Engineering colleges beyond Tier 1 cities strive to make their students industry-ready

Colleges have identified the loopholes and are striving to focus on students by segregating them into groups. (Illustration by Suneesh Kalarickal)

With lack of industry exposure, limited access to top-notch faculty and short supply of placement opportunities, engineering colleges beyond Tier 1 cities face many challenges. This eventually impacts students’ ability to enter the business and pursue careers.

“Tier I colleges have better infrastructure and facilities. Students are allowed to stay in the lab and work/study at their convenience and the colleges conduct talks by eminent people from the industry every month,” said a second-year engineering student at Kollam-based TKM College of Engineering.

In tier 2, 3 and 4 colleges, she said professors are more focused on completing the syllabus on time and there is no emphasis on the latest developments in their domain.

As per the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), which falls under the Ministry of Education, there are over 39 lakh students in India pursuing various courses in Engineering and Technology in at least 3,500 engineering colleges.

A 10-year-old survey by PurpleLeap found that only one out of 10 students graduating from Tier 2, 3 and 4 engineering colleges is readily employable. Professors, however, say the situation is changing. And colleges in the secondary and tertiary cities have begun taking steps to make their students industry-ready when they graduate, to make a smooth transition to the workforce.

The challenges

The major challenge starts with a severe shortage of qualified faculty due to the lack of appeal compared to metropolitan cities, which have better infrastructure and avenues for leisure.

“Faculty shortages can be attributed to geographical location and limited resources. This can make it challenging while skilling students,” said Dr Malineni Perumallu, Chairman of Guntur-based Malineni Lakshmaiah Women’s Engineering College.

Moneycontrol interacted with staff and students from various colleges beyond tier 1 cities, where the number of students ranged from 1,990 to 3,800 against faculty strength of 110-20.

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Secondly, the challenge is to get top employers in the city.

“There are fewer employment chances for students in these colleges because many recruiters prefer to hire from prestigious colleges and universities. As a result, many students may find themselves jobless after earning their engineering degrees,” said Dhananjay Singh, AVP of the Career Development Centre at Rajkot-based Marwadi University.

Besides, lack of proper training affects students’ ability to crack crucial placement processes if they are only equipped with theoretical knowledge.

“In major cities, students are quick to take things into their own hands and skill themselves on the side and network accordingly,” said Karun Tadepalli, CEO and Co-Founder of byteXL, a learning platform for IT graduates.

However, Tadepalli said students beyond tier 1 cities seldom know where to turn and their colleges are unable to gauge what the industry is looking for.

Striving for change 

Colleges have identified the loopholes and are striving to focus on students by segregating them into groups. This is accompanied by regular feedback and assessment of both faculty and students.

When Marwadi University asked its over 10,700 students about their job aspirations, a significant portion had a background in family businesses and wanted to advance in those firms. Some sought to establish startups, while others were looking for jobs or higher education.

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The institute established independent centres to meet each student’s expectations. It is mandatory for every student to complete the Career Development Centre (CDC) training, which includes workshops on business communication and teamwork, as also career services, including resume and cover letter writing workshops, interview preparation etc.

There is also a Centre for Entrepreneurship and Family Business (CEFB), for which over 750 students have signed up. The university also has 500 faculty members of which 120 are PhD holders. It is ready to add more faculty as required.

By understanding the student's academic background, Guntur-based Narasaraopeta Engineering College designs the classroom teaching methodology using technology to impart hands-on learning.

Faculty members also measure students’ learning outcomes to improve logical thinking and attitude. “We have also started measuring the quality of the classroom through sub-topic quizzes, and students’ retrieval capabilities using bi-weekly and monthly assessments,” said Dr Ananda Oliveti, Training Head at Narasaraopeta Engineering College.

Matching industry standards

College administrators are finding out what is relevant in the tech industry and what hiring managers are currently looking for.

At Warangal-based Christu Jyothi Institute of Technology & Sciences, the starting point is identifying what’s relevant in the tech industry and matching that pace with training and placement assistance.

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Other institutes, such as Malineni Lakshmaiah Women’s Engineering College, have joined hands with third-party training partners. These platforms provide experts who study industry trends regularly and supplement colleges’ existing curricula with courses relevant to market demand.

byteXL’s Tadepalli believes placement is a byproduct of good learning outcomes. He feels setting up some sort of crash course for final-year students a month before their campus interviews is not sustainable and won’t help colleges in the long term.

“Colleges need to be supported holistically and we need to inculcate practical skills in students with their regular academics, right from their first year, to build their credentials over time,” he said.