COIMBATORE: With final semester examination set to commence in just ten days, the placement drive in private engineering colleges in the State has remained tepid. College managements say that in comparison to last year, very few companies have visited the campuses this year. An indication of the state of affairs is: The TN State Level Placement by Anna University, which is conducted in the months of January and February, is yet to begin this year.
All India Federation of Self Financing Institutions secretary TD Eswaramoorthy says, “Last year, the placement of engineering graduates in private engineering colleges was good. This year, the placement has gone down. Only smaller companies are coming for placements while the bigger ones are visiting only the elite.
According to him, computer science graduates continue to get good offers while mechanical engineering graduates are getting low offers -- in the range of `10,000 - 12,000. “Usually, placement activities are over by March and much before the commencement of final semester examinations in April. This year, the final semester exams are about to start from April 3, but placement activities are yet to get into full swing,” he adds.
However, K Vignesh, Director of Placements, Sri Krishna Institutions, says that this has affected only tier 2 and tier 3 colleges. “Tier 1 institutions are not affected and companies, which visited last year, have come this year too and have recruited candidates.” This is confirmed by a placement officer from another private college and who seeks anonymity. He attributes the dull placement scene in tier 2 and tier 3 colleges to market fluctuation, US economy and political changes in USA.
When contacted, T Thyagarajan, Director of Centre for University - Industry Collaboration, Anna University, says, “This year, placements are delayed. We are holding talks with the companies.”