Colleges’ track record key to placements

Vijayawada: The first edition of the Andhra Pradesh Training and Placement Officers Consortium (APTPO) began at the auditorium of VR Siddhartha Engineering College near Kanuru on Saturday. Experts from the industry discussed about the ‘Employment Opportunities - Students Expectation’ post bifurcation in Andhra Pradesh.

Speaking on the occasion, Academic Advisor for AP State Skill Development Corporation T V Rao insisted on the educational institutions’ responsibility of equipping children with knowledge and practical experience that enables them to nail opportunities. “Post bifurcation, the State lost many opportunities to Hyderabad where infrastructure, employment and industries have been established and run successfully. Now, we should focus on empowering youth to cash in on their potential to build our State,” he said.

Director of Human Resource, Polaris, Hyderabad, Anirudha Dasu, opined, “there is not much difference in offering employment to the candidates of Telugu speaking States. Ultimately, any candidate who fits the bill and is found to be talented will eventually land a job. However, there is no favourable market for the students for another 5 to 10 years, since the bifurcation has come with disadvantages. For institutions with strong alumni base, there are high chances of a good number of companies coming to recruit their students. Track record of the college and faculty will play a crucial role in bringing out quality product,” he said.

Talent Acquisition Group member of TCS Srinidhi Dasaka, speaking on the occasion, mentioned that there is no bar for students if they are capable and are willing to learn. Employers seek the quality of readiness and adaptability among candidates. But, students should start acquiring new skills that could give them a chance to be absorbed into one or the other industry. Within their final year, they should be able to decide on their career path -- be it taking up a job or studying for higher qualification. Faculty can only facilitate but students should act on their own, she said.

APTPO secretary and head of the placement wing at VRSEC V Vijaya Maruthi Babu said that the opportunities in AP for IT background which generally accounts to 70 per cent of the total opportunities in the country have come down by 45 per cent while there is an increase in opportunities in fields of hospitality and three per cent growth in BPO sectors. There is a 50 per cent decline in the companies that are offering employment opportunities in the campus, he explained.

President of APTPO Kota Sai Krishna and principal of VRSEC A V Ratna Prasad were among others who spoke on the topic.
A few students interacted with the speakers and clarified their doubts on career and placement opportunities. The discussions are further held at Vishakhapatnam, Rajhamundry, Chittoor, Kurnool and other places before the organisation draws conclusions that would be proposed to the government.