Engineering colleges struggle with placements, cite disruptions by AI

Hyderabad: Layoffs in the IT sector and the ongoing slowdown in the job market have severely impacted campus placements, with nearly 50 engineering colleges reportedly recording either zero or single-digit placements this academic year.Even among students who secured jobs, many were reportedly hired for sales, marketing or edtech-related roles with little connection to their engineering specialisations.“Out of around 150 engineering colleges, at least 100 are unable to secure placements in core engineering fields. Some colleges are bringing in non-IT or non-engineering companies just to show that students are getting placed,” said KVK Rao, who runs a private engineering college in the city.He said the situation is likely to continue for the next couple of years because of disruptions caused by artificial intelligence. “Many entry-level roles are being replaced by AI, while new roles are yet to emerge in large numbers. There is very little that college managements can do at the moment,” he added.Echoing similar concerns, A Santosh Kumar, a faculty member at a private engineering college, said nearly 80% of colleges are struggling with placements.“Even colleges claiming to have good placements are tying up with consultancies to project a better picture. This is mainly to attract admissions for the next academic year,” he said.Students said the number of companies visiting campuses this year has dropped sharply compared to previous years. They added that several companies are leaving campuses without making any offers or hiring only one or two students.“Even in our university, not many students have been placed yet. The situation is worrying because we know finding jobs after graduation will be even harder,” said Rahul Naik, a student at a state university.Another student, M Pranay, who is in the final year of BTech, said not a single student in his college had secured a job through campus placements this year.“Some companies came for non-IT roles such as customer service, sales and marketing, but they were offering salaries between ₹2 lakh and ₹3 lakh per annum. Most students chose to skip those offers,” he said.Faculty members, however, said students may need to be more flexible in the current market and consider available opportunities instead of waiting for high-paying jobs.