Some companies have begun scouting fresh talent and have sounded out engineering colleges about their intent to hire, at least partially allaying apprehensions that campus recruitments might grind to a halt with the COVID-19 pandemic showing no signs of abating.
“The campus recruitment process has commenced and we expect most of the companies that visited us last year to turn up this year as well. But competition will be stiff with too many aspirants chasing the few jobs on offer,” said Harshith Diwekar, placement head, National Institute of Engineering, Mysuru. He expects a surge in demand for graduates in the healthcare sector.
However, with the manufacturing sector slowing down, recruitment for streams such as Mechanical and Industrial Production may be impacted, said Pradeep Manjunath, placement officer, Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering. The number of jobs in the IT sector too may be relatively low this year, but the scenario is not all doom and gloom, and companies have already commenced virtual conferences and assessment for hiring in the new cycle, Mr. Manjunath said.
Uncertainty continues
Meanwhile, for many students of the 2020 batch who were expected to graduate early this year, uncertainty continues.
This is because the eighth semester examination of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) is yet to be conducted and most firms insist on a provisional degree certificate from freshers before their onboarding process is completed.
B. Sadashive Gowda, principal, Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering, said many of the students awaiting their eighth semester exam (slated to be held from August 24 to 31) were already undergoing virtual training or re-skilling themselves. “It is only their onboarding, scheduled for July/August, that has got staggered because of the pandemic which threw all academic activity into disarray. But reputed companies have honoured the commitment made,” he said.
Prof. Gowda said they were expecting good placements even in the forthcoming year (2020–21) as mass recruiters such as TCS had already set the ball rolling. But there is a general consensus that the numbers will be low, and much will depend on how the pandemic progresses.
