IT firms like TCS, Cognizant, Wipro and Infosys have started to visit campuses as placement for 2016 begins. Most colleges in Tamil Nadu have more than 4 companies sharing slots on Day One of placements. It is expected that there will be a 10% increase in salaries this year, bringing the average to Rs. 3.3 lakh per annum.
Says a placement official at the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) says, `There was a time when companies chose the best talent, but now students are selecting the firms where they want to work.` Tamil Nadu has 588 engineering colleges and has been a favoriteamong IT companies - more than 50% of the IT companies` needs are met here.
In the last three years, TCS and Cognizant have made approximately 10000 offers; Infosys and Wipro 5000 offers; and Accenture and Tech Mahindra 3000 offers.
Says an official from Sastra University, Shared model is a necessity for campuses that have a huge student base and is a non-issue for small campuses. An official from the B.S. Abdur Rahman University says, `The IT companies now look for a different set of skill sets. Earlier, the focus was on communication. But now, companies expect domain expertise. The students have to be strong in their core engineering subject. The transformation was set in motion last year. Students in tier one institutions are aware of the change.` With India going digital there is now a need to have expertise in data analytic`s.