Fewer offers, slimmer packages

Like in engineering colleges, placements at top arts and commerce colleges are also facing a slump

- Sheena Sachdeva

While the global economic slowdown has impacted engineering placements across institutions, the placement experience of undergraduate commerce and arts students in universities – public and private – has been more mixed. Delhi University’s top colleges are seeing fewer recruiters and fewer offers this year. But in less competitive settings in other states, the number of non-tech offers is growing.

Some private universities have utilised the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) guidelines on internships in degree programmes to open up opportunities for full-time employment. As Narayani Ramachandran, director, Narsee Monjee School of Management Studies (NMIMS) Bengaluru, put it, “Students are now getting the right exposure.”

This aspect was previously missing from general programmes in commerce and arts courses, stated Amit Chopra, director, placements, Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, Punjab. He added that due to NEP 2020, the majority of students are getting internships and getting placed. “Majority of students are getting internships on an average [stipend] of Rs 10,000 per month. For non-technical courses, more local companies have come this time for BCA and BBA. Placements are happening across all sectors, but slightly slow in IT and tech,” he added.

According to placement cell members as well as hiring experts, the nature of skills recruiters look for is changing.