Every year, placement season at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) sees a new trend. This year, among others, is the entry of luxury car companies into the campus recruitment segment.
Nine automobile companies that include Mercedes Benz, Rolls Royce, Bajaj Auto, Volvo, Renault Nissan, General Motors, Tata Motors and Toyota are among the recruiters on campus this year. Of these, Mercedes Benz, Rolls Royce and Bajaj Auto have come to IIT-M for the first time.
While Mercedes Benz will conduct its recruitment process on Friday, the other firms have already selected students across branches. Most of these companies have taken students from aerospace engineering, applied mechanics, mechanical engineering and engineering design as students of these branches study a subject that deals with automotive engineering.
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Bajaj Auto has recruited six students and General Motors have roped in eight students. TVS motors and Tata Motors have selected eight and nine students respectively, while Volvo has taken in two students. Rolls Royce selected two students from aerospace engineering to work in its civil aerospace area that deals with manufacturing and support services for aircraft engines in the civil aerospace business.
“Most of these automobile companies have roped in students from graduate, postgraduate and integrated streams. So the post graduate students are eagerly looking forward to Mercedes Benz. Most other companies prefer undergraduates,” said an M.S. student. The companies, explains a student representative, offer job profiles in two areas — leadership programmes and research and development.
“Most of them have clearly stated their work profile. The interesting part is you can get global exposure and you can also get to work on new products, designs and technologies,” he added. And there were more in waiting too. “A few automotive companies offered trainee profiles but we had better offers so we chose to focus on them,” he added.
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South Korean tech giant Samsung, which offered an annual package of $150,000, remains the highest salary offered on campus so fat. “We can’t reveal the pay packages of other companies, but these automotive companies too, are paying high packages to the recruits,” said B. Nagarajan, deputy registrar (training, placement & public relations), IIT-M.
Last year, in a maiden drive, Korean automobile manufacturer Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) arrived at IIT-M to recruit for its global marketing operations. Under the first phase of its ‘Hyundai Blue Wave’ programme, the auto company hired two engineers from IIT-M at a salary of over $50,000 each per year.
“We spoke to Hyundai this year too, but they had no requirements, which is why the company didn’t come to us this year,” said Prof Nagarajan.
HMC trained students in Seoul, while students who were placed in Renault Nissan were sent to Japan for training. “Many of us are excited about working in the different manufacturing plants that many of these automobile firms have set up across the world in the last few years. It will mean a lot of exposure for us,” said a student.
A total of 1,263 students had enrolled in the institute for the first phase of placement from December 1 to 22. The second phase will begin from January 16, 2013.
“The institute offers a user-oriented programme on automotive engineering for TVS motors. And our faculty members are in constant touch with officials in automotive firms, in areas of consultancy and research. Many of our students too, have interned with some of these companies. That is how we managed to get these companies to the campus this year,” said Prof Nagarajan.