IITs turn to core sector firms for placements after start-up fiasco

To further ensure employability of students, IITs are encouraging students to positively accept more number of pre-placement offers and not wait till final placement season

After blacklisting around 31 start-ups, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are now encouraging students to go for core sector companies and public sector undertakings (PSUs) this placement season. The IITs are scrutinising other start-ups closely, as they begin inviting recruiters for pre-placement talks from September.

"We are hopeful that PSUs will come a bit early this year. It will be a win-win situation for all. This time, we are requesting them to come a bit early. PSUs hire in good numbers usually and it is almost a dream job for students," said K Mohanty, placement chairperson at IIT-Guwahati.

Other IITs, too, are set to follow suit as they look to tap the core manufacturing sector along with PSUs. As many as 31 firms were blacklisted by IITs because they revoked offers and deferred joining dates, among others.

Recently, firms such as PepperTap, Portea Medical, Hopscotch, Grofers, Stayzilla, Roadrunnr and Zomato, among others, were barred from participating in placements for a year.

"The message that we are trying to bring home is that only those start-ups which are serious about recruiting should come to IIT campuses. The message that we are sending through blacklisting should be a sufficient deterrent.

Moreover, companies where feedback is not good from the alumni with whom the students are in touch, automatically get moved further down in day-slotting," V Babu, advisor for training and placements at IIT-Madras, had told Business Standard earlier.

Hiring through PSUs got a boost last year after the Madras high court ruled in favour of allowing them to pick students from campuses, Also, except for those in the  computer science stream, students have shown a steady growth in interest in PSUs, especially in the oil and gas and heavy machinery sectors.

To further ensure the employability of students, the IITs are encouraging them to accept more pre-placement offers and not wait till the final placement season. "The market situation is not so good. Things may improve going ahead. But, we have asked students to take up pre-placement offers unless it pays a very low salary," Mohanty said.

IITs are set to meet again in October or November, closer to the final placement process that begins in December 1. According to placement officials, the meeting is likely to see further steps being taken in ensuring placements.

Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters