Today, a placement cell has become a vital element in all colleges. According to the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) norms, all AICTE-approved institutes must have a dedicated Training and Placement Cell headed by a Training and Placement Officer and that 1% of the institute’s total budget should be earmarked to facilitate its functioning.
This is because colleges should give equal importance to both training and placement. Apart from upskilling sessions in technical areas, the colleges must also offer students insights in the conduct of personal interview and group discussions.
Even though placement activities are exempted from academic grades, it should work as an integral part of the institution. At least three to four students from every batch could be selected as catalysts and brand ambassadors of the placement process.
Enhancing visibility
The institution can use social media to effectively improve the cell’s visibility. The post-COVID period has opened up the avenue of webinars, which can be used to make students familiar with modern trends by bringing in industry experts. Alumni can also play a pivotal role in enhancing placements. An institute with at least three batches passed out can utilise alumni strength to accelerate placements.
Signing Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the industry helps colleges have live projects and industry-supported labs, which can help both students and faculty members. Colleges should conduct at least one event annually in which an industry expert participates. The true beneficiary here is the academic community, as this will help showcase the institute’s infrastructure and research potential.
Outreach activity
The placement cell should keep in touch with the Human Resources division in various companies and also maintain a database of potential recruiters and students who may be likely to attend. The institute needs to have a well-drafted placement policy so that it acts as an equal employment opportunity provider. The placement cell can also conduct outreach activities for the benefit of the community. Many companies assess a campus on two parameters: students and the placement cell.
The placement cell should focus on securing the right job for the right candidate. For example, a student who is not good at coding can be channelised for roles such as business analyst, software tester, UI/ UX, digital marketing and so on.
The writer is Assistant Professor and Placement Officer at IIIT-Kottayam.
