Making the Right Connections

Providing students from Tier-II and Tier-III cities and towns with access to leading companies, Employability Bridge (EB) claims to be different from other job fairs. It offers an open window to both the student and the recruiter. Their flagship programme, First Look at Aspiring Graduates (FLAG) poses an opportunity for companies to find the right candidate. The company has partnered with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Students, who register on the FLAG website, are given time tables and schedules of their interviews. Companies are given a list of the students attending their interview while students will get a list of companies that have vacancies related to their educational background. Three-four companies are listed in each student’s ‘hall ticket’ and their attendance is checked at the time of the interview. A first round of written test or online test will be conducted after which students will be shortlisted for the next round of group discussion and personal interview.

So where did the idea originate? “A company does not know who they are going to meet and a student will not know the details of the company or what to expect. We decide to address both these scenarios. We give companies student details and give the students an introduction about the company. Companies will know their eligibility,” says Emmanuel Justus, CEO, EB.

Emmanuel started EB in 2011 along with Ambalavannan Ramachandran. They began with offices at two cities in Tamil Nadu, organising FLAG in 2012. They grew soon and were able to conduct FLAG in almost nine cities, including one in a Tier-I city like Bangalore in 2013. “Bangalore attracts a lot of companies that look for diversity. Students get a lot of opportunities in Bangalore.” He also added that most of the graduates fulfil only 30-40 per cent employability criteria. EB’s main aim is to ensure that students are provided with job opportunities

Once they started out, the duo had to face many challenges like logistics, roping in institutions and companies for the event and so on. Handling those students who did not qualify for the next round was also another challenge. “In the beginning, getting clients posed a difficulty, but once they were convinced of our model they were ready for the next session. In case students do not qualify, we go to their college with their aptitude scores and show them the areas they need to improve,” says Emmanuel. Colleges that register with EB help in funding. Registration is free for students. Details at www.employabilitybridge.com.

Kaviya@newindianexpress.com