Why engineering graduates from tier-2, tier-3 colleges struggle: The skill gap few talk about

When Saif (name changed to protect anonymity) graduated from a private engineering college in Madhya Pradesh, he dreamed of a career in Civil Engineering. Although he had done well in college, scoring high marks and completing a reputable internship, he was unaware of the skills required to get a job. "I was ahead of most of my classmates, but I didn’t even know what the 'skills' companies looked for were called," he said.

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To secure a job that paid on a par with his IIT or NIT friends, Saif had to upskill through online courses and his master’s degree - efforts he believes could have been avoided with better institutional support at the undergraduate level. After completing his Bachelor's, Saif felt compelled to pursue a Master's degree, not by choice, but by necessity; he lacked industry-relevant skills, exposure, and career guidance. He mentioned that the curriculum at his tier-3 college was outdated and disconnected from current market or trend needs. “I realised I had to learn the skills myself this time and not depend on the college,” he said. Saif's story isn’t an outlier. It is a familiar situation faced by thousands of engineering graduates from tier-2 and tier-3 colleges across India. Despite holding the same degrees as their IIT or NIT counterparts, many find themselves locked out of core industry jobs.

The barriers can be numerous; a lack of practical, upto-date skills due to rigid or outdated curricula, as Saif mentioned; lack of confidence in expression and communication; or lower motivational levels in students. Alaf Azam Khan, Senior Product Manager at Increff in Bengaluru who has interviewed 1000+ top tier engineering students for his company, noted a sharp difference in student behaviour between pre-COVID and post-COVID batches. “Our company offers Pre Placement Offers early during internships, and we used to invest significant time training interns. But with the batch just after COVID, we had to revoke PPOs because many students lacked initiative and were unwilling to learn or contribute ideas.”Siva Prasad, a retired IIT professor, highlights a key challenge that students from tier-3 engineering colleges face during the hiring process is poor communication skills. While many are technically competent, they often struggle to express their ideas clearly during interviews or group discussions.