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Unemployment of Engineering Graduates in India

1. Unemployment of engineering graduates has increased tremendously in India due to a lack of skills required by industry and outdated university curriculums. Only 3-7% of graduates have the necessary skills for jobs while 97% want jobs in software or core engineering. 2. Factors contributing to unemployment include a lack of communication skills, programming languages skills, and hands-on training. University curriculums also do not focus enough on current industry needs and expectations. 3. Solutions proposed include improving university education to focus more on skill-based learning, industry-training programs, and helping existing graduates upgrade their skills through retraining programs.

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176 views4 pages

Unemployment of Engineering Graduates in India

1. Unemployment of engineering graduates has increased tremendously in India due to a lack of skills required by industry and outdated university curriculums. Only 3-7% of graduates have the necessary skills for jobs while 97% want jobs in software or core engineering. 2. Factors contributing to unemployment include a lack of communication skills, programming languages skills, and hands-on training. University curriculums also do not focus enough on current industry needs and expectations. 3. Solutions proposed include improving university education to focus more on skill-based learning, industry-training programs, and helping existing graduates upgrade their skills through retraining programs.

Uploaded by

dhivya
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

TAKE HOME ASSIGNEMENT DHIVYABHARATHI P

MSW (Aided) 1ST Year 1915772091004

SOCIAL RESEARCH AND STATISTICS


UNEMPLOYMENT: ENGINEERING GRADUATES IN INDIA
Submitted To: [Link]
1. Conceptual Definition:
According to ILO, Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is
without work but available for and seeking employment.

Source: International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in


December 2019.

2. In text Citation:
Chandra Sekhar Patro, & [Link], (2014), Impact of Unemployment on
Engineering Graduates in Recession, IOSR Journal of Business and Management (IOSR-
JBM), e-ISSN: 2278-487X, p-ISSN: 2319-7668. Volume 16, Issue 2. Ver. III (Feb.
2014), PP 01-06.

3. Understanding of the topic:


In recent years, unemployment of the engineering graduates have increased
tremendously in India. The country is facing a massive skill gap problem with most of the
engineers who are getting graduated every year as they possess only few skills required for
the industry. The reason for the skill gap is the engineers have the classroom training all the
time and there is no hands on of skills that is expected from the industries side. The problem
can also be viewed from students perspective as well there is a lack of updated syllabus.
Though the legacy is required, the latest technologies for the relevant field has to be taught to
the students. On other hand many of the engineering colleges are only running it for
commercial purpose not much bothered about the future employability of the students. Only
the creamy layer students are placed with minimal skills and later rest of the students are left
unemployed. India’s unemployment rate have rose to 7.2% according to the CMIE Centre for
Monitoring Indian Economy data.
4. Attributes:

a) Lack of required skills: The student are lacking in their skills like communication,
programming languages, also the cognitive skills that need to be applied in this
competitive era. Students need to be motivated to innovate things as the space and scope
for them has to be improved. “A New Delhi-based employment solutions company,
Aspiring Minds, conducted an employability-focused study based on 150,000 engineering
students and found barely 7 per cent suitable for core engineering jobs.” As many as 97
per cent of graduating engineers want jobs either in software engineering or core
engineering. However, only 3 per cent have suitable skills to be employed in software or
product market, and only 7 per cent can handle core engineering tasks. According to the
TAKE HOME ASSIGNEMENT DHIVYABHARATHI P
MSW (Aided) 1ST Year 1915772091004

HRD ministry, India has 6,214 engineering and technology institutions which are
enrolling 2.9 million students. Around 1.5 million engineers are released into the job
market every year. But the dismal state of higher education in India ensures that they
simply do not have adequate skills to be employed.

b) Lack of updated Syllabus: Covering the basics of the engineering is required for the
students but refining the concepts based on the current trend is much important as the
students might get the connectivity with the industry expectation. Else the students efforts
will go in vain. The course contents do not focus on areas which will actually help in the
job industry after employment. Even when new branches of engineering are added, the
structure remains traditional-this simply does not work anymore. The traditional
education sector in India has not evolved at the same pace as the industry. The
expectations that the companies have from their candidates and the skills that engineering
graduates bring in, do not match.

c) Lack of quality Teachers: As all the engineers are not passionate in getting into
educational institutions, majority are getting into IT services and core industries, only few
are very passionate others are forced at times. So there is a lack of the quality faculties.
The few good professors prefer administrative positions because of lower intellectual
demands coupled with higher pay packages.

d) Lack of Skill based education: Skill-based education is another immediate need.


Engineering students need to have hands-on training on the basis of the problems they are
likely to encounter in the real world. One of the major problems facing the fresh
graduates is their insufficient understanding of basic concepts. The lack of in-depth
understanding of technical information, lack of client-handling skills and insufficient
knowledge across domains are the major skill gaps in the area.

Only when they face issues for employment in the real world, they take extra time after
the completion of degree to get trained in the respective technologies. This is consuming
time and effort of the students. Even Initiatives like the Start-up India and Make in India
are positive efforts taken by the government in this direction to boost employment
opportunities for engineers.

e) Industries Economy: In India many industries are not willing to train the gradutes after
getting employed and they expect them to have a few required skills which is lacking
from the students.

f) Location Factor: Only the graduates in the Tier-1 cities are having more employability
opportunity then the tier 3 cities and many people are not ready to relocate for the
companies for the job as they lose the opportunities and left unemployed.
TAKE HOME ASSIGNEMENT DHIVYABHARATHI P
MSW (Aided) 1ST Year 1915772091004

g) Importance of name of the educational institution: Campus recruitment from top


MNC’s recruit majority of the students only from the top colleges in bulk, though they
are skilled or not and will suit the job nature, this lead to the lack of opportunity for huge
number of meritorious students from other colleges.

h) Employability only in IT Sector: There is a huge opening only in the service sector and
other people from core industries are not fit for the respective positions also the low
wages for the people from the core field make the people to switch their positions from
core to It sectors and they face difficulty in programming skills.
TAKE HOME ASSIGNEMENT DHIVYABHARATHI P
MSW (Aided) 1ST Year 1915772091004

5. Intervention:
For the existing graduates the government has to take measures to help the
graduates by upskilling the students with the technology based skills to the students. For
the upcoming students the skill based education, research and other modes of seminars
has to be implemented. The educational institutions efficiency has to be refined so that
the students career can be assured and only limited number of graduates has to be
enrolled for the engineering. The industries has to train the fresher for the required skill to
bridge the gap for the graduates.
Recently Tamilnadu state government also have approved the request of the B.E.
graduates along with [Link]. to reduce the unemployment of the existing graduates people
and also cross skilling might help the people to earn for their livelihood. After the
completion of degree, an intern training should be made compulsory for the people to
learn the industry needs. Mentoring the students with the field experts would give them
good knowledge as well as making to attend conferences.

6. References:

1. [Link]
away-from-the-ill-equipped-indian-engineer/articleshow/[Link]?from=mdr

2. Related article: Professor John Perkins’ Review of Engineering skills (November


2013), Department for business Innovations and Skills.

3. [Link]
unemployed-how-can-we-prepare-engineers-for-the-jobs-of-tomorrow-1468240-
2019-03-01

4. Related article: Chandra Sekhar Patro, & [Link], (2014), Impact of Unemployment
on Engineering Graduates in Recession, IOSR Journal of Business and Management
(IOSR-JBM).

5. Related article: Dr. Rubee Singh & Archana Raj (2018) CAUSES OF YOUTH
UNEMPLOYMENT: EMERGING ISSUE IN INDIAN ECONOMY, Volume 07, Issue
13, Pages: 644–648.

6. Related article: Atkinson, Helen & Pennington, Martin. (2012). Unemployment of


engineering graduates: The key issues. Engineering Education. 7. 7-15.
10.11120/ened.2012.07020007.

Common questions

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The primary factors contributing to the unemployment of engineering graduates in India include a lack of required industry skills, an outdated syllabus that fails to keep pace with industry trends, and a shortage of quality teachers. Moreover, there is insufficient skill-based education, coupled with a reluctance from industries to train fresh graduates . There is also a stark employability gap between graduates from Tier-1 cities compared to those from Tier-3 cities, and recruitment biases favoring graduates from top educational institutions further exacerbate the issue .

Regional disparities play a critical role in employment opportunities for engineering graduates; graduates in Tier-1 cities generally have better job prospects due to a higher concentration of industries and infrastructural support. Conversely, graduates in Tier-3 cities face limited opportunities as fewer companies are willing to recruit or relocate employees from these regions . This creates significant imbalances in employability, contributing to higher unemployment rates in less urbanized areas .

Skill-based education can be integrated into engineering programs through several strategies: updating curricula to include the latest industry trends and technologies, incorporating hands-on training and real-world problem-solving into standard coursework, and establishing partnerships with industries for internships and placements . Institutions could also implement mandatory internships or co-op programs, ensuring that students gain practical experience before graduation .

The mismatch between educational content and industry expectations leads to a significant skill gap, which results in graduates being ill-equipped for the job market. Engineering programs often emphasize theoretical knowledge over practical skills, leaving graduates unprepared for real-world challenges . This results in low employability, as evidenced by only a small percentage of graduates having suitable skills for core engineering and software jobs .

Commercial motives of engineering colleges often prioritize revenue over quality education, leading to increased enrollments without commensurate investments in faculty or infrastructure. This results in graduates lacking essential skills, as the courses offered are more quantity-driven than quality-focused. Consequently, graduates find themselves unprepared to meet industry demands, which aggravates the unemployment problem .

To enhance employment prospects, engineering colleges must incorporate updated, industry-relevant content into their curriculum, emphasizing practical applications and current technologies over outdated information. They should focus on interdisciplinary learning, soft skills development, and provide more hands-on experience through laboratories and project-based learning. More collaborations with industry could also ensure that the education provided is aligned with market needs .

Initiatives like 'Start-up India' and 'Make in India' aim to stimulate job creation and entrepreneurial ventures, thereby offering employment opportunities for engineering graduates. These programs encourage innovation and the growth of start-ups, potentially helping to bridge the skills gap by fostering industries that necessitate and train new employees. Such initiatives also aim to revitalize the manufacturing sector, providing alternative avenues for employment outside the conventional IT industry .

The emphasis on campus recruitment from top colleges significantly contributes to unemployment among graduates from other institutions. Major companies recruit in bulk from prestigious colleges, often regardless of the actual skills of the candidates. This practice creates unequal opportunities, as students from lesser-known institutions, even if meritorious, are often overlooked, leading to higher unemployment rates among them .

Engineering institutions can improve faculty quality by providing competitive salaries and incentives to attract passionate and knowledgeable educators. They should also encourage continuous professional development through workshops, certifications in emerging fields, and opportunities for research. Establishing clear career progression paths can also motivate teachers to enhance their teaching methods and stay updated with new technologies .

Mandatory internships could significantly improve employment rates by providing students with practical experience, making them more job-ready upon graduation. Internships bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, enhancing skills that are directly transferable to the workplace. This exposure also helps students make informed career choices and network within their chosen industry, possibly leading to job offers post-internship .

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