IIT-M may give up graveyard placement session

Chennai: Nine students from IIT Madras have withdrawn from placement this year to pursue higher education or to take up the civil service exams.From next year, IIT Madras may not have the graveyard placement session as companies have expressed their difficulty in conducting recruitment at midnight. Providing details about trends in this year’s placement, Prof Babu Viswanathan, advisor, (training and placement), IIT-M, said for the first time, the institute had introduced ‘deferred placement’ this year with which a student could opt out of placement to pursue entrepreneurship and if the student wants, s/he could sit for placement next year.

“This year, nine students withdrew from placement to try their best at entrepreneurship and write the civil service exams, besides pursuing higher education,” he said. Welcoming deferred placement and the students’ decision, former dean (students) and professor in the department of management studies at IIT-M, Prof L.S. Ganesh, said any policy which provides flexibility and helps students pursue their career dreams, must be welcomed.

“Our education system needs a lot of flexibility so it is good that these students have opted out of placement to realise their dreams,” he said.From next year, IIT-Madras might do away with the graveyard placement session as companies find it difficult to do recruitment at midnight.“We will discuss the issue at the placement heads’ meeting next year and take a call,” said Prof Babu Viswanathan.

On day 1 of placements at the institute on Monday, 158 offers were made to students, compared to 95 made on day 1 last year, and on day 2, 17 companies offered 77 jobs which shows promising signs in placement this year. Flipkart Internet Pvt Ltd offered the highest number (19) of jobs on day 2 forenoon session followed by Citicorp Services India Ltd (13). Eaton Technologies Private Limited offered 11 jobs and nine students received offers from Intel Technology Pvt Ltd.