Students in small towns will be offered courses in business, entrepreneurship. If you are planning to pursue a course in engineering from either Krishnagiri, Namakkal, Hassan, Davangere or Chitradurga, here is an opportunity to grasp concepts in finance, marketing, operations and HR as well. Starting July, courses in business and entrepreneurship will be offered to second- and third-year engineering students studying in small towns. Delivered virtually through interactive classrooms and audio-video interface, the courses will expose future engineers to concepts in finance, marketing, best practices, people management, quality management, business ethics, costing, mergers and acquisitions and case studies. Spanning at least 120 hours and costing Rs2,000-3,000 per student, the courses aim to mould budding engineers around skill-sets needed to work in a business setup or to start a private venture. In today’s tight hiring scenario, knowing just Java, C++ and programming is not enough for engineers, say experts. Business fundamentals are essential to gain a competitive edge, specially for students in small towns where the dearth of faculty and industry participation is a known phenomenon, says Anand Nagarajan, CEO of Dexler Information Solutions, a Domlur-based firm that is looking at offering the courses. “Unlike colleges in Bangalore or Mysore that have the ability to attract industry veterans, students in small towns rarely get that kind of exposure. Through these programmes, students can interact virtually with veterans and get to know all that companies look for during hiring,” says Nagarajan. Students can interact with top executives from companies in sectors like IT, manufacturing, banking, financial services, insurance, hospitality, telecom etc. Mismatch between students skill-sets and employer expectations is a huge problem that further eats into a job hunt. A recent study by McKinsey Global Institute shows Indian companies reporting up to 36% entry-level vacancies owing to the inability to find the right talent. On the other hand, three of every four graduates are jobless at the time of graduation, says Amit Bhatia, CEO of education firm, Aspire. “Short-term courses help gather more skills,” he adds. Nagarajan says that in the next academic year, they hope to target at least 2,000-2,500 students from all streams of engineering. The programme will start in July in places like Krishnagiri, Namakkal and then gradually spread to Hassan, Bellary, Davangere and other places that are flooded with technical institutes. Employment facts Just 28% of job seekers in India land a job before they graduate, while up to 36% of available jobs remain vacant for want of candidates with requisite skills, say estimates by McKinsey Global Institute. Nearly 10% of job seekers in the country spend over a year in job-hunting after their courses. Desperation forces nearly 25% of job seekers towards part-time work or internship before they land their first proper full-time job. On the other hand, only 43% of employers agree they can find enough skilled entry-level workers. Most top firms, specially those in IT, banking, financial services spend Rs2-5 lakh per candidate just to make them job-ready and this includes costs related to training, infrastructure, accommodation and stipend.
Posted on: Sun, 29 Sep 2013 12:19:49 +0000
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