Degree of soft skills, a game changer for fresh recruits to land jobs

The shortcomings in the quality of the graduates produced in Indian institutes is seen as a sign that the curriculum does not cater to the expectations of the industry. 

According to I Philip Praveen, Director (Placement & Training) Rajalakshmi Engineering College, “The curriculum is not in alignment with the requirements of the Industry. While the Industry is quick to adapt to changes in the market requirements, there seems to be a large inertia in the education system to align its curriculum to the dynamically changing requirements.” 

Meaningful industry interaction with institutions will go a long way in bridging the gap between industry expectations and the skills possessed by graduates. Industry insight will help in preparing students for the corporate world. 

“Participation of the Industry in framing the curriculum can help mitigate the problem to a large extent. Elective courses on recent industry trends can help too. Certification programmes offered by the Industry would greatly bridge the mismatch that exists between the Industry and the academia,” said Philip.

While most companies will require different technical skills based on the type of job provided, companies look for certain core skills that are crucial for the corporate setup.

To shed light on these skills, Philip said, “Good communication skills are a huge advantage. Leadership skills, ability to work in a team, problem-solving skills and a good competency in the domain of specialisation are crucial for any graduate stepping out of the portals of any educational Institution.” 

Elaborating on employability quotient among Indian graduates, Archana Ram, Director, Smart Training Resource, said, “Earlier, colleges would provide employability specific training only in the final year. But now, due to fierce competition and dwindling employment opportunities, colleges are putting more emphasis on placement training. Leading colleges are even starting placement training as early as the first year.”

In the current scenario, employers are looking for the graduates who can tackle the corporate world immediately after graduating. Graduates are not offered the luxury of learning on the job and need to possess certain core skills to find employment. 

Explaining the dynamics further, Archana said, “Companies are no longer investing the time to train students after graduating. They expect them to learn the skills in college itself. The skills that are valued the most are communication skills, problem- solving skills, logical reasoning and technical skills.” 

Nowadays colleges are outsourcing the placement training to institutes that specialise in employability specific training.

“Colleges tend to cover syllabus to ensure pass percentage. Our institute focuses on training students on placement skills that will ensure that students can find employment after graduating. Currently, many deemed universities are incorporating Smart placement training into their respective curriculum in the form of credit courses,” added Archana.