falling number of jobs, the gap between skill set and industry requirements is one of the major reasons behind this phenomenon.

Skill Training and Employability:

Skill Training is one of the most important factors responsible for improving the placement record of an institute or university. Companies no longer just look for academic excellence and aptitude but they prefer candidates who have practical exposure and problem solving ability in real- life situations.

So, instead of starting training in the last year, students must focus on Enhancing and upgrading their skill from the first year onwards. Institutes can also keep some KPIs (Key Performance indicators) and measure student’s progress against this.

Placing Right Candidate for the Right Job:

Placing the right candidate for the right job, implies to focus whether student is interested and willing to apply for the job or having some other aspirations after the graduation.

Companies critically focus on the “Attended vs. Recruited” numbers when they visit a college for campus recruitment. It gives them a fair idea of which colleges have high quality or job-ready candidates.

Take aways for the aspiring Students:

With advancements in every professional sector, the demand for skilled personnel is on the rise in order to simultaneously further organizational growth as well as the economic development of the country. Campus placement programmes are influential in developing a strong workforce in the subcontinent, giving potential candidates a chance to validate their skills and intellectual prowess in professional domains.

And, here’s what the steps of your Action Plan should look like:

·         Do a SWOT analysis on yourself (Self Evaluation)

·         Brush up your aptitude skills

·         Practice for GD

·         Prepare for PI

·         Final review by selection committee

·         Research the company thoroughly

Campus placements can be one’s ticket to a great future. Plan well, prepare hard and be positive!

 

About Author:

Ms. Vasundhara Malhotra is currently working as Training and Placement Officer at JD College of Engineering and Management, Nagpur - An Autonomous Institute.

An Electronics Engineering Post Graduate, she has myriad interests encompassing Training, Placement, technology, gadgets, computers, business and entrepreneurship among others. The Author can be contacted at tpo@jdcoem.ac.in