Unplanned proliferation of Engineering Colleges!!!
- Ever since Private Engineering Colleges (unsupported by Government funding) were permitted; Engineering Education became an Industry patronized by political bigwigs.
- There was an insane growth in number of such Institutions without any empirical relation to the number and type of jobs that could be available.
- The growth came entirely on account of misplaced middle class aspiration to anyhow make “engineer” out of any and every math student passing out of high school.
- For obvious reasons most Governments looked the other way while this happened.
- Now Engineering Graduates suddenly find that there are hardly any jobs, in terms of remuneration and job profile, available that justify their investment and effort in seeking technical education.
- Instead of a Professional Qualification it has now become almost like a “Basic Qualification” for moving on elsewhere OR migrating abroad.
- Of course there are IT Companies who cheaply recruit them en-mass, only to dump them few years down the line.
Dismal Education Quality and reluctance to training
- The perception from Industry is lack of employability and “plug and play” competence in about 80% of the Engineering Graduates.
- While industry expects them to start performing from day 1; but they do not like to invest in detailed technical training.
- In the Indian Private Sector Government has no control on salary level in relation to qualification and years of experience, as in some other Countries … it has been entirely left to the market forces. So a graduate engineer could even be seen working for as low as Rs 12000 a month in an operative’s profile.
- Governments promote Skill Development type of education much more than education for Graduate Engineers
Where is my cheese?
- In 60s and 70s most of working urban middle class did some or the other “office job”
- Owing to computerization and change in work culture most jobs of stenos, typists, accountants and counter clerks have evaporated away.
- Any improvement in “Productivity” and “Automation” ultimately leads to reduction in number of employees across the board.
- IT and ITES did offer some alternative employment avenues
- If IT and ITES too saturates ( and it may happen sooner than later ) where would it leave majority of employable urban middle class? Where would they find earning potential for assured livelihood?
- Although there is a policy push for “Start-ups” but then most of them eventually end up blowing the hard earned ancestral money without any assurance of sustained income and survival in long run.
AVINASH KHARE