MUMBAI: Headhunters for IT and ITES firms, sounding the alarm over the quality of fresh graduates applying for jobs, have begun asking universities to get their act right.

Addressing vice-chancellors from across the country on Tuesday, National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) president Kiran Karnik pointed out that the entry selection average for engineers stood anywhere between 20% and 25% and dipped further to as low as 10-15% for ordinary graduates.

Focusing on the quality of engineers and technical graduates passing out of most universities at the ongoing three-day national V-Cs'meet, Karnik said, "We can't employ the 26th candidate because he is just not employable.

Most students fail to make a mark. Yes, they have a degree, but they are not employable. They lack technical and soft skills.

"He said the curriculum was outdated in most places and equipment used was obsolete; students had weak foundations because of which they were not picking up new skills. "The biggest failure is that students don't possess soft skills to discuss, present and articulate,"he added.

Karnik, in fact, blamed the education system for not emphasising on communication and articulation, or laying importance on team work.

"The only team work our students know of is when they play cricket or football,"he added. Karnik said most companies had to spend a lot of time training fresh graduates.

"You are creating graduates, but they are not employable. People invest time and money in education expecting a return; they either need to get a job or they must be able to create jobs. But that is not happening; the university system needs a shake-up," Karnik said.

The problem of finding talent is expected to come into greater focus as the industry grows further. Karnik said exports, which touched $24 billion this year, were expected to rise to $64 billion by 2010. The expansion would also create 2 million direct job opportunities.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Most_Indian_grads_unemployable_Karnik/articleshow/629387.cms

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Dont help others because others have helped you,,,,help others because its the right thing to do!!!

http://www.indopia.in/

I do not want to respond to the link, but I see a different set of problem in Canada. I'm currently doing the rounds of OPEN HOUSE for various special courses in 9th grade for my child. In a recent open house in Port Credit school it was presented that in the PEEL Region the following are the statistics for a grade 12th student as presented in the year 2000.

% of students who drop out the 12th grade without completing:28

% of students who go on to College/University:23

% of students who complete school and go into work: 28

% of students who go into skilled trade schools(vocational education):21


If you go into any arts program involving arts/dance/drama and music you do not find a single brown skin. Absolutely all are white with a sprinkling of african canadians and chinese.


If you go into any IBT or Sci-tech program you only see desis and chinese.You do not see any white.

Are we again preparing one sided students. Some who are good at arts but who do not go into technology, while the other set is very good in technology but without any interest or appreciation for arts.

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Speech by Thomas Friedman of The New York Times....

"When we were young kids growing up in America, we were told to eat our
vegetables at dinner and not leave them. Mothers said, 'think of the
starving children in India and finish the dinner.' And now I tell my
children: 'Finish your maths homework. Think of the children in India
who would make you starve, if you don't.'"

I agree with Shankaracharya. I guess we carry on with the values and pre concieved notions that we had in India - ie. fascination for technical fields. I remember my school days when the top students would blindly choose a science combination in 10+2, interest or no interest. All Indian Universities have a very high cut off for Science undergrad courses.

By the way, hi everyone I am new on this forum.

Good post by shankaracharya.

No wonder there is not much competition for engineering/science courses at the university level in Canada. If u r average, u can get into the univ. Most desi kids are above average and they get their choice at the univ. Lot of them get the scholorship too.

In India its a tough competition. Students who cant make it by merit, end up paying lakhs of rupees (capittion fee) and get a degree. So what do you expect? And the curriculum is outdated. Universities refuse to change to adopt to the changing world. That's understandable since majority of the universities are controlled by politicos.

But I like the basic education in India.

DIO

what good is the emphasis on technical training if the quality of the education is compromised? I think its a very valid point - that scientific programs and professional schools need to consider the practical side of education. What skills are required in today's workforce, whether it be in India or overseas.


It is also not true that there is not competition for Engineering/science programs in Canada. This article shows that just because Desi's may be entering scientific or engineering or IT fields in larger number than "caucasians", does not indicate the quality or transferability of their skills and knowledge.

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~ Morning rain