The corporate world is filled with nothing but challenges. The process of liberlisation has changed the rules of the game for the business and policy leaders around the world. The era of globalisation is not only inviting foreign capital but also foreign technology in India. Since the early eighties, due to rapid industrialization and economic growth, engineering and technical education has been fast developing in India than anywhere else in the world. India now has the second largest engineering students in the world. In the current scenario, technical education determines the development and socio-economic condition of a nation, there is a greater need for quality technical education to produce technically skilled manpower.

The most important economic policy facing India is how to increase the current trend of output per capita. In this environment, the lure of better growth policy is compelling. In addition, it is believed that this rapid change of technological change was fostered by an education system that provided the essential input—a steady flow of people trained in the scientific method and in the state of art in their area of specialization. If this interpretation of our recent past is correct then it is no false to say that industry relies heavily on polished diamonds coming out of various varsities.        

Unfortunately, in the last 5-6 years, the innovation policy in India has completely ignored the structure of institutions especially with regard to Govt institutions. The top down direction of the curriculum is a pox upon our public education system. University education does not necessarily prepare the youth for Life; also there is NO guarantee of a job after a university degree. We require an entire spectrum of skilled man power. What is the relevance of a BA, BCom or BSc or even a MA, MCom or MSc degree in today's complex economy? Probably very little, since it may be required for hardly 3% of India's population, or about 30 million people per year at this stage. We are stretching the existing higher educational facilities to its threshold limit. The Faculty and infrastructure is not able to cope at the increasing number of students, after they have completed their high school education. Like "Zombies" every one wants to join some college or the other with out a road map or plan about their future. It's a National Tragedy of sorts! Besides, colleges are producing servicemen of company obedient class, the amount of package they get in thousands lures them to work like asses. In this process, India is  also killing budding entrepreneurs who can bring significant shift in the economic stance of the country in Asia and the world at large.

The point here I want to post is that performance regarding placement cell is different between Govt-run institutions and private institutions. Despite so many students looking for jobs, the placement scenario is absurdly poor. Part of the problem is that most educational institutions in the state have no placement cell to keep track of placement statistics. For instance, Gauhati University, Assam, established in 1948, did not have a placement cell till September 2006. On the contrary, IIT Guwahati has no trouble with placements, and its students regularly find high starting salaries comparable to those from other premier engineering colleges. IITs and central universities are heavily funded, there is acute funds crunch in the state run universities. Speaking about private institutions, placement of students among blue chip companies and abroad is not hard to find. Colleges like Birla Institute of Technology, Pilani & Mesra claim to have the best placement record and scores of other institutes have a similar statement. It has all the trappings –smart youngsters strapping laptops, growing infrastructure, faculty-experienced and visiting, and bandwidth connectivity. It isn't a surprise that its among the best in India.

Though it is a matter of pride that private institutes have also started churning out industry moulded graduates. Private institutions usually have tie-ups with big companies and often industry experts are called upon to give lecture to students. Its de facto that rich people can only afford private institutes and jobs simply fly into their arms. But the fact is more than half of India lies in the heart of middle class and poor section. The cost of studying in such colleges is a nightmare for them, besides they get subsidized rates in Govt higher education institutes. The superficiality of impartiality and non-permanence of teaching stuff is quite evident in Govt run institutes and so expecting a placement cell seems a far-fetched dream. Potential in India among its youth is equally divided throughout the country. Not everybody has the capacity to go outside their state to study or get loads of dollar bills to fund their education. Providing students with facilities of faculty and placement cells has become an important measure of giving quality education. In such case, it is important to know the desires and demands of students which are expected out of good professional colleges. A student interaction committee or exchange of thoughts with faculty is just not apt in the current scenario. There's more to it than meets the eye, what authorities think. The main benefits to the students can be summarized as: gaining confidence in decision making, relating theory with practice, increased job opportunities, realization of responsibility, opportunities to know one's weaknesses and strengths, and opportunities to work with modern equipment and on problems of current importance. Finally, it can be said, other universities and institutions should adopt more job and object-oriented education curricula linked with industries and research organizations to meet the present and future challenges of rapid technological changes and industrial development in India. The need of the hour for any institution is to produce industry groomed manpower. For this, curriculum development and creating a policy and staff framework is necessary and efforts are needed to make vocational education drive industry. It is also necessary to meet skilled manpower requirement through cooperation with international institutes and organizations and to mobilize teachers' training as an integrated part of the skill development process and maintain consistent quality standards.

It is a fact that the business entity needs to continously evolve and re-invent itself because the rapid advancement of new and breakthough technologies keep shaping and reshaping the contours of the business on an ongoing basis. Such issues call for varied knowledge and skills.  Thus its about time that all the Indian Educational institutes recast their system of training and placement of students engineers to meet the needs of the industry. It is a very vital area which has become important parameter  to assess the strength, value and reputation of the Educational Institues. The institute needs to make their syllabus more vocationally oriented so as to groom, nurture and develop the talent in a proper fashion, catering to needs of the industries. A dynamic and pro active placement cell needs to be created in every institution to keep a track of all the placings of its students and to attract good industries. The student engineers should be encouraged to attend techinical seminars, workshops leadership training and should be made aware of the latest develpoments in techonologies and its impact on bussiness. Equal importance should be given to the communication skills of students for clear expression of ideas.

With private sector institutions leaving no stones unturned in providing the best possible openings to their products, it becomes all the more important for govt. aided institutions to reinvigorate themselves to meet the added challenge of better placement. A student placed according to his area of interest will automatically ensure the growth of the industry and his institution. The need of the hour is, that the educational institutes takes to the training and placement facilities more seriously and scientifically.