CHENNAI: The NASSCOM study on "employability" has not come a day too soon. It has not really thrown up any surprises. What was known or feared for long has now been put together in a concrete, multi-centre study on the quality of candidates coming out of hundreds of engineering colleges across the country.

At a time when campus placement and recruitments have come to acquire a special place in the academic calendar and colleges as well as students are trying to do their best to attract more employers to their institutions, the study has pointed to the obvious shortcomings in the "market place" for recruitment.

It concludes that hardly one-third of the engineering graduates churned out by the colleges in Tamil Nadu are "employable" in the IT sector. Human Resource Development (HRD) managers, who frequent many of these institutions, agree. Their selection has been on a "relative basis" which is one of the reasons for "non-conversion of letters of offer to letters of appointment."

Administrators and academics insist that all colleges do not fall under the same category. Nor do all students fail in soft skills. Considering the number of graduates passing out and the demands of the IT and ITES sector, the "employable numbers" fall short of expectations.

HRD managers say it is not just urban-rural divide. Most of the students even in Chennai colleges are unable to "communicate effectively." Well-known IT companies have been recruiting engineering students from several branches, including Chemical and Mechanical, for a career in software and programming.

A general manager of a non-IT production firm in Chennai, who recently interviewed candidates at the College of Engineering, Guindy, says: "We asked them what their favourite subjects were and then posed questions. But their comprehension was not up to the mark and they could not answer in full sentences in English. If that is the standard in one of the best colleges, imagine the rest!"

But T.K. Pandian, an independent Consultant with 15 years experience in the industry, argues: "Companies need to effectively communicate to all placement officers of institutions about the qualitative and quantitative tests, duration and even send some model papers to prepare the students. Most students are clueless about the test or possible reference material. Sometimes, interviewer's temperament and state of mind can play havoc with the future of students. Imagine a panelist interviewing anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 candidates a day!"

Chairpersons and principals of some of the colleges contacted say they are "seized of the matter" and paying all attention possible. As part of the "value addition" to their institutions, some colleges have launched programmes to hone communication skills of students. They invite HRD Managers from leading companies to come and talk to their students as often as possible. Special classes are held in English conversation, comprehension, preparation of background summaries and project reports, in addition to other soft skills. They claim to be doing their best, but probably that is not enough.

Prof. P.V. Navaneethakrishnan, formerly of Anna University and now adviser to one of the private colleges, says: "I know of many institutions organising special courses and even crash programmes for students. A few colleges have even started special programmes for the faculty. These programmes are conducted by experts from companies and held in hotels to provide a pleasant diversion for the teachers." But academics squarely blame the education system and its excessive dependence on written examinations. There is no place for creativity or development of other skills. Students in rural areas do not get even the exposure that their counterparts in cities and towns manage. They hope the NASSCOM study will be a wake up call to colleges, students and employers.

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