The trend of shrinking job opportunities in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) was evident during the campus placements at these premier institutes during 2016 and 2017. The premier technical institutes witnessed a 5% drop in total placements since 2016. On the other hand, popular IITs like IIT Kanpur and IIT Kharagpur has glimpsed a sharp drop of over 8-10% in campus placements. Similarly, IIT Madras and IIT Delhi have also seen a drop of 3-5% in campus placements.
Out of 23 IITs across the country, the campus placements took place in 17 IITs. There were no campus placements in six new IITs , which were established in 2014-15 and 2015-16. Around 75,000 students are pursuing studies in 23 IITs across the country.
Also Read: - IIT Placements 2017 International Offers
According to HRD Ministry, renewed interest in students towards entrepreneurship and start-ups, prevailing market conditions and preference for higher studies are some of the major reasons for the drop in campus placements at IITs. The ministry has advised IITs to come up with an action plan to ensure better performance next year. Already, IITs have taken numerous measures to reach out to more companies. The premier institutes are doing their best to offer better employment opportunities to students.
Also Read: - All About IIT Placements 2017
Some IITs have set up career development centres that guide and support students in choosing career opportunities. Many companies prefer the students with command on the subject, as well as, excellent soft-skills. Therefore, IITs have been investing in such activities that will provide necessary skills to make students employable. Some of the top IITs have performed well during the first phase of placements this year.
However, there has been a significant rise in the number of companies visiting the campuses, while the number of offers has not increased sustainably.