Job market still down,the wait is on for PU students

The academic session at the Punjab Engineering College has come to an end,but 50 out of the total 330 students are yet to receive their joining letters from companies which hired them.

At the University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET),the situation is grimmer. Only 70 per cent of the 450 students have been placed,and even among them,more than 20 per cent are still waiting for their joining letters.

This is the situation at the premier professional institutes of the Panjab University. With economic meltdown hitting the job market,times are tough for students.

Those who have been hired have to content with smaller pay packages. At the University Insitute of Engineering and Technology,the highest pay package this year has been Rs 3 lakh.

In some cases,job offers made earlier have been cancelled. In others,companies have cancelled campus recruitment plans.

The situation was pretty bad this year,and now with the session coming to an end,we are doubtful about those without a job, Dr Gurdeep,Training and Placement Officer at UIET,Panjab University,said. Not only have the pay packages plummeted,but we are at the mercy of companies. In the previous years,we could bargain and even students had options,but with slowdown,everything has been changed. We expect a tough time in the new academic session.

The UIET has decided to start the placement process in new academic session somewhere in January 2010.

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Also,at Punjab Engineering College,companies have cancelled recruitment of 12 students. The meltdown has certainly affected placements,while earlier we used to call companies on priority basis,in the new academic session we will have to do as the companies say, an official said. In the new academic session,we will have no particular time to start placements,we will continue them round the year.

Officials say even the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASCOM) has delayed its date of hiring.

Earlier,in comparison to the Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology (DCET),UIET used to have better placements.

But this year,the highest pay package at DCTE is around Rs 8 lakh,offered by the Indian Oil Corporation,Rs 5 lakh more than the highest at UIET.

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Meanwhile,at the University Business School (UBS),out of 112 students,30 do not have jobs. I believe we have placements far better than most of the institutes.

Our highest pay package is around 13 lakh offered by Bharti Airtel and we hope that all our students will get placed by the time session comes to an end, Prof Dinesh Gupta said.

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