Friday, 9 March 2018

Engineering students look at BPO options in campus placement

Engineering students look at BPO options in campus placement

KOCHI: With the several major IT companies cutting down on recruitments from many of the engineering campuses in Ernakulam, the colleges are now looking at BPOs to ensure that their students get a job soon after the course.
However, unlike the IT companies that is offering increased salary this year compared to earlier years, the salary offered by BPOs is as low as Rs 12,000 to Rs 13,000. Though not encouraged in engineering campus in the past, now faced with bleak job opportunities in the changing economic scenario, they are welcoming whoever comes to the campus with a job offer.

“Major IT companies have gone to only limited number of campuses and where they have gone, they have cut down on the number of jobs offered. Start-ups have shown interest. But even as they interview 300 to 400 students, they only give offer letter to 2 to 3 students. The BPOs are coming to recruit students in large numbers and many are accepting the job offer, even as they try to get a better job offer in an engineering company,” said Jenty Joy, vice-chairman of Consortium of Technical Institutes for Placement Services, Kerala and head (corporate relation) of SNG College of Engineering, Kolencherry.
Engineering colleges said that while the cream get offers from good IT firms, it is those with poor academic performance who have to settle for a job in the BPO. “Though all the students do appear for an interview in a BPO firm, only 10 % to 15 % accept the job offer,” said Mahendra KS, placement officer, KMEA College of Engineering. However, to get a job in BPO, the student needs to be good in spoken English along with communication skills.


Most placement officers said that number of companies coming for campus placement has increased, the number of students who have been offered job has actually gone down. “So far 60 % students have got placement. Though this is a down from 75 % last year, the pay package has increased for many from Rs 3.5 lakh per annum to Rs 6.5 lakh per annum. It is IT and Computer Science students who are in demand,” said Biju Paul, placement officer, Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology.


The companies are looking for students with specific skills and advanced training in java, android, ios is an added advantage. “They are not really interested in hiring an engineering graduate whom they have to train. They want students with skills,” added Paul.


Also to familiarise their students with the industry, colleges are promoting internship program generally after the third year. “But even they have to clear a test conducted by the company for being selected for internship,” added Joy.

No comments: