Wednesday, October 29, 2008
"Dream companies, dream salaries are not possible given the current market situation"

• Madurai colleges are staggering under the uncertainties of a sluggish market
• Some students recruited last year have not been informed of their joining dates

Chennai: Engineering students are not the only ones wondering if their gamble on the IT boom is going to backfire; the tale of lower recruitment figures echoes in arts and science colleges across the State, too.

By this time last year, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, managed to place 1,500 science graduates in the coveted IT sector. This year, the numbers have plunged to a fifth of last year’s total.


“Students should realise that dream companies, dream salaries and dream cities are not possible given the current market situation,” says M. Jayakumar, who takes care of placements in Bharathiar University.

Madurai colleges, which hold joint placement sessions, are also staggering under the uncertainties of a sluggish market.

Last year, Lady Doak College saw 10 companies recruiting 241 students. This year, a single company, Cognizant, has turned up to recruit six students so far. In fact, Cognizant has recruited just 42 students from Madurai and surrounding areas.

Colleges hope that the recruiting season is not yet over. Wipro has promised to come to Madurai in December if a minimum of 1,000 students register for placements online.

“We are expecting fewer IT placements this year. Companies are being very careful,” says R. Raja Govindasamy, principal, Thiagarajar College.

“Even after making their selections, they are taking six to seven months for induction.”

Joining dates
Some students recruited last year have not been informed of their joining dates. Lady Doak College’s placement officer D.J.C. Barnes says Tata Consultancy Services, which got some of the best students in Madurai last year by being the first recruiter to arrive, has still not inducted many of those placed. A TCS spokesperson had earlier clarified that TCS had always honoured campus offers, and this year, irrespective of the market conditions, would be no different.

However, the delay continues to tax students. “My students are very worried. They can’t even try for new jobs or for higher studies since the deadlines have gone past,” Mr. Barnes says.

Alternative careers
Colleges are helping students cope with the problem, by training them for alternative careers. “E-learning is an emerging area,” says K. Meena, principal, Shrimati Indira Gandhi College, Tiruchi, which has also seen lower recruitment figures than last year. “E-learning, e-publishing, e-tutoring, logistics and infrastructure development are alternatives,” says Mr. Jayakumar.

“Students should equip themselves for any job and look beyond the IT sector,” says Mr. Barnes. They should also have a shot at competitive examinations. “Core and service sector companies don’t come to campuses. Students cannot depend entirely on campus recruitment anymore.”