The exponential growth in the number of colleges/schools, professional, vocational, general, resulted in the production of lakhs of unemployed graduates with no direction. They spend many years in un /under employment searching for some job much less a career. Majority of graduates, technical and general after leaving their colleges, spend lot of time and money to undergo some courses in coaching centers/finishing schools, to equip themselves with some skills that makes them acceptable to an industry/ company.
Majority of students are just pursing their UG/PG education without having a road map for their career. Most of them are not even aware of the skills and abilities that will be obtained by the study of a particular branch or course. They do not have any knowledge of what inputs are there in their branch of study. They are unaware of new knowledge and skills, the study of a particular programme offers them. They do not make any effort at least to evaluate their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. They are unmindful of the avenues/options that are there for them after the completion of their respective courses. They are totally ignorant of panorama of jobs/careers that are available in the country and worldwide. They are totally dark of the impact of globalisation and how the world is opening up. They are opting for study programmes which are not suitable for the mental profile, passion and interest. Though we welcome mass education and easy access to higher and technical education to all sections because of populist politics of welfare state, leaving the students at lurch cannot be justified and it is a matter of great concern to guide/counsel to put them in vocations/careers that gives them a decent livelihood. Most of them are first generation students hence they cannot get the required guidance from their parents.
After completing the course, they feel aghast at the wake of massive unemployment. Then they take lot of time to understand the real reasons for their unemployment, though they are academically good. They waste considerable time to correct themselves and equip with the requirements of the industry. Many are under the impression that their destination is only a software job though they belong to other core areas of knowledge.
In many engineering colleges, it has become almost crazy to procure a software job in a MNC, even by the students of traditional branches. They may have been attracted by the higher package of software jobs. Leaving core area is not appreciable. They are several career implications in such assignments. Preferring a software job for its lucrative package despite the fact of lack of security when there are many jobs with greater security is an unreasonable choice. It clearly denotes that the students are not appraised with relevant information of plethora of jobs at any stage. Thousands of candidates leaving their jobs even after putting in more than two years of service, also clearly indicates the frustration, disappointment or lack of job satisfaction in these candidates. The individual traits should be rightly diagnosed and matching job preferred.
Successful Higher Education Institution (HEI) and branded schools are giving lot of importance for career guidance and counselling and creating full-fledged centers manned by experienced and expert counsellors to make sustainable efforts to create awareness regularly among their students on all aspects of student career. Class X passed students should be made aware of all courses of higher study available to them. Those who discontinued Class X or failed should be sensitised with all information of vocations, available for them to become employable. Majority of youth in the rural sectors belong to this category and Govt. of AP launched its flagship programme of Rajiv Yuva Kiranalu to provide 15 lakh jobs by 2015, by imparting them some skill training. The study of Intermediate is very crucial as it decides the road they are going to take in their life.
By default Inter MPC students are opting for study of engineering thinking that it is going to offer good technical job with higher package and decent living. But for no fault of students, 80 percent of them are not accepted by the industry as their work force. This is causing great dismay and disappointment to lakhs of students. Some sections of students are realizing now that there are other UG/PG courses having greater employment potentiality. The absence of clear cut study, information on manpower requirements of each sector and future projection of all sectors and sub sectors in Govt. Semi Govt. and Private sectors, there will be mad rush to a particular course or branch which culminate into / un/underemployment of technically trained manpower.
The gross neglect of basic sciences/ humanities despite the fact they also offer very prestigious and responsible jobs/careers, will create an imbalance that cannot be repaired later. Today, every branch of knowledge is having greater employability. Unfortunately most of the students are not aware that their knowledge skills aptitude and their matching key responsibility areas of companies. They are not in a position to have their immediate short-term and long-term goals and are not in a position to tell where they want to see themselves immediately, and after 5/10/15 years of completion of the course. In a way, they are groping in darkness and trying to hit in all directions – higher studies in India, higher studies aboard, campus placement etc. This kind of wavering is only because of the fact that their abilities, passion, traits etc. are not scientifically evaluated and proper counseling was not given in order to sensitize the students of what they should do, what is awaiting them, the process and procedure to secure what they want they should be fully informed and guided by dedicated career counseling cell, through periodical programmes.
Counseling centers will infuse in them the necessary inputs to enable the students to make up their mind and purse their goal with greater clarity, vigour and commitment. The teachers handling the subjects are not fully equipped, nor have the time to take up this specialized job which is exclusive area of career guidance counsellors. Some tragic incidents are also happening because of frustrations, depressions in some students due to non/low performance which can be attributed to several factors, to be analyzed and diagnosed by qualified and expert counsellors. These counsellors should be available on the campus to clear all the doubts and apprehensions of the students immediately and provide the necessary mental relief.
Even the educated parents are not in position to provide guidance and counselling on all aspects as they are not updated with the latest trends. Hence expert guidance is a must. The need for well-established career guidance cell in every college/school is evidently felt more in technical and professional colleges to provide the following services with commitment:
• To make the students aware of different sectors/sub-sectors and reservations in govt. sector
• To make the students aware of lakhs of jobs available in private sector
• To make the students aware of the impact of liberalization, privatization, globalization in the job market
• To make the students aware of global placements
• To compensate the lack of parental guidance
• To make the students evaluate their strengths and weaknesses
• To free the students from their inhibitions, limitations, complexes, phobias
• To prepare individual road map of the student’s career
• To familiarise the students with the expanding sectors with lakhs of jobs
• To make them aware of career options
• To present before them, the different categories, classification, grades of jobs
• To make them know the fierce competition existing to get a job
• To make them acquire skills required to be employable
• To create a spirit to add updated skills for career elevation
• To present before them the placement format/process
• To present before them panaroma of jobs
• To contact and arrange placement drives on /off/pool campus drives
• To arrange periodically personality development/soft skills programmes
• To make them know the profiles of role models and also genuine success stories of many achievers
• To identify their traits and focus on the areas where they can come up
• To present before them higher education opportunities and necessary entrance tests
• To acquaint them with various competitive examinations conducted for different jobs
• To present before them various agencies like UPSC, APPSC, SSB, etc.
• To explain the nature of various jobs, civil, military, paramilitary, police, software, hardware, gazetted/non gazetted etc.
• To secure and display brouchures, pamphlets, posters, charts, relating to different courses/jobs
• To procure and issue books, booklets, tests, videos, CDs, relating to jobs and higher education
• To train the students, the different ways off/online, for various jobs especially written test
• To maintain relations with Alumni, organise Alumni meets to get best advantage of their positions in terms of guest lectures, sponsorships placements, projects etc.
• To update the students with all employment/job related dot coms.
(The author is Dean, ACE Engineering College)
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