The placement season for the academic year 2024-25 has left Pune Engineering Colleges in a weird situation. Even though hiring volumes per company have taken a hit, more companies are visiting campuses and looking for students. While IT fields such as software engineering and web development are still some of the most popular, emerging new fields of generative AI and cybersecurity have started dominating in the last few years. When looking for the right students, recruiters are more focused on internships and project experiences than academics.
A Shift in Valued Skills
While academics and technical tests have been a staple in IT recruitment processes for years, a shift has started occurring. Nowadays, companies are much more interested in core skills, project involvement, and certifications, according to one of the training and placement officers Shital Rawandale.
Project-based experience is particularly important as that’s what recruiters look for first. Previous work in high-demand fields such as generative AI, cybersecurity, and gaming can help students get into other popular sectors, primarily fintech and banking.
The Importance of Internships
Internships have also gained massively in importance as many companies use them as testing grounds before offering full-time positions. At the Army Institute of Technology, over 70% of internships were converted into pre-placement offers. MKSSS Cumming College of Engineering for Women reported even better numbers, with an 85% conversion.
Internships are becoming more crucial for securing a position because companies can easily assess candidates’ skills and performances during internships. This allows them to better determine whether they would be a good fit for the long term.
Emerging Trends
Since the pandemic, the IT sector has undergone many changes. Different trends have propelled certain fields, such as cybersecurity and generative AI, to mainstream status. Both of these fields are popular with recruiters, especially in industries like finance and technology, where candidates with specialized skills are always in demand.
What’s also evident is that companies are much more cautious about offering full-time positions. This has been the case since the economic slowdown in the US and the UK began. CoEP Technological University reported the placement rates dropping from 75% to 50%, even though 125 companies recruited from the university.
This is the consequence of over-hiring during the 2021-22 period, after which all big tech companies started doing massive layoffs.
Conclusion
These trends and statistics show how the job market shifted in the last couple of years, with generative AI and cybersecurity dominating at the moment. Expectations, such as project experience and internships have also increased, so students and colleges must be prepared to adapt to these new conditions.