The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Hope for unassigned recruits in IT industry

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Thursday, Jul 02, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Hope for unassigned recruits in IT industry

Sruthi Krishnan

CHENNAI: Megha (not her real name) waited for almost a year to get a joining date from IT major Wipro after graduating from a private engineering college in Tamil Nadu. She was recruited during campus placements in late 2007.

Now, she has been inducted into the firm and is undergoing a two-month training course. If, at the end of it, the company cannot find her a project, she will continue the training, but from home. And she will be paid a stipend for it.

In the backdrop of engineering students twiddling their thumbs while awaiting a joining date, this extended training programme of Wipro is a step to allay that anxiety.

Though the economic situation has not changed, this arrangement solves a part of the problem, as candidates do not have to wonder any longer whether or not they will get on board.

For the 5,000-odd graduates from the 2008 batch, Wipro has come up with an extended online training programme, if they are not assigned a project after they complete regular training.

“We had a programme for 2007-08 pending hires taking into consideration the current business situation on the one hand, and students’ anxiety on the other,” said Pradeep Bahirwani, vice-president - talent acquisition, Wipro.

“Once a student joins Wipro, he or she will undergo training for two months. This is a standard procedure followed earlier also.” During this training period they would be paid a stipend of Rs.15,000 a month. Post training, if they are assigned to a project, their salary would be as per the offer letter made to them (Rs. 24,000 per month), he said.

For those undergoing extended training from home, the stipend would be Rs. 6,000 a month, he said. Once they are assigned to a project, their complete salary as per the offer letter would be restored.

Giving more details, Mr. Bahirwani said the web-based training would focus on improving software skills and technical expertise. It was designed with intense training modules and assignments to equip students to take up projects guided by Wipro Project Managers, he said.

Vivek (not his real name), who graduated in 2008 from an engineering college on Old Mahabalipuram Road and has received the joining date and is waiting to start the training programme, said the stipend of Rs. 6,000 was “too low.” His friends in other companies are being given full salaries even if they are on the bench, he said. “But as it is recession, I guess it is okay,” he said. Especially given the bleak job prospects around, a job in hand was worth more than the pay or position, he added.

Bond waived

Apart from this, Wipro has waived the Rs. 75,000 bond for these candidates. “It is waived to reduce the financial liability of students,” he said. For students graduating in 2010, Wipro would communicate the hiring plan after they finished their course, he said.

When the economic slowdown hit IT companies last year, it took them by surprise, said Ganesh Chella, founder, Totus Consulting, a strategic HR consulting firm. Hence, companies gave a provisional letter and informed students that they would be called on board when the requirements arose. This year, even though the situation was worse, companies had time to come up with solutions, he said.

Measures such as recruiting during the final semester were all steps towards addressing an increase in supply when the demand failed to catch up, Mr. Chella said. Though this programme was no substitute for a full-time job, keeping someone gainfully engaged during the waiting period was a good idea, he said.

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