The Covid-19 lockdown has not only affected the regular academic calendar but also many graduating students are now facing delay in job prospects. The situation is, especially, stark for final year students who are currently unclear about the status of their examinations.
In many cases, companies have already started online training of new entrants, while in other cases, companies have delayed their hiring process by a month or two, hoping their final year is cleared and normalcy in daily life is restored.
“Some companies are currently in the process of getting graduates on board for training as well as other online exercises, whereas some companies have delayed joining dates to September and October,” said Nainesh Koli, placement coordinator of NM College, Vile Parle. He added that in some cases, colleges are in talks with recruiters to find a feasible solution to the ongoing problem to ensure students don’t lose job and training opportunities.
Several higher educational institutes, including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), were worried about companies, especially international recruiters, pulling out of their deals made during campus placements in Mumbai. Most technical institutes were, however, surprised to see recruiters reaching out to colleges to hire, even when the city was grappling with the second and third phases of lockdown. In many cases, colleges were holding Skype interviews for their final year students with interested companies in April and May 2020 as well.
“Many IT companies have allowed students to join them with a mutual understanding that students will be relieved if and when their examinations are scheduled. While other companies are ready to hold their end of the deal for a couple of months and let students join them by August. We are trying our best to ensure our students are not at a loss,” said the spokesperson of a city-based engineering institute.
The deal, says many principals, depends on how long the partial lockdown will be extended and the status of the virus spread by the end of this month. “While some companies are agreeing to defer joining dates for the recruited staff, we worry that even after lockdown ends, if the state insists on examination, that process will take another month or two, and that could be a problem with the investment and banking or consulting companies based out of the United States and Europe. The government should understand the plight of final year students,” said Gopakumaran Thampi principal, Thadomal Shahani Engineering College, Bandra.
