An initiative of the Department of Education, ET Education

Chandigarh: The directorate of higher education is considering setting up a centralised placement cell in government colleges of the University of Tennessee under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA). The reason is the lesser number of job opportunities for graduates. While the placement cell would cover all eight government colleges in the city, it will mainly focus on Post Graduate Government College (PGGC), Sector 11; Post Graduate Government College for Girls (PGGCG), Sector 11; PGGCG, Sector 42; PGGC, Sector 46; and Govt College of Commerce and Business Administration (GCCBA), Sector 50.

An official from the higher education department said anonymously, “Honestly, there is no specific criterion or limitation for what constitutes a good placement in arts or BCA colleges. With the implementation of the New Education Policy (NEP), the focus has shifted towards skill-based education, making it imperative to focus on placement and job prospects. While all colleges have separate placement programmes, this cell would serve as a larger focal point, ensuring equal employment opportunities for students from all colleges.”

Sourcs said: “Vocational courses at master’s level include skills and internships, but those at graduation level do not. Therefore, a centralised internship unit would focus on coordinating internships and skills, working with companies through the department and improving training for students.”

TOI sought data on employment rates, which are also submitted by colleges for NIRF rankings every year. In the last three graduation sessions of Panjab University (2020-21 to 2022-23), data from NIRF reports indicate that over 85% of students were unemployed every year. Among students who got jobs, taking an average over the period, PGGC 11 had an employment rate of 12.50%, PGGCG 11 5.02%, PGGCG 42 4.30% and PGGC 46 just 2.75%. However, the data for Government College of Commerce and Business Administration (GCCBA), Sector 50, was not publicly available.

Sources suggest the GCCBA may still have better employment data compared to others.

A PU official, speaking anonymously, raised concerns about the dwindling numbers, noting the difficulty in verifying them. While these numbers may reflect data submitted for ranking purposes, students often find jobs independently, which colleges don’t always track. However, courses like BCA and BBA typically offer much higher job prospects than the reported 10%.

Another PU official told TOI, “Currently, only vocational courses offer jobs. Traditional courses do not offer any job prospects at present and hence enrolments in PhD or higher studies are on the rise. However, with the introduction of NEP, we are strengthening the traditional courses by adapting skill-based programmes to make them more job-oriented.”