Gaining an edge

Updated on: Monday, December 21, 2009

Kolkata: Abhinav Shasank and his friends at IIT-Kgp had two things clear: they did not want to be one of those engineering graduates that were not employable and they did not want to go for a banking job.

So they decided to do something about it.

Abhinav wrote to Sandeep Saxena, national manager, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), India in October 2008 after hearing about the organisation from other mechanical engineering students.

ASME is a not-for-profit organisation based in New York with chapters across the world. There are currently over 2500 student members and 17 student sectors in India.

IITians, reveals Abhinav, have received some flak for taking up banking jobs as they pay better than tech careers. “The starting package for a core technical job is lower than an I-bank but you develop the skills learnt over four years,” he says.

There blame does not lie solely with graduates. “The problem with Indian engineering education is that that it is theoretical. The machines are outdated. It provides good basics but students never get a feel of what is being used in industry,” he claims.

These are not just his opinions. A study released by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the World Bank in November 2009 revealed that 64 per cent of employers were not completely satisfied with skills of graduate engineers.

One of ASME’s aims is to bridge the academic-industry gap. The organisation also helps with internships and encourages networking by bringing students and members of the industry together.

“Employers are not only looking for quality management education and relevant technical experience but also more depth in management and communication skills as well,” says Mel Torre, director, communications, ASME in New York.

In over a year, ASME’s IIT-Kgp chapter has grown from 90 students to 1000 members making it one of the largest in Asia.

“It takes a minimum of 15 students to set up an ASME chapter,” says Praveen Aggarwal, vice-chair, ASME student chapter, IIT-Kgp.

Students pay a membership of USD 12 a year, which is half of the US rate. “First year students get complimentary membership,” says Torre.

The students at the institutes can take part in a number of networking events that help them get jobs. “Students get the opportunity to meet mechanical engineers and other technical professionals throughout the world, whether than means opportunities at section meetings with its wide variety of activities, technical conferences that also include professional development workshops and career fairs,” adds Torre.

The chapter at IIT-Kgp currently organises a summer internship programme and events bringing industry and students together on campus.

Praveen and his team are focussing now on making their society a golden chapter in India. “We need to open three more chapters in institutes,” says Praveen.

“We should be setting up chapters at KIIT Bhubaneswar, NIT Surathkal and NIT Jamshedpur within a month,” says Praveen. And he is confident that they will meet the deadline.

Gaining an edge

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