Professionals trained in VLSI and Embedded Systems technologies are in great demand in the marketplace
Last year, the Indian semiconductor industry added 1,60,000 jobs. According to the Indian Semiconductor Association, this is driven by the booming electronics market in India that will be worth $ 400 billion soon. Yet, a majority of the graduates land up in IT companies because they are not aware and are not skilled enough to bag these jobs.
The challenge before the youth of India today is to be prepared and convert this burgeoning market potential into an employment opportunity. Often, we hear comments from industry circles that majority of engineering graduates do not measure up to the expectations. Similarly, we hear students vent their frustration by saying that though they have done the right course from the right college, companies do not seem to want them.
Huge gap
This obviously reflects the gap between academic and industry domains. But, the fact remains that our educational institutions and their curriculum require bringing in certain radical changes to meet this growing demand.
If we consider electronics engineering, the sector needs over 1,00,000 skilled workforce every year to meet the Indian domestic market needs alone.
The ever growing demand for electronic goods is creating employment opportunities not just in India but is opening up the global market place for Indian engineering graduates, offering higher wages.
Vast scope
There are vast career opportunities available in the VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) and Embedded Systems market, where there is a chronic shortage of skilled professionals.
VLSI involves packing millions and billions of transistors into smaller and smaller areas on a chip.
When chips are built into a system and software is loaded on that for functionality it becomes an embedded system.
Examples of embedded systems are all around us such as television sets, digital cameras, mobile phones, tablet PCs, security systems and network routers.
More opportunities
India is consuming enormous quantities of these devices and that is what is leading to more opportunities for skilled workers. Professionals trained in VLSI and Embedded Systems technologies are a highly sought-after group in the marketplace.
Considering the vast scope of the field, ranging from telecom and medical to consumer electronics and aerospace, the demand for embedded systems engineers for product development and application will continue to grow in the years to come and companies will be prepared to offer high salaries.
After realising the need to revamp the education system, most technological universities in India are adapting to newer and unique teaching methodologies at the bachelor's and master's level. Tie-ups with universities from the West is a common feature noticed among engineering institutions in their quest to offer better quality education.
Adapting methodologies such as practical orientation will enable engineering students to be better prepared for the industry needs.
Srikanth Jadcherla
CEO, Seer Akademi USA Inc.
