Role of Placement Cells in Improving Employability Skills of Students

A recent survey by an IP-driven incubation lab showed that more than a two-third of engineering students are worried about their placements after their graduation. This came at a time when the majority of companies have halted hiring due to Covid-19 pandemic.

The major objective for students to enrol in higher education is getting a job after completing the course. But studies show that the employability of the fresh graduates is not as per the industry standards. This creates a huge skill gap in the job market and leads to unemployment or under-employment.

Every college has a placement cell or body to help the students to get jobs as soon as they finish the course. About 76 respondents in the survey(i) admitted that they have a placement cell in their college and a more than one-fifth of respondents received a job through their placement cell.

Boosting students’ employability

Currently, the placement cell convinces and invites organizations to come to college and helps them conduct the recruitment drive at the college. They register and inform students about the placement drives being conducted in or outside the campus. The cell also publishes the advertisements about walk-ins or recruitment. They also inform students about internship opportunities.

More than connecting the students to the prospective employers, the placement cells can play a much larger role in the students’ employment. They can become a catalyst to improve the employability skills of students and thus, bridge the skill gap. The colleges through placement cells can devise plans to upskill students, which may help them to get hired in a reputed organization.

The placement cell can work out a long-term and short-term plan for skill development. Extended curriculum program of MeritTrac unlocks opportunities for institutions and placement bodies to ensure students’ employment. The program consists of a cluster of supplementary courses for students from various streams to be ready for jobs. Colleges and universities can implement this program at their institutions without affecting regular academics.

Students can gain hands-on skills in most wanted fields like analytics, AI-ML, cloud computing, and sales effectiveness. Some of the top advantages offered to students are:

• “Real” value add to the CV
• Hands-on project experience to showcase
• Industry interface
• Add-on certifications across tech &business skills
• Alumni status for a life-long learning

At the same time the institutions are benefitted from:

• Better corporate pull
• Better placement
• Higher average salary
• Better alumni base
• Better accreditation

Apart from teaching the above-mentioned courses, the extended curriculum program assists students in resume building, soft skills, interview preparation and  CV distribution among placement agencies and hiring partners.

Importance of a regular assessment

Another way to ensure employability is by conducting regular assessment among students. The employability assessment is important to check whether the skill development programs are giving the desired outcome.

Leading assessment and testing company MeritTrac helps institutions successfully check employability skills among their students. AceTrac, a sophisticated employability skill assessment tool assesses the students' skills in three phases over a period of ten months. The assessment helps students, institutions and corporates know weak and strong areas. Accordingly, the institutions and corporates can implement necessary steps to improve the employability.

In conclusion, the employability of fresh graduates is important for a holistic future of the nation. Institutions through placement cells have a greater responsibility to ensure employability. Especially, in these times when hiring is almost on a freeze, organizations are evaluating the skills of prospective employees in a scrutinizing manner, the fresh graduates need to acquire the job-ready competencies well before starting a career. In these trying times,MeritTrac’sextended curriculum program and employability skill assessment platform - AceTrac becomes greatest assets for them to realize the desired outcome.

Reference:

• BridgeLabz Solutions Survey 2020