How ‘Make in India’ is an ocean of opportunities for Engineers
By Abhijit Chaudhari
Engineering colleges have been springing up like wild mushrooms in India in the last few years. Their number has gone up from a not too modest 1,511 colleges in 2006-07 to a high of 3,345 in 2014-15. If these figures are anything to go by, it would be easy to be led into believing that opting for a degree in engineering would be a wise career move in India. The fact however remains that 20-33% out of the 1.5 million engineering graduates passing out every year run the risk of not getting a job at all.
The engineers analysed by Aspiring Minds are employed mainly in hardware and networking. While 90% of engineering graduates want mechanical, electronics/electrical and civil engineering jobs, only 7.49% are employable in such roles. For those who do, the entry-level salary is pathetically low, though the prices of everything from groceries to vehicle fuel have shot up during the same period. Making matters worse is the fact that the start-up salary offered to fresh engineering pass outs is expected to stagnate at more or less the same level in the next 3- 5 years, said Live Mint last year. Entry level salary package for a software engineer which has hovered around Rs 2.75 lakh to Rs 3.25 lakh ($4,600- $5,400 per annum) is the same since the last eight-nine years.
Others will take jobs well below their technical qualifications in a market where there are few jobs for India's overflowing technical talent pool, which makes the matter more worse. India's engineers are struggling to subsist in an extremely challenging market.
Engineers are builders of tomorrow. No wonder we stand at the top be it Google or Microsoft (to name a few). We lack the term strong in our country. Our technology and its resources are highly outsourced from other countries. No matter we have contributed to the world of technology by hosting brilliant minds like Satya Nadela, Pranav Mistry, Chaitan Khosla, Chennupati Jagadish and so on, but we have always found the worth of most of their talent when they are internationally recognized (for eg. Kailash Satyarthi)
At a time when the prime minister is giving his full support to the manufacturing sector via the Make in India campaign, opportunities must be explored far beyond what was previously thought possible.
We as an industry require graduates with specific skill sets. When the economy is booming with opportunities and new career goals, skills specific to the job profile are imperative to sustain in this competitive world. As an organisation, Make in India would try to create an enabling environment where employees are encouraged to upgrade and expand their skills throughout their lives.
It is easy to spin off products at a manufacturing plant, but what about their transportation to the ports and other locations? Gujarat has managed to undertake infrastructure projects that ensure a robust supply chain of goods and services. Similarly Make in India would upgrade infrastructure promoting the field all over.
Unfortunately much of India’s manufacturing footprint is focused upon building products that are designed and developed outside of India. Increasingly, if India is to realise its potential as a global manufacturing hub it must take responsibility for innovating and developing the products that it then manufactures for sale into India and around the world. Product leadership will come from a commitment to innovation, not manufacturing excellence and this is what the strategy is all about. Promoting and supporting the manufacturing in India will boost up opportunities for young engineers to explore the world.
The IT services industry is not growing at the same pace as before and the growth of entry-level jobs is diminishing. Companies are now looking for hiring candidates who already have decent expertise in programming. Secondly, IT services companies today realise that within two years of the job, the candidate will have to communicate with international customers. As these trends catch up across industry, the employability for IT services sector, which is the largest hirer in engineering, will diminish further. To remain competitive in the job market Make in India will give a fresh focus towards all such issues. Make in India must leverage the experience and build indigenous capability for developing world-class products in India.
About the Author:
Mr. Abhijit is currently the Director at Gateforum.
