Only 6% BE., Grads Employable

Knowledge, skill, attitude and habit are crucial for success in the industry.

Teachers are given intensive training in concepts like leadership, team building and communication, which are in turn imparted to the students under the ‘train the trainer’ model Mannar Jawahar VC, Anna University


If a study by Pur pleLeap, a Bengaluru-based talent management company is to be believed, only 6 per cent of the engineering graduates in India are ‘employable’.

The 10,000 students, including 1,000 from Tamil Nadu who were surveyed in 150 colleges across the country are lacking in the three major industry requirements — communication, problem solving and technical skills, the study claims.


This paints a gloomier picture than the findings of NASSCOM-McKinsey Report 2005, which states that only 25 per cent of engineering graduates and 10 per cent of non-engineering graduates in the country are fit for employment.


Several ‘tier two and three’ engineering colleges do not sufficiently develop the analytical thinking ability of the youngsters, which is what leads to poor problem solving ability, says Amit Bansal, CEO, PurpleLeap.


“When we talk of problem solving, we mean the ability of a student to grasp all aspects of a situa tion. In designing a programme for example, he should not only be able to deal with the constraints, but also troubleshoot,” he explains.


Companies that recruit these candidates, point out that the quality of students and faculty is crucial in determining the skill-set of the fresh graduates. “The curriculum needs to reflect the changing market conditions and expectations,” explains R. Ramkumar, VP, (corporate marketing, research and communications), Cognizant Technology Solutions.


Meanwhile, academicians insist situation is as bleak as it is portrayed in the study, and say that the responsibility of honing these skills, especially communication, lies with the industry and not the educational institutions, they say. “A large number of companies lookout for soft skills, which is not and should not be expected to be provided by universities, that should rather concentrate on content,” says Prof. M.S. Ananth, director, IIT Madras.