This year, around 15 lakh engineering students graduated from various institutes in India. Unfortunately, very few have the required employability skills, so much so that the industry is facing a problem about how to bridge the gap between what the job market requires and what is being taught. SHAlINI SAKSENA speaks to professors and experts to tell you how there is urgent need to address the situation at all levels — from the admission criteria, to the curriculum, to changing an aspirant’s mindset
Every year, the number of students who pass out from engineering colleges — be it Government-run or private — has gone up. Approximately, 15 lakh students graduated this year. However, the available jobs have static at 10,000 for many years. This means that only the best of the best get placed in top-notch companies.
“Today, it is not just about the selection process in campus interviews. It is also about rejection process. So, one has to be the best if one wants to excel. There was a time when the demand and supply were at par. Today, the supply is 15 fold more but the demand has remained constant. This has added to the problems that exist in a majority of the private engineering colleges,” Rl Trikha, director FIIT-JEE, says. He adds that it is time that all industry players sit down and discuss the ways to bridge the widening gap between demand and supply.
The problem, experts say, is a cycle that is difficult to break. More and more private institutions are coming up because the number of students wanting to study engineering is on the rise. Therefore, many colleges are compromising on the quality of the knowledge they are imparting. This means that the skill sets required by the industry are not being met. Compounding this problem is the fact that, in India, there are only three professions a son is told to pursue — he either has to study to become a doctor, an engineer or an MBA.
“It is unfortunate that parents don’t take into consideration their child’s aptitude. Just because the neighbour’s son is going to an engineering college doesn’t mean that their child also has to do the same. Parents need to understand that today, there are far better options available. Engineering is just one of them,” Deputy dean (academics) and assistant Prof Manoj Kumar Gopaliya, Department of Mechanical Engineering, ITM University, Gurgaon, tells you.
He tells you that in order to address the problem, there is need to follow strict admission guidelines. “Institutions should not admit anybody who has the money to pay the fee. A student’s calibre must be judged. Otherwise, in the end, everybody will be at a disadvantage. The student, who will not get a job, the institute that will lose its reputation and the industry that needs good engineers,” Gopaliya opines.
Recent findings in the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) ninth annual Engineering and Technology: Skills & Demand in Industry report says that the demand for engineers remains high but more than half of employers are having difficulties recruiting the staff they need for their businesses to expand. “This is because in today’s competitive world, the employers don’t have the time or the money to train a recruit on the job. They want engineers to get down to work from day one. However, the down side is that what is being taught in engineering colleges in not at par with what the industry wants. There is so much competition but engineers don’t have the ability to club theory with practical. Therefore, there are bound to be gaps,” Shekhar Sanyal, director and country head, IET says.
So how does one address the situation. “First, there must a be a capping in all engineering colleges for the next 10 years or so. Second, the focus should shift from quantity to quality. Third, colleges should cater to what the industry needs. Finally, time and energy should be spent on R&D. There is no point in importing technology and rehashing it to suit Indian market. Hence, engineers are not upgrading their knowledge which in turn is hampering the organisation they are working for,” Gopaliya explains.
The industry on the other hands opines that if a doctor can upgrade his knowledge and a lawyer needs to be abreast of the latest laws, an engineer needs to know what is happening around the world and create things. “An engineer should be a people’s person. He must know the cultures of the world, how the common man thinks and what he wants. Interdisciplinary learning is a must today. Something that is lacking our institutions. A student needs to gauge where his passion lies. Following a herd mentality will not help. One can only teach a child. At the end of the day, he has to give the exam. The effort has to come from the student. To be a good engineer, just doing your job is not enough. One has to be extremely dynamic to be the best among the best,” Trikha says.