technical education quality improvement programme-lll

TECHNICAL EDUCATION

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

PROGRAMME-lll

EMPLOYER SATISFACTION

SURVEY2019-2020

NPIU

AC

KN

OW

LED

GEM

ENTS

The conceptualiza�on, planning and execu�on of this

assessment emerged from the extensive discussions and

�reless efforts of stakeholders from the government,

private sector and academia.

We are grateful to Dr. Vineet Joshi, Addi�onal Secretary,

Ministry of Educa�on; Mr. Pandey Pradeep Kumar,

Deputy Secretary (TE), Ministry of Educa�on; Ms. Kri�

Deputy Director (TE), Ministry of Educa�on; Ms.

Namrata Raman Tonga�a, Task Team Leader, Ms.

Meghna Sharma and Mr. Ambarish Ambuj from the

World Bank for providing constant support through the

course of the study.

We are indebted to the leadership and direc�on of Prof.

P. M. Khodke, Central Project Advisor, NPIU; Mr. Adil

Zainulbhai, Chairman, QCI and Dr. R. P. Singh, Secretary-

General, QCI.

Our special thanks are extended to the expert commi�ee

members: Prof. Pankaj Chandna, Dean Industry &

Interna�onal Rela�ons, NIT Kurukshetra; Dr. S. P.

Pandey, Director, Rajkiya Engineering College,

Azamgarh, U.P.; and Prof. Lakhwinder Singh, Dean

Student Welfare, J.C. Bose University of Science &

Technology, Faridabad. Lastly, we would also like to

express our sincere apprecia�ons for the employees of

all the companies and organiza�ons who gave their

valuable �me to par�cipate in this study.

We would like to express our hear�est thanks to all the

officials of NPIU and QCI, who extended their

uncondi�onal support in making this study feasible in a

very short dura�on of �me.

Dr. Hari PrakashDirector, PPID

Quality Council of India

We are Grateful for the sincere efforts of the following :

Dr. S. K. Mishra (HOD, Research and Capacity Building),

Dr. Aradhna Chopra (Director), Mr. Lovepreet Singh

(Project Associate), Mr. Aditya Verghese (Project

Associate), Mr. Gaurav Kumar (Project Analyst), Ms.

Disha Kharbanda (Project Analyst), Ms. Anshika Sahu,

Ms. Areej Khan, Mr. Adnan Ali, Ms. Neha Goyal, Mr.

Piyush Soni, and Mr. Shouvanik Mondal.

Dr. Hari PrakashDirector, PPID


SPECIAL THANKS

CONTENTSList of Charts 1

List of Tables 3

List of Abbrevia�ons 4

Execu�ve Summary 6

1. Introduc�on 10

2. Literature Review 12

3. Scope of Work 15

4. Research Methodology 16

4.1 Purpose of Survey 16

4.2 Approach 17

4.2.1 Data Collec�on 17

4.2.2 Focus Group Discussions 17

4.3 Pre-Execu�on Stage 17

4.3.1 Secondary Research 17

4.3.2 Sampling Plan 17

4.3.3 Development of Ques�onnaire and Points of Interac�on 18

4.3.4 Development of Scoring Framework 18

4.3.5 Finaliza�on of Data Framework/Ques�onnaires 18

4.4 Execu�on Stage 19

4.4.1 Sampling Strategy / Plan 19

4.4.2 Quality Assurance 19

4.4.3 Focus Group Discussions 19

4.5 Data Analysis & Formula�on of Report 20

5. Data Analysis 21

5.1 Factors for selec�on of universi�es/ins�tutes and candidates 23

5.2 Challenges faced by employers while hiring engineering graduates 25

5.3 Training of new recruits in industries 27

5.3.1 Methods of training of employees 27

5.3.2 Training period 28

5.4 A�ri�on rate 29

5.5 Importance vs. Sa�sfac�on 30

5.6 Sa�sfac�on Level - TEQIP and Non-TEQIP 31

5.7 Compara�ve analysis 34

5.7.1 So� skills 34

5.7.2 Technical skills 36

5.8 Visited but not recruited 37

5.8.1 Factors for not hiring 38

5.9 COVID-19 pandemic impact 38

5.9.1 Emerging technical and so� skills 38

5.9.2 Percep�ons of employers regarding impact on quality of learning and skills due to distance learning in TEQIP-III ins�tutes 39

5.9.3 Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on employment opportuni�es 40

5.10 Factors Impac�ng Sa�sfac�on Level of Employers 40

6. Focus Group Discussion 43

6.1 Focus Group Discussion 1 43






7. Key Findings 49

8. Recommenda�ons 52

9. Conclusion 54

10. Annexure 55

Annexure: Chart 55

Annexure: Table 62

References 66

LIST OF CHARTS

1

Chart 1 : Flow chart explaining research methodology 16

Chart 2 : Sectoral representa�on of par�cipa�ng industries as per industrial domain 22

Chart 3 : Sectoral representa�on of par�cipa�ng industries as per size of organisa�on 22

Chart 4 : Factors affec�ng selec�on of ins�tu�on for recruitment 23

Chart 5 : Basis for ins�tute selec�on by industry domain 23

Chart 6 : Factors affec�ng iden�fica�on of engineering graduates for recruitment 24

Chart 7 : Approach that enhances industry relevant skills of graduates 24

Chart 8 : Difficulty in hiring engineering graduates 25

Chart 9 : Reasons for difficulty in hiring 25

Chart 10 : Difficulty in iden�fying suitable engineering graduates due to COVID-19 26

Chart 11 : Strategies adopted by employers to mi�gate hiring related issues 27

Chart 12 : Mode of training provided by employers to new recruits 27

Chart 13 : Dura�on of training provided to new recruits in months 28

Chart 14 : Training dura�on provided to new recruits w.r.t. industrial domains 28

Chart 15 : A�ri�on rate within a year of joining 29

Chart 16 : Reasons for a�ri�on 29

Chart 17 : Average importance vs. sa�sfac�on w.r.t. each a�ributes of so� skills 30

Chart 18 : Average importance vs. sa�sfac�on w.r.t. each a�ributes of technical skills 31

Chart 19 : Difference in performance of so� skills w.r.t. TEQIP-III and non-TEQIP III 31

Chart 20 : Difference in performance of technical skills w.r.t. TEQIP III and non-TEQIP III 32

Chart 21 : Overall sa�sfac�on of so� skills and technical skills for TEQIP-III & non-TEQIP II for AY 2019-20 33

Chart 22 : Sa�sfac�on of so� skills and technical skills for TEQIP-III & non-TEQIP II from 2017 to 2020 34

Chart 23 : Importance rated by employees w.r.t. each a�ributes of so� skills for TEQIP-III 34

Chart 24 : Sa�sfac�on of employees w.r.t. each a�ributes of so� skills 35

Chart 25 : Overall sa�sfac�on level of so� skills 35

Chart 26 : Importance rated by employees w.r.t. each a�ributes of technical skills for TEQIP-III 36

Chart 27 : Performance of employees w.r.t. each a�ributes of technical skills 36

Chart 28 : Performance of employees w.r.t. each a�ributes of technical skills 37

Chart 29 : Overall importance & sa�sfac�on regarding skills of engineers from TEQIP-III ins�tutes 37

Chart 30 : Gaps in technical skills vs. so� skills for employers who visited but did not recruit 38

LIST OF CHARTS

2

Chart 31 : Emerging so� skills and technical skills as per industrial sector in light of pandemic 38

Chart 32 : Industry percep�ons on quality of distance learning in TEQIP-III ins�tutes 39

Chart 33 : Industry percep�ons on distance learning in TEQIP-III ins�tutes 39

Chart 34 : Industry percep�ons on the impact of COVID-19 employment opportuni�es 40

Chart 35 : Impact of distance learning on the quality of leaning and skills of engineering graduates in TEQIP-III ins�tutes 40

Chart 36 : A�ri�on and sa�sfac�on 41

Chart 37 : Average sa�sfac�on of employers' vis-a-vis difficulty experienced during recruitment 41

Chart 38 : Sa�sfac�on level of employers w.r.t industrial exposure 38

Annexure Chart 1 : Sectoral representa�on of par�cipa�ng industries as per industrial domain in 2017-18 & 2018-19 54

Annexure Chart 2 : Sectoral representa�on of par�cipa�ng industries as per size of organisa�on in 2017-18 & 2018-19 54

Annexure Chart 3 : Factors for selec�on of ins�tutes for campus placement by different size of organisa�on 55

Annexure Chart 4 : Factors considered by industries for screening candidates 55

Annexure Chart 5 : Factors considered by industries as per size of organisa�on for screening candidates 55

Annexure Chart 6 : Difficulty faced by employers during hiring over the year 56

Annexure Chart 7 : Training tenure for new engineers across industrial domains 56

Annexure Chart 8 : Mode of training adopted for new recruits w.r.t. size of organisa�on 56

Annexure Chart 9 : Training tenure for new engineers across size of organisa�on 57

Annexure Chart 10 : Comparison of a�ri�on rate over the year 57

Annexure Chart 11 : A�ri�on rate across industrial domains 57

Annexure Chart 12 : Impact on the availability of employment opportuni�es due to COVID across industrial sectors 58

Annexure Chart 13 : Emerging technical skills w.r.t. industrial domains due to pandemic 58

Annexure Chart 14 : Emerging technical skills w.r.t. size of organisa�on due to pandemic 58

Annexure Chart 15 : Emerging so� skills due to pandemic across industries 59

Annexure Chart 16 : Emerging so� skills due to pandemic across different size of organisa�ons 59

Annexure Chart 17 : Top lacking technical & so� skills that leads to not recruitment a�er visi�ng ins�tutes in 2017-18 & 2018-19 59

LIST OF TABLES

3

Table 1 : Employers consolidated into industry domains 21

Table 2 : Difficulty in iden�fying candidates due to lack of skills 26

Table 3 : Sa�sfac�on of employers across sectors from new engineers graduated from TEQIP-III & non-TEQIP assisted ins�tutes 33

Table 4 : Sa�sfac�on of employers across different size and scale of industries from new engineers graduated from TEQIP-III & non-TEQIP assisted ins�tutes 33

Annexure Table 1 : Spearman's Rank order correla�on for so� skills 60

Annexure Table 2 : Spearman's Rank order correla�on for technical skills 61

Annexure Table 3 : T-test for sa�sfac�on of so� skills from TEQIP-III to non-TEQIP ins�tutes of AY 2019-20 62

Annexure Table 4 : T-test for sa�sfac�on of technical skills from TEQIP-III to non-TEQIP ins�tutes of AY 2019-20 62

ABBREVIATIONS

AICTE All India Council for Technical Educa�on

AY Academic Year

B. E. Bachelor of Engineering

B. Tech. Bachelor of Technology

BFSI Banking, Financial Services and Insurance

BHEL Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited

BoS Board of Studies

BPO Business Process Outsourcing

CMIE Centre for the Monitoring Indian Economy

COVID Coronavirus Disease

DGAQA Directorate General of Aeronau�cal Quality Assurance

EETP Employability Enhancement Training Program

EPC Engineering Procurement and Construc�on

ER Employment Rate

ESS Employment Sa�sfac�on Survey

EY Ernst & Young

FDI Foreign Direct Investment

FGD Focussed Group Discussion

FICCI Federa�on of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry

FMCG Fast Moving Consumer Goods

GATE Graduate Ap�tude Test in Engineering

GoI Government of India

HR Human Resources

HoD Head of Department

IPR Intellectual Property Right

IT/ITeS Informa�on Technology/ Informa�on Technology enabled Services

IUCEE ITF Indo Universal Collabora�on for Engineering Educa�on - Industry Teaching Fellows

KPI/KRA Key Performance Indicator/Key Responsibility Area

4

KPMG Klynveld Peat Marwick and Goerdeler

LPR Labour Par�cipa�on Rate

MoCI Ministry of Commerce and Industry

MoD Ministry of Defence

MoE Ministry of Educa�on

MoU Memorandum of Understanding

NAAC Na�onal Assessment and Accredita�on Council

NABCB Na�onal Accredita�on Board for Cer�fica�on Bodies

NABET Na�onal Accredita�on Board for Educa�on and Training

NABH Na�onal Accredita�on Board for Hospitals

NABL Na�onal Accredita�on Board for Tes�ng and Calibra�on Laboratories

NASSCOM Na�onal Associa�on of So�ware and Service Companies

NBA Na�onal Board of Accredita�on

NBQP Na�onal Accredita�on Board for Quality Promo�on

NEEM Na�onal Employment Enhancement Mission

NIRF Na�onal Ins�tu�onal Ranking Framework

NPIU Na�onal Project Implementa�on Unit

PADD Project Analysis and Documenta�on Division

PPID Project Planning and Implementa�on Division

PPP Public Private Partnership

QCI Quality Council of India

R&D Research and Development

SPSS So�ware Packages for Social Sciences

TEQIP Technical Educa�on Quality Improvement Programme

UG Undergraduate

UGC University Grants Commission

w.r.t. With respect to

ZED Zero Defect Zero Effect

ABBREVIATIONS

5

Executive Summary n this era of technological revolu�on, na�ons Imust improve their technical workforce to

compete with economic rivals in the global

economy. Technocrats and skilled professionals

facilitate innova�ons, which can be promoted for

commercial applica�ons. This in turn, creates

numerous opportuni�es for the country and its

people. As an offshoot of the a�empts to promote

innova�ons, new technologies appear which help

in crea�ng employment, growth and useful

infrastructures for the na�on as well as for the

world. This leads to create new opportuni�es and

compe��veness in the global economy.

Technical educa�on has shown tremendous impact

on the social and economic reforms in the society

and thus has iden�fied as major contributor in

shaping up the quality of inven�ons Besides,

engineering educa�on plays an important role in

providing skilled workforce to the Indian economy.

The goal of any undergraduate engineering

program is to produce sufficient skilled engineers

and also to assist them in acquiring higher levels of

academic skills, innova�on blended approaches

and cri�cal thinking skills. The failure to produce

skilled engineers may hinder the growth of any

na�on.

The Technical Educa�on Quality Improvement

Programme (TEQIP) was envisaged as a

mul�faceted interven�on to meet these challenges

at a select number of engineering ins�tutes and

was implemented by the Ministry of Educa�on

(MoE) with support from the World Bank.

The Quality Council of India (QCI), the apex

na�onal accredita�on body of the country under

the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI)

was awarded the assignment by the Ministry of

Educa�on (MOE) to conduct an employer

sa�sfac�on study relevant to engineering

graduates from TEQIP-III ins�tutes recruited in

academic years 2017-18 and 2018-19, followed by

a study covering engineering graduates for

academic year 2019-20. QCI used a mix of

qualita�ve and quan�ta�ve research methods,

which involved both an online survey and virtual

f o c u s g r o u p d i s c u s s i o n s ( F G D s ) f o r a

comprehensive study. The evalua�on was carried

out by developing a survey ques�onnaire with

par�culars about the industry importance/

expecta�ons for the requisite skills which

comprised of so� skills such as flexibility,

entrepreneurial skills, reliability, integrity, team

work, willingness to learn leadership skills, english

communica�on skills, awareness of environment/

sustainability/ social responsibility issues,

d i s c i p l i n e , a c c e p � n g re s p o n s i b i l i t y fo r

consequences of ac�on, metacogni�ve skills,

crea�vity, and technical skills such as engineering

knowledge, basic computer skills, high order

technical skills, ability to use appropriate and

modern tools, equipment, technologies specific to

jobs, abi l i ty to iden�fy/formulate, solve

technical/interdisciplinary problems, ability to

design a system/ component or process to meet

desired needs, data analysis, economics & finance

along with corresponding performance of

engineering graduates who are recruited by

various organisa�ons from TEQIP-III ins�tutes.

The present survey has been performed during this

o n g o i n g p a n d e m i c ( C O V I D 1 9 ) , w h i c h

unfortunately impacted the overall economy and

health of the country. Due to detrimental impact of

pandemic, GDP of the country has shrinked by 7.3%

in the FY 2020-21 (in real terms adjusted for

6

infla�on), the worst decline in any par�cular year

since independence. This crisis has affected the

overall supply and demand ra�o in the market

which has also impacted industries in terms of their

net profit, new opportuni�es, global market

demand as well as their long-term survival. In

addi�on, the new job opportuni�es exclusively for

engineers has decreased during this financial year,

which is also apparent from the focus group

discussion with employers. The possible factors

and condi�ons that influenced the sa�sfactory

level of employers along with working capabili�es

of engineers, are:

• Impact on the health and safety of the

engineers and their families, and thus as a

result of this, their performance suffered at

both physical and mental levels. This has

impacted their work schedules, training, and

other extra-curricular ac�vi�es including

hobbies

• Long 2020 lockdown had shown nega�ve

influence on engineering ins�tutes. During the

last semester ac�vi�es in AY 2019-20, the

physical classroom ac�vi�es of learning-

teaching was disrupted and also due to lack of

awareness towards online learning, university

exams, final evalua�on, and recruitment of

engineering graduates received significant

delay in the process

• Reduced interac�ons in the workplace of new

recruits impacted their induc�on, training,

te a m w o r k , o ve ra l l p e r fo r m a n c e a n d

professional evalua�on. However, work-from-

home op�on was available at the end of the

year (2020), but it is only useful to a limited

number of industries.

All these significant parameters have apprehended

to change the overall sa�sfac�on of employers

from both online survey and virtual focused group

discussion (FGD). Ques�ons related to the

cha l lenges due to pandemic have been

incorporated in the ques�onnaire to understand

the possible issues that ins�tutes, engineering

graduates and employers have faced in last one and

half years and may probably face in coming �mes.

There was a total of 1,694 employers whose details

w e r e t a ke n f r o m t h e N a � o n a l P r o j e c t

Implementa�on Unit (NPIU) database. The online

survey par�cipa�on requests were sent to

employers through e-mail. In the study, 235

employers par�cipated via online survey whereas,

52 employers par�cipated through focus group

discussion. The quan�ta�ve insights and

conclusions were drawn based on responses

received from employers.

The study has facilitated the par�cipa�on of

employers from different industry domains across

several geographical regions. In the study of survey

responses Civil, Electrical/Electronics, Informa�on

Technology/Informa�on Technology enabled

Services, Mechanical and Service industries have

contributed around 5.5%, 9.4%, 26.4%, 25.1% and

33.6% of responses, respec�vely. This shows

improvement in the diversity of responses for the

domain as described above once compared with

the previous employer sa�sfac�on survey (Civil,

Electrical/Electronics, Informa�on Technology/

Informa�on Technology enabled Services,

Mechanical and Service industries which has

contributed to 13.1%, 9.67%, 17.93%, 17.9% and

41.4% of responses, respec�vely). Similar varia�on

can be seen in the distribu�on of responses based

on size of industries where large, medium, small

and micro scale employers contributed to 36.6%,

30.64%, 23.4% and 9.4%, whereas in the previous

reports large, medium, small and micro scale

employers contributed to 27%, 27%, 33% and 13%

of responses , respec�vely. The reduced

par�cipa�on during the survey for micro

employers may be due to the economic disrup�ons

caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

7

Employer Satisfaction Survey 2019-20

During the survey interac�on, the following salient points were recorded:

i. Sa�sfac�on with performance of engineering

graduates from TEQIP-III ins�tutes when

compared to those from non-TEQIP ins�tutes

According to the study, employers have

registered higher sa�sfac�on levels for both

technical and so� skills for engineering

graduates from TEQIP-III supported engineering

ins�tutes when compared to engineering

graduates from non-TEQIP ins�tutes. A similar

perspec�ve was noted during the focus group

discussions where employers had also

expressed sa�sfac�on with the technical skills

of engineering graduates who have been

recruited from TEQIP-III ins�tutes.

ii. Sa�sfac�on with performance of engineering

graduates from TEQIP-III ins�tutes recruited in

2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20

The findings of the study related to the

performance of engineering graduates from

TEQIP-III ins�tutes in 2019-20 has been

compared to that of a previous study of

engineering graduates from TEQIP-III ins�tutes

in 2017-18 and 2018-19 which was also

conducted by QCI. In the case of sa�sfac�on

levels of employers with skills (which in the

study refer to so� skills and technical skills) of

engineering graduates from TEQIP-III ins�tutes,

an increase in average sa�sfac�on levels has

been recorded from 2017-18 to 2018-19

followed by a nominal decrease in 2019-20

(around 3%). This nominal decrease is mainly

related to condi�ons associated with pandemic

in educa�onal ins�tutes as well as in industries.

Some of the major factors men�oned by

employers are reduced personal interac�ons

w i t h em p loyees , red u c ed tea m wo rk

condi�ons, change in the training condi�ons,

inopportune trainings during the induc�on

period, change in the percep�ons of employers.

Other issues men�oned by the employers are:

a) the emo�onal health of the employers and

employees, as everyone were working in the

unprecedented stressed condi�ons

b) increased expecta�ons of the employers in

a s s o c i a � o n w i t h c h a n g e i n w o r k

requirement, mandated ski l ls (so�,

technical and new emerging skills as per

industry needs) of engineering graduates

when compared to the previous years

c) varia�on in size and sectors of employers

who have par�cipated in this survey when

compared to the previous survey

iii. Iden�fica�on of the most relevant skills for

industry

In the context of exis�ng issues as well as the

disrup�ons caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,

engineering ins�tutes may focus on the

deve lopment of so� sk i l l s re lated to

communica�on, flexibility and adaptability

during the academic program for graduate

engineers. Further, employers from the civil,

mechanical and electrical sectors have

highlighted the importance of adequate

technical skills for engineering graduates

necessary for them to be industry ready. These

employers have expressed their apprehensions

on the possible drawbacks of online training

programs and work from home model in making

engineers industry ready. The reduced

i n t e ra c � o n w i t h c o l l e a g u e s i n w o r k

environments have been iden�fied as factors

that may be responsible for this artefact.

8

A similar perspec�ve was noted during the focus group discussions

on the skills and employability of engineers:

a. Employers have expressed sa�sfac�on with the

technical skills of engineering graduates who

have been recruited from TEQIP-III ins�tutes

b. Employers have stated that the internship

component of the curriculum requires greater

collabora�on with industry. This tends to

provisions for sufficient dura�on of internship

program (a minimum dura�on of 6 months) and

depth of work for industry.


a. The TEQIP III Project has improved the technical

skills and so� skills of the engineering

graduates

b. Overall sa�sfac�on of employers has increased

from academic years: 2017-18, 2018-19 and

then declined marginally in 2019-20

c. Employer sa�sfac�on is be�er for engineering

graduates from TEQIP-III ins�tutes when

compared to engineering graduates from non-

TEQIP ins�tutes

d. In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, the

overall trend towards online learning and

training has favoured the Informa�on

Technology/Informa�on Technology enabled

Services sectors. But work from home

paradigms and online training programs have

been of limited use to employers belonging to

the manufacturing, civil engineering, electrical

and electronics sectors where there is no

feasible subs�tute for on-site training and

learning.

This evalua�on report may provide inputs to the Ministry of Educa�on (MoE), NPIU, World Bank, policy makers

and academic ins�tu�ons in the context of improving technical skills in graduate engineers of our country.

Besides, the study may help ins�tutes to understand the current needs of industries to whom engineers are

important stakeholders for future growth and development.

This report may also provide insights to industries from different domains such as manufacturing, infrastructure,

services as well as Informa�on Technology/Informa�on Technology enabled Services to facilitate technical

exper�se in their fields of interest.

Based on the outcomes of the survey it is evident that:

9


1. INTRODUCTION

The advent of globalisa�on 4.0 has increased

the focus on the knowledge intensity of

value crea�on through use of cu�ng-edge

technologies, calling for a deeper engagement and

heightened imagina�on. The rise of interna�onal

trade, increased connec�vity between major

economies, new technology and innova�ons such

as the fourth industrial revolu�on or industry 4.0

with its focus on data driven automa�on of

industrial processes have been a hallmark of this

wave of globaliza�on. In order to remain

compe��ve in the global economy where

historical, na�onal and geographic boundaries

have blurred with the passage of �me, it is

impera�ve for na�ons, corpora�ons and

individuals to build resilience to socio-cultural and

economic disrup�ons. This in turn has compelled

all na�ons to think about effec�ve policies that can

advance their economies and socie�es.

With the above context in mind, technical

educa�on would play a major role in preparing the

next genera�on of business leaders, government

func�onaries and educators to meet the present

and future challenges as well as necessitate

economies to fundamentally upgrade their

technical ecosystems. Under the large ambit of

technical educa�on, engineering educa�on has a

central role in building and sustaining knowledge-

d r i v e n s o c i e � e s . T h e p r i n c i p a l a i m o f

undergraduate engineering programs is to help

students acquire relevant levels of academic skills

(i.e., Science, Maths and other major discipline

specific skills) along with higher-order thinking

skills (i.e., Quan�ta�ve Reasoning Skills, Cri�cal

Thinking, Crea�vity, etc.). Skilled graduates have

the ability to enhance produc�vity through

innova�on, thereby contribu�ng to improved

economic growth and global compe��veness. The

failure to produce skilled graduates can be a barrier

to an economy realizing its full poten�al. This in

turn reduces the scope for innova�on and

compe��on when striving against others towards

the development of a modern knowledge

economy.

Thus, in order to facilitate innova�on, it is

important to introduce reforms to the engineering

educa�on system in India both in the short and

medium terms a�er understanding its current

state. The comparison of skills and competencies of

prospec�ve engineers with industry expecta�ons

can help in iden�fica�on of gaps that currently

exist, and develop strategies towards addressing

these gaps. According to All India Council for

Technical Educa�on (AICTE) data, the number of

students who found placement at the end of the

academic year 2017-18 was 3,45,215. This

cons�tutes about 42% of the total number of

students enrolled in Engineering Ins�tutes across

India. This indicates that more than 50% of

students were unable to find jobs through the

campus placement process.

A decrease in opportuni�es available through

campus placements can also be a�ributed to

differences in geographic distr ibu�on of

engineering ins�tu�ons with respect to loca�on of

industries as well as socio- economic and linguis�c

backgrounds of students. The diversity of

backgrounds and life experiences may impact the

engineering graduate's self-expression with regard

to their technical and so� skills. This in turn has an

impact on the promo�on of diversity and

inclusivity in the engineering workforce of the

na�on, which has implica�ons for the framing of

innova�ve and just solu�ons to needs of society

and the na�on as a whole.

This is par�cularly relevant with regard to the

challenges emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic

and associated disrup�ons to the economy. This

has have led adverse impact on the health and

safety of the engineering graduates and their

families, disrup�ons to final semester ac�vi�es,

reduced interac�ons in the workplace and related

change in quality of professional evalua�on for

10

engineering graduates when compared to previous

years. Further distance learning and training have

proved to be inadequate for sectors requiring on-

site learning.

Recogni�on of these issues in the state of

engineering educa�on led to the conceptualiza�on

of the Technical Educa�on Quality Improvement

Program (TEQIP) by the Ministry of Educa�on,

Government of India to provide assistance to

engineering ins�tutes across the country towards

raising their standards.

The Technical Educa�on Quality Improvement

Programme of the Ministry of Educa�on,

Government of India (TEQIP) was implemented as

a World Bank assisted project to improve the

quality of the technical educa�on system in the

country.

The Government of India with financial assistance

from the World Bank launched Technical Educa�on

Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP) as a

long-term Programme in the year 2002-03. This

was to be implemented in three phases for

systemic transforma�on of the Technical Educa�on

System from the years 2003 to 2021.

TEQIP was designed to meet the following

objec�ves:

1. Strengthening ins�tu�ons to produce high

quality engineers for be�er employability

2. Scaling-up postgraduate educa�on and

demand-driven research & development and

innova�on

3. Establishing centres of excellence for focused

thema�c research

4. Training of faculty for effec�ve teaching

5. E n h a n c i n g i n s � t u � o n a l a n d s y s t e m

management effec�veness

6. Capacity building to strengthen management

The first phase of TEQIP commenced in March 2003

and ended on 31st March 2009, benefi�ng 127

ins�tu�ons in 13 States. This project covered less

than 10% of the ins�tu�ons that existed at that

point of �me. The second phase of TEQIP

commenced in 2009 and ended in 2017, including

191 compe��vely selected ins�tu�ons along with

establishment of 30 centres of excellence.

TEQIP is at present in its 3rd itera�on i.e., TEQIP III

which has been implemented by the Na�onal

Project Implementa�on Unit (NPIU) under the

Ministry of Educa�on, Government of India (GoI)

between the years 2017 to 2021. The project is fully

integrated with the twel�h five-year plan

objec�ves for technical educa�on as a key

component for improving the qual ity of

engineering educa�on in exis�ng ins�tu�ons with

a special emphasis on low income and special

category states and provide support to strengthen

few affiliated technical universi�es to improve their

policy, academic and management prac�ces.

In the current disrup�ve �mes, it is par�cularly

important to enhance intellect and skill levels of

graduates for the be�er development of their

personal i ty as wel l as fu lfi lment of our

fundamental duty to develop and promote

scien�fic temper and spirit of inquiry for the

society.

Despite the importance of improving skills of

students in ins�tutes, there has been a gap in

implementa�on of direct and representa�ve

evalua�ons of skills acquired by students from

higher educa�on ins�tu�ons. Therefore, to

understand the impact of interven�ons such as

TEQIP, it is necessary to assess sa�sfac�on and

importance of different engineering skills and

a�ributes from the perspec�ve of industry/

employers who have recruited engineers from

engineering ins�tu�ons in the past. The

assessment has primarily focused on those

employers who have recruited from educa�onal

ins�tu�ons supported by TEQIP III. Quality Council

of India (QCI) which is an autonomous body of the

Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) has

b e e n a s s i g n e d b y t h e N a � o n a l P ro j e c t

Implementa�on Unit (NPIU) under the Ministry of

Educa�on to conduct this assessment.

TEQIP was aimed towards the enhancement of

quality and equity in par�cipa�ng engineering

ins�tutes and improve the efficiency of the

engineering educa�on system in focus states. The

project support was divided into 2 components

(details in annexure):

1. Improving quality and equity in engineering

ins�tu�ons in focus state

2. System level ini�a�ves to strengthen sector

governance & performance

11


12

or the purposes of this study, it is useful to Fexamine the exis�ng literature on the issues

around employability and performance of

engineering graduates at the workplace in India.

Research from Harvard University, the Carnegie

Founda�on and the Stanford Research Ins�tute¹

has found that technical skills and knowledge

account for approximately 15% of the reason an

individual gets a job, keeps it and advances in that

profession. The remaining 85% of the reason for

job success is based on the individual 's

interpersonal/so� skills. These results were

extrapolated from data in the paper, "A Study of

Engineering Educa�on"² by Charles Riborg Mann

published in 1918. The importance of interpersonal

skills has been further highlighted by Bruce E.

Seely in his paper �tled "The Other Re-engineering

of Engineering Educa�on, 1900-1965"³ in 1999

wherein he emphasised a need to redevelop

engineering educa�on to strike a balance between

analy�cal and interpersonal skills of engineering

graduates. Further, Edward F. Redish, Karl A. Smith

in their paper �tled "Looking Beyond Content: Skill

Development for Engineers⁴ published in 2008

have focused a�en�on on helping students

develop skills and an adap�ve exper�se in order to

further develop and augment the exis�ng technical

and interpersonal skills of engineering graduates.

Thus, the importance of people's skills has been

understood for more than a century.

According to the India Skills Report 2019⁵, the

engineering domain (B.E./B.Tech.) has about 57%

of employable talent. The report revealed that 63%

of the survey respondents (consis�ng of

employers) stated that only 'Some Job Seekers' or

'No Job Seekers' meet the required skills whereas

around 37% claimed that 'Most Job Seekers'

possessed the required skills and fit their

requirements. This percep�on was prevalent

across several sectors.

In line with the above findings from the Na�onal

Employability Report for Engineers by Aspiring

Minds 2019⁶, 80% of engineers are not employable

in the knowledge economy. Only 2.5% of Indian

engineers possess skills in ar�ficial intelligence i.e.,

machine learning and data science. Further only

1.5% - 4.5% of engineers possess the necessary

skills in data engineering and 2.8% - 5.3% are

qualified in wireless technology. In terms of the

rate of employability for different roles, the report

states that only 16.25% of engineers were

employable for the role of So�ware Engineer - IT

Services sector, while 3.40% for So�ware Engineer

- IT Products and 39.35% for non-technical roles

such as Associate - ITeS/BPO. These results showed

only a marginal increase in the last 4 years when

the previous edi�on of the report was published.

This was despite the fact that the number of

engineering seats have not increased over the

same period. This indicates that engineering

educa�on has needs for systemic interven�ons for

making the gradua�ng engineer industry ready.

According to the paper Employability of

Engineering Graduates in India by Indo-Universal

Collabora�on for Engineering Educa�on Industry

Teaching Fellows (IUCEE ITF) Community in 2017,

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1Na�onal So� Skills Associa�on, 2015: The so� skills disconnect - h�ps://www.na�onalso�skills.org/the-so�-skills-disconnect/2Mann, C. R. (1918). A study of engineering educa�on: prepared for the Joint commi�ee on engineering educa�on of the na�onal engineering socie�es (No. 11). Merrymount Press.

3Seely, B.E. (1999). The Other Re-engineering of Engineering Educa�on, 1900–1965. Journal of Engineering Educa�on, 88(3), 285-294. h�ps://doi.org/10.1002/j.2168-9830.1999.tb00449.x.

4Redish, E.F. and Smith, K.A. (2008).Looking Beyond Content: Skill Development for Engineers. Journal of Engineering Educa�on, 97(3), 295-307. h�ps://doi.org/10.1002/j.2168-9830.2008.tb00980.x.

5 India Skills Report -( 2019, July 15 ). Retrieved from h�ps ://www.aicte - india.org/sites/default/files/India%20Skill%20Report-2019.pdf

6Na�onal Employability Report for Engineers 2019: Aspiring Minds - h�ps://www.shl.com/en/india/employability-reports/

today's job market requires approximately 30% of

technical skills and about 70% so� or professional

skills to succeed. Further, in the light of disrup�ve

technologies, accelerated innova�on, and a

complex business environment, the skil ls

requirements of the future are expected to change

significantly.

The FICCI-KPMG report �tled "Skilling India- a look

back at the progress, challenges and the way

forward"⁷ published in 2014 examines the current

framework associated with skill development and

the challenges associated with skill development in

India prior to the pandemic.

FICCI-NASSCOM-EY in their report "Future of Jobs

in India - A 2022 perspec�ve"⁸ released in 2017

threw light on the fact that India's job landscape is

in transi�on with a slowdown in employment in

core sectors and the concurrent emergence of new

engines of job crea�on. Over the next few years,

many factors such as the levels of FDI flow, impact

of exponen�al technologies on offshoring,

increase/decrease in overseas job opportuni�es

for the Indian labour force, speed of adop�on of

emerging technologies, demands resul�ng from

environmental sustainability, rising middle class, a

high propor�on of young popula�on, etc., would

be some of the other key determinants of future of

jobs in 2022.

FICCI and NASSCOM had jointly commissioned a

report 'Future of Jobs in India-2.0'⁹ in 2017. The

report provides a sneak-peak into the future of jobs

and vision of change for the job market in India by

2022. The report highlights the impact that various

p r i m a r y f o r c e s s u c h a s g l o b a l i z a � o n ,

demographics, and Industry 4.0/exponen�al

technologies, are expected to have on the key

sectors of the economy. It also provides an

overview of the job crea�on rates across various

sectors and the new jobs that will emerge in the

next few years.

FICCI Report on Skills & Jobs Pre & Post Covid

P e r s p e c � v e ¹ ⁰ p u b l i s h e d i n 2 0 2 0 h a s

comprehensively analysed the shi� from exis�ng

to the "new-work" order. Change in fundamental

paradigms of work has given rise to new

opportuni�es and possibil i�es as well as

challenges. To Build the 'New Normal' we would

require, a secure digital infrastructure, capacity

building, effec�ve R&D collabora�on between

industry & academia, social & health orienta�on,

ongoing data driven future forecas�ng, talent

mapping & tapping, building new decision-making

system frameworks etc. A comprehensive

approach of all the stakeholders will ensure be�er

transi�on towards the approach of new habits and

higher possibili�es

The AICTE has further stated to the Lok Sabha in

2018 that to revamp the engineering curriculum

and to impart the requisite skills set to the students

to enhance the employability of engineering

students, it has approved an ac�on plan with the

following objec�ves:

1. Induc�on Training

2. Revision of Curriculum

3. Mandatory Internships

4. Industry Readiness

5. Mandatory Accredita�on

AICTE has also implemented schemes namely

Na�onal Employment Enhancement Mission

(NEEM) and Employability Enhancement Training

Program (EETP) to enhance the employability of

the students. In the case of industry exposure and

internships, AICTE iden�fied the lack of Industry -

Academia partnerships as a major issue that needs

to be addressed. Thus, the AICTE - Internship

Policies: Guidelines & Procedures¹¹, 2017 made

internships mandatory for all technical educa�on

students during summer vaca�ons or regular

semesters and signed several MoUs with

Government Agencies/Start-Ups to support the

13

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7FICCI – KPMG, 2014: Skilling India – a look at the progress, challenges and way forward h�ps://ficci.in/spdocument/20405/FICCI-KPMG-Global-Skills-report.pdf.8FICCI, NASSCOM, EY, (2017) Future of Jobs in India – A 2022 Perspec�ve h�ps://ficci.in/spdocument/23031/Future-of-Jobs-in-India-2.0.pdf.

⁹FICCI-NASSCOM (2017) ‘‘Future of Jobs in India-2.0” h�ps://ficci.in/spdocument/23031/Future-of-Jobs-in-India-2.0.pdf.

¹⁰FICCI, 2020: Skills and Jobs Pre and Post Covid Perspec�ve; A research paper on ‘Future of Jobs’ h�ps://ficci.in/spdocument/23287/FUTURE-SKILL-JOB-PROSPECTIVE.pdf.

¹¹AICTE–Internship Policy: Guidelines and Procedure h�ps://www.aicte-india.org/sites/default/files/AICTE%20Internship%20Policy.pdf.


14

ins�tutes. It has appealed to industry to support

these ini�a�ves so that the gradua�ng students

can learn to address the challenges of the future

and enable the industry to get skilled graduates.

COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on both the

Indian economy as well as employment rates

across sectors. According to the Centre for

Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE)¹² this can be

par�cularly seen in the average employment rate

(ER) and labour par�cipa�on rate (LPR) in June

2021 are 36% and 40% respec�vely which are s�ll

below pre-pandemic levels and indicate slow

economic recovery and distress in the labour

market. Further, the second wave of the pandemic

in 2021 has resulted in the loss of 10 million jobs

and 97% of Indian households experiencing

income decline from pre-pandemic levels.

The above trends have had an impact on technical

higher educa�on by crea�ng new challenges on top

of exis�ng gaps. Engineering colleges in India are

facing numerous challenges in conduc�ng

a s s e s s m e n t , o n l i n e c l a s s e s , s e m e s t e r

examina�ons, and providing adequate industrial

exposure to the students. A paradigm shi� in the

teaching medium due to compelling closure of

educa�onal ins�tu�ons was not envisaged by

engineering ins�tu�ons. Many engineering

ins�tu�ons switched to an online medium of

educa�on with li�le exposure to workings or

challenges associated with this medium. The lack

of access to reliable internet connec�on among

sec�ons of students par�cularly from marginalized

sec�ons has triggered concerns about widening

digital divide at a �me when online learning has

become the primary learning tool during

lockdowns. Lack of peer-support during online

instruc�on in the COVID-19 era has also nega�vely

affected mo�va�on level of the students. These

factors have adversely affected the state of

engineering educa�on in India as well. Widespread

use of online instruc�on and assessment due to the

pandemic may have resulted in a decrease in

quality of engineering educa�on thereby

impac�ng the skills acquisi�on of engineering

graduates.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________12CMIE, (2021), Covid Impact on Employment and Labor Par�cipa�on; Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy h�ps://www.cmie.com/kommon/bin/sr .php?kall=war�cle&dt=20210628142621&msec=546.


15

3. SCOPE OF WORK

his assessment aims to gauge the skills and Tperformance competencies of engineering

graduates for AY 2019-20 from TEQIP-III

supported ins�tutes and help create a more

effec�ve system of technical higher educa�on in

India. The assessment is focused on the following

objec�ves:

1. To evaluate employer sa�sfac�on with

engineer ing graduates from TEQIP- I I I

ins�tu�ons recruited in 2019-20

2. To measure any change in the sa�sfac�on level

of employers with graduates from TEQIP-III

ins�tu�ons recruited in 2019-20 compared to

graduates recruited in 2017-18 and 2018-19 in

the following areas:

a. Technical Skills (engineering knowledge,

basic computer skills, high order technical

skills, etc.)

b. So� skills (flexibility, entrepreneurial skills,

reliability, etc.)

3. To compare any varia�on in sa�sfac�on levels

of employers with graduates from TEQIP-III and

non-TEQIP ins�tutes

4. To highlight areas of improvement as iden�fied

by employers in the course of the assessment

16

4. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

To ensure smooth and effec�ve conduct of the survey exercise, QCI developed a robust methodology with due

check and balances along with scope for con�nuous review for prompt ac�on. The following chart represents the

methodology for research cum survey study:

Purposeof survey

ApproachPre

Execu�on Stage

Execu�onData

Analysis

Data Collec�on

Focus Group

Discussion (FGD)

Secondary Research

Sampling Plan

Development of Ques�onnaire

Development of scoring framework

Finaliza�on of data

4.1 Purpose of Survey

In consulta�on with the NPIU of the Ministry of

Educa�on, QCI had proposed a comprehensive

process to assess the impact of the TEQIP III on the

sk i l l s of engineer ing graduates and the

corresponding sa�sfac�on of employers.

Therefore, to frame the methodology and detailed

ques�onnaire, senior officials at NPIU and QCI

were consulted, and their inputs helped in the

development of the methodological basis of the

study. A�er gaining insight from successful

comple�on of ESS 2017-18 and 2018-19 a

framework comprising both qualita�ve and

quan�ta�ve approaches was designed for the

purpose of evalua�on. The employer sa�sfac�on

survey was aimed towards measuring the level of

employer sa�sfac�on with engineers who had

graduated from TEQIP ins�tutes in different

academic years as well as comparing the

sa�sfac�on level of employers with the skills of

engineering graduates from TEQIP and Non-TEQIP

ins�tutes.

Chart 1 - Flow chart explaining research methodology

17

This study planned to assess the impact of COVID-

19 pandemic on the recruitment and training

processes of employers along with the impact on

the skills of engineering graduates who were

recruited in AY 2019-20 by comprehensively

framing ques�ons covering the pandemic in ESS

and FGDs. This has been done with an aim to gather

insights into emerging pa�erns and mi�ga�on

strategies that can be of use in the future.

Quality Council of India (QCI) followed a mixed

research methodology compr i s ing both

quan�ta�ve and qualita�ve research tools to

conduct the employer sa�sfac�on survey. The

detailed research implementa�on plan for

conduc�ng the study on employer sa�sfac�on

survey of TEQIP is provided below:

4.2 Approach

QCI-TEQIP deployed a mul�-fold approach for conduc�ng the employer sa�sfac�on survey which comprised of:

4.2.1 Data Collec�on

a. Collec�on of data from employers regarding

their sa�sfac�on with the skills of the newly

recruited engineering graduates in AY 2019-20

b. Collec�on of data from employers regarding

the importance placed on the technical and so�

skills by their organiza�ons.

4.2.2 Focus Group Discussions

The Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) aimed at

providing relevant qualita�ve data which, broadly:

I. Complement the analysis from survey ques�onnaire

II. Support the logic of key observa�ons

III. Provide addi�onal insights that could not be captured through the ques�onnaire

IV. Measure the expecta�ons of the industry

Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) will be aimed

at corrobora�ng relevant findings obtained with

the help of survey ques�onnaire and make relevant

logical connec�ons with key observa�ons as per

our survey ques�onnaire and further take

addi�onal insights from a select number of

employers (from different sectors, scales and

regions) regarding their exper ience and

expecta�ons with newly recruited engineering

graduates in the industry.

4.3 Pre-Execu�on Stage

4.3.1 Secondary Research

To understand the aim and objec�ves of TEQIP III, a

secondary research was conducted on the exis�ng

literature to assess employability and skill

development interven�ons. A mixed method

involving both qualita�ve and quan�ta�ve

research designs were used to undertake the study.

The quan�ta�ve research design was used for

evalua�ng the sa�sfac�on level of the employer.

Conclusions could be drawn based on data analysis

of any rela�ve difference of sa�sfac�on levels.

Qual ita�ve research design was used to

understand the reasons behind the sa�sfac�on

outcomes of the quan�ta�ve component of the

study.

4.3.2 Sampling Plan

QCI, in consulta�on with NPIU, finalized the sample

needed for each stakeholder to complete the

study. Keeping the objec�ve of ensuring diversity in

sample data collec�on, QCI gave due considera�on

to different parameters such as size of the

company, number of engineering graduates that

were recruited, sector of opera�ons, job type and

industry. The sample was drawn from a list of

employers who par�cipated in recruitment drives

in TEQIP III ins�tutes in the academic year 2019-20

(including those who par�cipated but did not

recruit any graduate engineer).


4.3.3 Development of Ques�onnaire and Points of

Interac�on

A detailed ques�onnaire for the proposed

employer sa�sfac�on survey was prepared by QCI

in consulta�on with NPIU, domain experts from

educa�on and human resource departments.

Structured points for discussion were employed by

QCI to interact with employers from different

sectors to gather insights for the sa�sfac�on

survey. The framework that was developed,

focused on the collec�on of informa�on on

recruitment �melines, roles and responsibili�es,

re q u i s i te s k i l l s , a n d t h e co r re s p o n d i n g

performance of engineering graduates.

The framework included:

• The scope for evalua�on was in a format that

allowed employers to grade the performance of

skills of engineering graduates. The ques�ons

focused on the performance of engineering

graduates a�er recruitment.

• A noteworthy feature was the inclusion of

different branches, industries and sectors which

could be cross-referenced with corresponding

skills required for the same. This would provide

specific insight to par�cular branches regarding

relevant technical and so� skills.

• There was also scope for sugges�ons to be

made regarding programmes, training, skills up-

grada�on, linkages, and relevant processes,

wh ich cou ld lead to improvement in

performance of engineering graduates to make

them industry ready

• The ques�ons related to skills of the graduated

engineers were divided into two sec�ons: so�

skills and technical skills, which was further

subdivided as men�oned below:

So� Skills

¨ Flexibility

¨ Entrepreneurial

¨ Reliability

¨ Integrity

¨ Teamwork

¨ Willingness to learn

¨ Leadership skills

¨ English communica�on skills - wri�en and oral

¨ Awareness of environment/ Sustainability/

Social responsibility issues

¨ Discipline

¨ Accepts responsibility for consequences of

ac�on

¨ Metacogni�ve skills

¨ Crea�vity

Technical Skills

¨ Engineering knowledge

¨ Basic computer skills

¨ High order technical skills

¨ Ability to use appropriate and modern tools,

equipment, and technologies specific to their

jobs

¨ Ability to iden�fy, formulate, and solve

technical/inter-disciplinary problems

¨ Ability to design a system, component, or

process to meet desired needs

¨ Data analysis

¨ Economics and finance

¨ Interdisciplinary skills

¨ Research and experimenta�on

4.3.4 Development of Scoring Framework

Af.ter consulta�on with relevant domain experts, a

scoring framework was formulated to evaluate the

sa�sfac�on of employers. This framework included

logical linkages for various parameters individually,

as well as scope for genera�ng an aggregate overall

scoring for the sa�sfac�on levels of employers

regarding the skills of engineering graduates. The

results were also cross-referenced across different

categories vis-a-vis geographical zones, branches,

across skills sets (technical and so�), and other

possible variable outcomes from the data

framework.

4 . 3 . 5 F i n a l i za� o n o f D ata F ra m ewo r k /

Ques�onnaires

The data framework and ques�onnaires were

finalized a�er incorpora�ng the inputs from the

NPIU and the World Bank team a�er due

delibera�on and various rounds of discussion.

18


4.4 Execu�on Stage

4.4.1 Sampling Strategy / Plan

The study has an es�mated popula�on of 1694

employers' contacts that were made available by

NPIU. With a 90% confidence interval with 5%

margin of error and 90% popula�on propor�on,

the originally es�mated sample size was calculated

to be 128.

Total responses were accepted �ll the 23rd July

2021 through an online ques�onnaire. The data

was cleaned with responses filled with errors such

as duplicate entries and incomplete responses

having been deleted. A�er the cleaning process,

235 responses were collated. The breakup of the

responses is given below:

1. Number of responses from employers who

recruited engineering graduates in AY 2019-

20:156 responses

2. Did not recruit engineering graduates: 59

responses

3. Visited, but not recruited: 20 responses

The survey responses between TEQIP-III and non-

TEQIP ins�tutes were in the ra�o of 1.058:1. The

breakup of these responses is as follows:

• 128 responses were received from employers

regarding engineering graduates from TEQIP-III

supported ins�tutes, while 120 responses were

r e c e i v e d f r o m e m p l o y e r s r e g a r d i n g

engineering graduates from non- TEQIP

ins�tutes.

• Out of these 36 responses were received from

employers regarding engineering graduates

only from TEQIP-III supported ins�tute, while

92 responses were received from employers

who recruited engineering graduates from

both TEQIP-III supported ins�tutes and non-

TEQIP ins�tutes.

• A total of 120 responses were received from

employers who recruited from engineering

graduates of non-TEQIP ins�tutes, out of these

28 responses were received from employers

who only recruited from non-TEQIP ins�tutes.

For a compara�ve study, the data was gathered

from all geographical zones where both TEQIP-

III supported ins�tutes (both, sub-component

1.1 and 1.3) and non-TEQIP ins�tutes were

located.

• A total of 28 responses were received from

employers who had par�cipated in previous

round of ESS for AY 2017-2018 and 2018-2019.

• Out of theses 28 employers, only 12 employers

had recruited engineering graduates from

TEQIP-III supported ins�tutes in 2017-18, 2018-

19 and 2019-20

4.4.2 Quality Assurance

A dedicated team was engaged towards ensuring

data quality through con�nuous monitoring and

reviewing of responses being received from

employers. To ensure the quality of data,

incomplete ques�onnaires responses and those

that contain invalid inputs were dropped from the

survey sample.

4.4.3 Focus Group Discussions

A total of 6 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were

conducted through the par�cipa�on of similar

employers/organiza�ons working in several fields

ranging from IT/ITeS, electrical, electronics, civil

engineering, FMCG, transport, logis�cs etc. from

across the country belonging to different

regions/scales. The interviews and FGDs focused

on iden�fying the organiza�on's percep�ons about

the level of skills in recent engineering graduates.

This was especially regarding those skills that were

given importance during the recruitment process,

the type of recruitment strategy followed, and

modes of training prac�ces employed by the firm.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the

performance of engineering graduates was also

discussed at length with employers for pa�erns

and insights. For conduc�ng the FGDs, each

par�cipa�ng organiza�on was asked to nominate

senior officials with one from HR department and

another from a technical division to par�cipate in

19



20

the FGD.

The FGDs were conducted to:

1. Gain a comprehensive understanding of the

employer's sa�sfac�on levels with engineering

graduates

2. Measure the expecta�ons of the industry

regarding employability of engineering

graduates

4.5 Data Analysis & Formula�on of Report

The responses received from the survey along with

the outcomes of FGDs were used for a cross-

sec�onal and mul�-layered analysis of data. Data

analysis tools such as MS Excel, R-Studio and

So�ware Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) AMOS

were used to analyse and draw insight from the

responses data. T-test, 2D graphs & matrices, and

other correla�on was performed using Excel. R-

Studio in turn was used for analysing what factors

were behind the selec�on of universi�es/ins�tutes

for the recruitment and the reason behind not

recrui�ng any candidates despite visi�ng

campuses.

Based on the inferences drawn from the data, a

detailed dra� report was formulated and

submi�ed to the NPIU for feedback. A�er

incorpora�ng the feedback of the NPIU, a final

version of the report was submi�ed as per the

�melines of the project.

5. DATA ANALYSIS

In order to evaluate the sa�sfac�on level of the employers from 17 industrial sectors, the categories of

par�cipa�ng employers were consolidated and classified into 5 broad industry domains to further analyse the

inputs from par�cipa�ng industries:

21

Table 1: Employers consolidated into industry domains

Industrial Domain Industrial sector

Civil Engineering Procurement and Construc�on (EPC)/ Infrastructure

Electrical / Electrical & Electronic (including Telecommunica�on)Electronics Energy (Renewable & Non-Renewable) & Power Distribu�on

IT/ITeS IT/ITeS

Mechanical Agro Industries (Manufacturing) Automobiles Biotechnology, Pharmaceu�cal & Medical Devices Chemical (Fer�lizers; Explosives; Ba�eries; Synthe�c Tex�les etc.) Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Manufacturing & Produc�on (including Capital Goods) Mining, Oil & Gas Mineral Processing (Iron & Steel; Aluminum; Cement etc.)

Services Agro Industries (Services) Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) Civil Society Organiza�on/ Non-Profit Laboratories, Tes�ng & Inspec�on Services Other

These domains include a range of similar organisa�ons based on their end product or services offered to their

respec�ve consumers.


22

Chart 2 : Sectoral representa�on of par�cipa�ng industries as per industrial domain

Industrial domains 2019-20

The below chart represents the par�cipa�on of employers from these industry domains in Employer Sa�sfac�on

Survey AY 2019-20:

5.53%

9.36%

26.38%

25.11%

33.62%

Civil Electrical / Electronics IT/ITeS Mechanical Services

Employers from IT/ITeS, mechanical and civil industries consisted of 26.4%, 25.1% and 5.5% of the sample

respec�vely. Service industry employers consisted about one third of the respondents at 33.6% for AY 2019-20,

whereas during the employer sa�sfac�on survey 2017-18 & 2018-19 the employers from IT/ITeS, mechanical and

civil industries consisted of 18%, 18% and 13% respec�vely while services contributed 41% of the total

respondents. As a result, the findings and preferences of employers with regard to importance and sa�sfac�on

may be show some varia�on in AY 2019-20 when compared to AY 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Chart 3 : Sectoral representa�on of par�cipa�ng industries as per size of organisa�on

Size of organizations 2019-20

36.6%

30.6%

23.4%

9.4%

Large Medium Small Micro

As depicted by the above graph, large and medium organiza�ons (67%) cons�tuted for majority of the

respondents followed by small and micro enterprises, different from survey of AY 2017-18 and 2018-19 where

their representa�on was 54%.


23

In general, employers consider various factors

while selec�ng an ins�tute for campus placements.

In order to get a sense of employer preferences, the

ques�onnaire has been used to collate responses

for the following factors: ranking of the ins�tute,

proximity from the workplace, past rela�onships

through MoU, NBA accredita�on, faculty student

ra�o and experience with previous recruits.

The above chart indicates that ranking of the

ins�tute (as per percep�on of the employers built

due to various ra�ng agencies such as NIRF)

followed by experience with previous recruits were

major factors for selec�on of ins�tutes for campus

placement visit. Other categories include factors

s u c h a s re l e va nt a c c re d i ta� o n , co l l e ge

infrastructure and lab facili�es, curriculum

followed along with scope of industrial exposure

and training, etc.

5.1 Factors for selec�on of universi�es/ins�tutes and candidates

As shown below, proximity of the engineering

colleges to industry was one of the major factors

for mechanical & electrical industries, while past

rela�onship through MoU is significant for civil,

IT/ITeS and electrical industries along with the

above men�oned factors. Also, with regard to the

size of the organisa�ons similar trends were

observed. Another major factor for recruitment in

micro and small scale industries was proximity of

the engineering ins�tute to the work place. (refer

annexure chart 3).

Chart 5 : Basis for ins�tute selec�on by industry domain

Factors considered by employers for selection of institutes for campus placement visit

Chart 4 : Factors affec�ng selec�on of ins�tu�on for recruitment

Factors affecting selection of institutes for recruitment

78.72% 76.60%

39.15%

29.36% 28.51%

16.60% 14.47%

Ranking of theins�tute

Experience withprevious recruits

Past rela�onshipsthrough

Memorandum ofUnderstanding

(MoU)

Proximity fromthe work place

NBAaccredita�on

Faculty studentra�o

Others(infrastructure,

curriculum,accredita�on

etc.)

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Ranking of the ins�tute Experience with previous recruits

Past rela�onships through Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Proximity from the work place

Faculty student ra�o NBA accredita�on

Others


24

A�er selec�on of ins�tutes for recruitment visit, industries iden�fy candidates for personal interview and other

selec�on processes. Some of the major factors considered during candidate iden�fica�on are indicated below:

Chart 6 : Factors affec�ng iden�fica�on of engineering graduates for recruitment

Factors affecting screening graduates's recruitment

The above chart indicates that grades, project work, any relevant internship and internship with the same

company were the major factors considered by employers while screening engineering graduates for recruitment

purposes. Others categories includes factors such as willingness to relocate, specific skills sets, extracurricular

ac�vi�es, etc.

Weightage to GATE score was preferred by electrical/electronics and civil sectors, whereas internship with the

same company was preferred by IT/ITeS & mechanical sectors apart from the above men�oned factors. Employers

of different size/scale of organisa�on also observed similar trends. (refer annexure chart 4, 5).

Out of the total responses received for ESS of AY 2019-20, there were only 28 employers who had par�cipated in

the previous rounds of ESS for AY 2018-19 and 2017-18 as well as 2019-20. Out of theses 28 employers, only 12

employers had recruited engineering graduates from TEQIP-III supported ins�tutes in all three academic years i.e

in 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20.The remaining employers are those who did not recruit or those who visited but

did not recruit or recruited only from non-TEQIP ins�tutes for the AY 2019-20. (refer annexure chart 18).

Opinions sought from the employers to enhance the industry relevant skills of engineers during their gradua�on.

Chart 7 : Approach that enhances industry relevant skills of graduates

Approach that enhances industry relevant skills of graduates

As can be seen in the above graph, employers across sectors believe that the combina�on of curriculum and

industry internship in the final academic year of engineering would help the graduates gain adequate industry

relevant skills, followed by only industry internship. It can also be noted that a combina�on of curriculum and UG

research project or only UG research are the least suggested approaches to enhance industry relevant skills of

engineering graduates.

75.74% 71.91%66.81%

40.43%

19.57% 15.32% 19.57%

Grades Project work Any relevantinternshipexperience

Internship with thesame company

GATE Score Other compe��veexam score

Others(extracurricular

ac�vi�es, specificskill sets,

willingness torelocate, etc.)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%


UG Research Projects Industry Internships Curriculum and UG Research projects

Curriculum and Industry internship Others


Chart 8 : Difficulty in hiring engineering graduates

Difficulty in hiring engineering graduates

Chart 9 : Reasons for difficulty in hiring

Reason for difficulty in hiring

5.2 Challenges faced by employers while hiring engineering graduates

In order to understand the experience of employers while screening engineering candidates, the ques�onnaire

has been used:

a) To gauge the level of difficulty faced by employers

b) To record key reasons stated by employers for the same

4.22%

10.55%

51.48%

27.85%

5.91%

Extremely Difficult Very Difficult Somewhat Difficult Not very Difficult Not at all Difficult

As it has been observed, the recruitment process of engineering graduates for AY 2019-20 was considered as very

or extremely difficult by 14.77% of the respondents. 51.48% of employers found recrui�ng engineering graduates

somewhat difficult in the AY 2019-20, which was consistent with trend observed in previous AY2017-18 and 2018-

19 (refer annexure chart 6). The difficulty in recruitment process of engineering graduates in AY 2019-20 can be

a�ributed to various factors such as COVID-19, lack of skills and industry relevant exposure or due to both reasons,

as shown in the below chart:

25

The above chart indicates 52.5% of the respondents faced difficulty in hiring engineering graduates in the

academic year AY 2019-20 due to lack of exposure to relevant skills and industry projects/internships. Also, 36.5%

of respondents faced difficulty in hiring due to both COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of relevant skills and

internships/project work.

10.26%

52.56%

36.54%

Due to Covid Due to lack of skills & industry relevantinternship and projects

Due to both reasons


Chart 10 : Difficulty in iden�fying suitable engineering graduates due to COVID-19

Reasons for difficulty in hiring due to COVID-19

A�er analysing data of difficulty faced in hiring due to lack of skills and industry internships/projects, major

contribu�on has come in the form of lack in technical skills with 43% along with lack in so� skills contributes to 35%

of difficul�es.

26

Broadly, the above trends indicate that employers faced difficulty in recruitment due to COVID-19 pandemic. The

main difficulty faced by employers was in assessment of capabili�es of different candidates for the relevant

posi�on or role. It has further been observed that the employers faced difficulty iden�fying engineering graduates

with relevant skills, assessing adaptability towards work from home alongside relevant psychometric and ap�tude

capabili�es.

Employers had also adopted certain strategies to mi�gate issues related to hiring. Hiring through references,

strategic sourcing of poten�al candidates (relying on employment agencies, reputed ins�tutes etc.), pre-

employment assignments and tests, streamlined and structured panel interviews, etc. were some of the

important strategies adopted by employers across industrial domains and size of organisa�on.

Table 2 : Difficulty in iden�fying candidates due to lack of skills

Extremely Difficult

Very Difficult Somewhat Difficult

Grand Total

Industry experience through internship/ industrial visits/ industrial projects etc.

Technical skills (e.g. programming, use of modern tools)

So� skills (e.g. communica�on skills, comprehensive skills)

1% 3% 18% 22%

4% 11% 28% 43%

0% 6% 29% 35%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Availability ofconnec�vity

infrastructure withthe candidates

Difficulty iniden�fying qualitycandidates quickly

Assessment ofability of

candidates to workproduc�vely from

home

Assessment ofap�tude

Assessment

Assessment ofCogni�ve

Assessment

Assessment ofDomain Knowledge

Assessment

Assessment ofPsychometricAssessment

Extreamly Difficult Very Difficult Somewhat Difficult Not very Difficult Not at all Difficult


27

Chart 11 : Strategies adopted by employers to mi�gate hiring related issues

Strategies adopted by employers to mitigate hiring related issues

5.3 Training of new recruits in industries

5.3.1 Methods of training of employees

Chart 12 : Mode of training provided by employers to new recruits

Method of training to new recruits

The above chart indicates that 73.08% of the respondents preferred hands-on experien�al training to new recruits

and 70.51% of respondents preferred online training for providing training to new recruits in AY 2019-20. The

increase in preference for online training of new engineering graduates may be a�ributed to the COVID-19

pandemic and its associated restric�ons. Refer annexure chart 7 & 8 for further categoriza�on of training methods

adopted by employers w.r.t. industrial domains and size of organisa�on.

57.89%

52.63% 52.63%49.12%

35.09%33.33%

26.32%

19.30%

1.75%

Hiring throughReferences

StrategicSourcing ofPoten�al

Candidates(relying on

employmentagencies,reputed

ins�tutes etc) )

Pre-EmploymentAssignments and

Tests

Streamlined andStructured Panel

Interviews

Social Media AdCampaigns

Automa�on ofHiring Process

through MachineLearning and AI

Tools

Use of Predic�veAssessment

Tools

Verifica�onthrough Social

MediaCreden�als (eg

LinkedIn, ArthanCareers, etc)

Other

73.08%70.51%

51.92% 51.92%

44.23% 43.59%

Hands-on Experien�alTraining

Online Training Cross Func�onalTraining (Placing

employees in teamswith diverse func�onal

exper�se)

Internship (Prac�calknowledge)

Classroom Training(Theore�cal knowledge)

Deputa�on to SpecificProjects

5.3.2 Training period

Chart 13 : Dura�on of training provided to new recruits in months

Training provided to new recruits

46% of engineering graduates were provided training for minimum of up to 6 months by their respec�ve

organisa�ons whereas 31% of engineering graduates were provided training for up to a month in AY 2019-20.


28

9.62%

32.05%

45.51%

12.18%

Up to a Week Up to a Month Up to 6 Months More than 6 Months

Chart 14 : Training dura�on provided to new recruits w.r.t. industrial domains

Training tenure for new engineers across industries

The above graph depicts the training period provided to new engineering graduates based on industry domain.

The maximum training dura�on were recorded by the electrical/electronic and mechanical industrial sectors,

whereas training for the shortest dura�on were recorded by civil and service sectors. It has been observed that a

similar trend of training up to 6 months or more (refer annexure 9) has been provided by large and medium scale

industries. As it can be seen that most of the industries provided training for up to 6 months, indica�ng a scope of

improvement for prac�cal exposure during academic engagements at the ins�tute level. Similar opinions were

shared by employers during FGD engagements pertaining to training and internship period.

25%

7% 6% 6%

15%

25%

20%

36%

24%

39%38%

40%

53% 52%

37%

13%

33%

6%

18%

9%




Chart 15 : A�ri�on rate within a year of joining

Attrition rate of new recruits in AY 2019-20

5.4 A�ri�on rate

A�ri�on rate of an organisa�on/company indicates

the number of employees that move out of that

company over a specific dura�on of �me. Given

that employers invest a substan�al amount of �me

and money on training new engineering recruits,

a�ri�on becomes an important factor to consider

while selec�ng suitable candidates for a role.

The above chart indicates that 55.13% of the

organiza�ons had an a�ri�on rate of less than 10%

whereas only 12.18% organiza�ons reported an

a�ri�on rate of more than 25%, repor�ng a major

improvement over the previous year where 22% of

the employers reported an a�ri�on rate of above

25% (refer annexure 10). The findings were

29

Approximately 68% of engineering graduates le� their respec�ve organisa�ons in pursuit higher academic

opportuni�es whereas 61% and 37% of engineering graduates le� their respec�ve organisa�ons to pursue be�er

career prospects and family reasons respec�vely.

Chart 16 : Reasons for a�ri�on

Reason stated by engineers while leaving the job within a year

It becomes a ma�er of concern when an

organisa�on faces loss in case of new employees

leaving prematurely (within a year). The

ques�onnaire has been used to collate employer

responses (across industry domains) regarding the

approximate percentage of new engineering

recruits who le� the organiza�on within a year and

the reasons quoted by them for the same.

consistent with the observa�ons made in FGDs

where the employers stated that a�ri�on had not

been a problem in the current year. With insights

from industries, highest a�ri�on rate (i.e. more

than 25%) was observed from IT/ITeS, whereas less

than 10% a�ri�on was observed for mechanical and

service sectors (refer annexure chart 11 & 12).

55.13%

32.69%

12.18%

Less than 10% 10%-25% Above 25%

61.54%67.95%

37.18%

Be�er Career Prospects Higher Educa�on Family/Personal Reasons


Chart 17: Average importance vs. sa�sfac�on w.r.t. each a�ributes of so� skills

Mean of Importance & Satisfaction of Soft Skills for AY 2019-20

5.5 Importance vs. Sa�sfac�on

Employer Sa�sfac�on regarding performance of

engineering graduates has been gauged with

respect to the importance given by them for those

par�cular skills (so� skills and technical skills).

From the study, it evident that there exists a gap

between the industrial expecta�on/requirement

and sa�sfac�on level from new engineers. The

chart below shows mean of responses by

The above chart indicates that Willingness to learn

has emerged as the most important so� skill in AY

2019-2020, followed by integrity, teamwork and

flexibility. The average performance for so� skills

has been the highest for willingness to learn,

teamwork, integrity. According to Spearman's

30

employers to importance and sa�sfac�on levels

rated from 1 to 5 (5 for extremely important or

sa�sfied to 1 for not at all important or sa�sfied).

Effort should be made to minimise these gaps for

overall greater sa�sfac�on of employers. In order

to understand the re la�onship between

importance and sa�sfac�on, the spearman's rank

of correla�on test was performed.

Rank-Order Correla�on, a strong posi�ve

correla�on exists between the means of

importance and sa�sfac�on for different a�ributes

of so� skills with ρ = +0.96154 (refer annexure table

1).

Mean : Importance of so� skills (2019-20) Mean : Performance So� Skills (2019-20)

4.624.54

4.44 4.43 4.39 4.38 4.364.22 4.20

4.00 3.98 3.96

3.79

3.42 3.37 3.393.25 3.30 3.25 3.29 3.25 3.20 3.19

3.09 3.10 3.05

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

WIL

LIN

GN

ESS

TO L

EAR

N

INTE

GR

ITY

TEA

MW

OR

K

FLEX

IBIL

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DIS

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LIN

E

REL

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ILIT

Y

AC

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TS R

ESP

ON

SIB

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Y FO

R

CO

NSE

QU

ENC

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F A

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CR

EATI

VIT

Y

MET

AC

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SKIL

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ENG

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UN

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TIO

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KIL

LS

ENTR

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LEA

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SK

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AW

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S O

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VIR

ON

MEN

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STA

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BIL

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SOC

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RES

PO

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BIL

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ISSU

ES


Chart 18: Average importance vs. sa�sfac�on w.r.t. each a�ributes of technical skills

Mean of Importance & Satisfaction of Technical Skills for AY 2019-20

The above chart indicates that most important

technical skills for AY 2019-2020 were engineering

knowledge followed by basic computer skills,

corresponding to which, the performance has also

been highest amongst all a�ributes. According to

31

Spearman's Rank-Order Correla�on, a strong

posi�ve correla�on exists between the means of

importance and sa�sfac�on for different a�ributes

of technical skills with ρ = +0.9424 (refer annexure

table 2).

4.314.22

4.144.05 4.04 4.02

3.943.88 3.88

3.40

3.183.30

3.09 3.07 3.08 3.04 3.03 3.042.92

2.85

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5EN

GIN

EER

ING

KN

OW

LED

GE

BA

SIC

CO

MP

UTE

R S

KIL

LS

AB

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Y TO

IDEN

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, FO

RM

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OLV

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CH

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PR

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AB

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USE

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, EQ

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ND

TE

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Mean : Importance of Technical Skills (2019-20) Mean : Performance of Technical Skills (2019-20)

5.6 Sa�sfac�on Level – TEQIP and Non-TEQIP

Difference in satisfaction levels of soft skills between TEQIP-III and non-TEQIP

The above chart shows the difference in performance in so� skills of engineering graduates from TEQIP-III and

non-TEQIP ins�tutes. It can be observed that the performance of engineering graduates from TEQIP-III ins�tutes

Chart 19 : Difference in performance of so� skills w.r.t. TEQIP-III and non-TEQIP III

0.17

0.16

0.15

0.15

0.09

0.08

0.07

0.03

0.03

0.03

0.01

-0.07

-0.08

-0.1 -0.05 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2

Metacogni�ve skills

Crea�vity

Teamwork

Willingness to learn

Accepts responsibility for consequences of ac�on

English Communica�on skills

Discipline

Leadership skills

Reliability

Integrity

Flexibility

Entrepreneurial skills

Awareness of environment/…


32

for metacogni�ve skills, crea�vity, teamwork, willingness to learn, accept responsibility for consequences of

ac�on, English communica�on skills, discipline, leadership skills, reliability, integrity and flexibility is be�er than

those from non-TEQIP. While, employers have recorded higher levels for awareness for environment/

sustainability/social responsibility issues, and entrepreneurial skills for non-TEQIP engineering graduates when

compared to TEQIP ins�tutes.

Applying t-test for two sample with unequal variances to determine the level of employer's sa�sfac�on regarding

so� skills of engineers from TEQIP-III assisted ins�tutes to non-TEQIP ins�tutes.

For so� skills, P(T<=t) = 0.016128812 at significance level = 0.05 (refer annexure table 3)

Since, 0.016128812 < 0.05, the difference between two means is sta�s�cally significant i.e. difference between the

sa�sfac�on levels regarding so� skills between TEQIP-III and non-TEQIP ins�tutes show adequate evidence to be

sta�s�cally significant.

Similarly, it can be observed that engineering graduates from TEQIP-III ins�tutes score be�er than non-TEQIP in all

skills other than research and experimenta�on, economics and finances, and interdisciplinary skills. Engineering

graduates from TEQIP-III ins�tutes score well for skills such as those related to ability to use appropriate and

modern tools specific to their jobs, high order technical skills, basic computer, engineering knowledge, ability to

iden�fy, formulate and solve technical/inter-disciplinary problems, and data analysis.

Similarly, applying t-test to determine the level of employer's sa�sfac�on regarding technical skills of engineers

from TEQIP-III assisted ins�tutes to non-TEQIP ins�tutes.

For technical skills of, P(T<=t) = 0.160960049 at significance level = 0.05 (refer annexure table 4)

Since, 0.160960049 > 0.05, the difference between two means is not sta�s�cally significant, i.e. difference

between the sa�sfac�on levels regarding technical skills between TEQIP-III and non-TEQIP ins�tutes show

adequate evidence to be marginally significant.

Chart 20 : Difference in performance of technical skills w.r.t. TEQIP III and non-TEQIP III

Difference in satisfaction levels of technical skills between TEQIP-III and non-TEQIP

0.20

0.15

0.15

0.10

0.06

0.05

0.00

-0.04

-0.08

-0.09

-0.15 -0.1 -0.05 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25

Ability to use appropriate and modern tools,equipment, and technologies specific to their jobs

High order technical skills

Basic computer skills

Engineering knowledge

Ability to iden�fy, formulate, and solvetechnical/inter-disciplinary problems

Data Analysis

Ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs

Interdisciplinary skills

Economics and Finance

Research and Experimenta�on


33

Table 3 : Sa�sfac�on of employers across sectors from new engineers graduated from TEQIP-III & non-TEQIP assisted ins�tutes

TEQIP-III

Importance: So� Skills

Sa�sfac�on: So� Skills

Importance: Technical Skills

Sa�sfac�on: Technical Skills





Electrical / Electronics

IT/ITeS Mechanical Services

4.57 4.37 4.21 4.39 4.33

3.23 3.29 3.39 2.97 3.28

4.18 4.17 3.95 4.02 4.01

3.02 3.07 3.29 2.71 3.04

4.68 4.26 4.08 4.21 4.20

3.40 3.47 3.32 2.88 3.21

4.07 4.11 3.89 3.95 3.97

3.40 3.18 3.14 2.79 2.98

Civil

Non-TEQIP

In the above table, maximum importance of skills was preferred by civil industrial sector while lowest sa�sfac�on

with skills was recorded by the mechanical industries,

Similar observa�ons regarding sa�sfac�on with skills across size and scale of industries has been recorded with

highest importance and sa�sfac�on being registered from large scale industries whereas small scale industries

were the least sa�sfied. This may be related to the less capacity of small scale industries to provide proper training

to engineering graduates to meet industrial expecta�ons.

Table 4 : Sa�sfac�on of employers across different size and scale of industries from new engineers graduated from TEQIP-III & non-TEQIP assisted ins�tutes

TEQIP-III










4.41 4.19 4.25 4.29

3.38 3.20 3.14 3.24

4.07 3.98 3.93 3.94

3.18 3.05 2.92 3.03

4.21 4.22 4.13 4.21

3.20 3.29 3.08 3.21

4.01 3.89 3.93 4.13

3.13 3.05 2.89 2.70

Non TEQIP-III

Overall satisfaction AY 2019-20

Chart 21 : Overall sa�sfac�on of so� skills and technical skills for TEQIP III v non-TEQIP III for AY 2019-20

3.27

3.08

3.20

3.03

2.5

2.75

3

3.25

3.5

Overall So� Skills Overall Technical Skills

TEQIP Non-TEQIP


34

There has been an overall increase in performance of engineering graduates from TEQIP-III ins�tutes with regard

to both technical and so� skills when compared to non-TEQIP ins�tutes.

5.7.1 So� skills

Even though technical skills are extremely important, so� skills are considered equally cri�cal by employers when

hiring people for their organisa�ons. Skills such as integrity, entrepreneurial skills, teamwork etc. demonstrate a

person's ability to think as well as communicate effec�vely while working, thereby play a key role in determining

their performance.

Through the ques�onnaire, employer responses have been collected and collated to gauge their sa�sfac�on

regarding the so� skills of employees. A comparison between their sa�sfac�on levels corresponding to each

a�ributes of so� as well as technical skills has also been made between AY 2017-18,2018-19 and 2019-20

respec�vely.

Chart 22 : Sa�sfac�on of so� skills and technical skills for TEQIP III v non-TEQIP III from 2017 to 2020

Overall satisfaction across TEQIP-III & non-TEQIP

3.42 3.44

3.273.19

3.24

3.08

3.33

3.41

3.20

2.93 2.93

3.03

2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020 2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020

Overall So� Skills Overall Technical Skills

TEQIP-III Non-TEQIP

5.7 Compara�ve analysis

Chart 23 : Importance rated by employees w.r.t. each a�ributes of so� skills for TEQIP-III

Importance of Soft Skills w.r.t. TEQIP-III

3.75

4

4.25

4.5

4.75

Flex

ibili

ty

Entr

epre

neu

rial

ski

lls

Rel

iab

ility

Inte

grit

y

Team

wo

rk

Will

ingn

ess

to le

arn

Lead

ersh

ip s

kills

Engl

ish

Co

mm

un

ica�

on

ski

lls

Aw

aren

ess

of

envi

ron

men

t/su

stai

nab

ility

/so

cial

res

po

nsi

bili

ty is

sues

Dis

cip

line

Acc

epts

res

po

nsi

bili

ty f

or

con

seq

uen

ces

of

ac�

on

Met

aco

gni�

ve s

kills

Cre

a�vi

ty

Average Importance of so� skills (2017-18) Average Importance of so� skills (2018-19) Average Importance of so� skills (2019-20)


35

The major trends to be observed from the above chart are that importance of so� skills are con�nuously

increasing over the years, especially with regard to metacogni�ve, accepts responsibility, crea�vity, discipline,

willingness to learn, teamwork, integrity and English communica�on skills.

Chart 24 : Sa�sfac�on of employees w.r.t. each a�ributes of so� skills

Satisfaction of employees w.r.t each attributes of soft skills

Average Performance So� Skills (2017-18) Average Performance So� Skills (2018-19) Average Performance So� Skills (2019-20)

In contrast to the increase in importance of so� skills over the years, there was a marginal decline in performance

for AY 2019-20 with reference to previous years. But over the years, difference in skills such as willingness to learn,

crea�vity, metacogni�ve skills and teamwork have not been affected.

Chart 25 : Overall sa�sfac�on level of so� skills

Overall satisfaction of soft skills

3.42 3.44

3.27

2.5

2.75

3

3.25

3.5

Average Performance So� Skills(2017-18)



From the above chart, it is evident that there has been an increase in overall sa�sfac�on levels from AY 2017-18 to

2018-19 followed by a slight decrease in AY 2019-20 when compared to previous years. This decrease may be

a�ributed to the COVID-19 pandemic associated disrup�on as well as increased expecta�ons of industry and rise

in par�cipa�on of large scale industries.

3

3.25

3.5

3.75

Flex

ibili

ty

Entr

epre

neu

rial

ski

lls

Rel

iab

ility

Inte

grit

y

Team

wo

rk

Will

ingn

ess

to le

arn

Lead

ersh

ip s

kills

Engl

ish

Co

mm

un

ica�

on

ski

lls

Aw

aren

ess

of

envi

ron

men

t/su

stai

nab

ility

/so

cial

res

po

nsi

bili

ty is

sues

Dis

cip

line

Acc

epts

res

po

nsi

bili

ty f

or

con

seq

uen

ces

of

ac�

on

Met

aco

gni�

ve s

kills

Cre

a�vi

ty


36

5.7.2 Technical skills

Employer sa�sfac�on depends upon the technical skills of engineers who have been hired and trained within the

organisa�ons to perform specific roles. Through the survey, employer responses have been collected and collated

to gauge their sa�sfac�on regarding the technical skills (such as engineering knowledge, basic computer skills,

high-order technical skills, data analysis, research and experimenta�on etc.) of their engineering graduates who

are employed by them. A comparison between the sa�sfac�on levels has also been made for AY 2017-18, 2018-19

and 2019-20.

Chart 26 : Importance rated by employees w.r.t. each a�ributes of technical skills for TEQIP-III

Importance of technical skills w.r.t. TEQIP-III

3.25

3.5

3.75

4

4.25

4.5

Engi

nee

rin

g kn

ow

led

ge

Bas

ic c

om

pu

ter

skill

s

Hig

h o

rder

tec

hn

ical

ski

lls

Ab

ility

to

use

ap

pro

pri

ate

and

mo

der

n t

oo

ls,

equ

ipm

ent,

and

tec

hn

olo

gies

spec

ific

to t

hei

r jo

bs

Ab

ility

to

iden

�fy

, fo

rmu

late

, an

dso

lve

tech

nic

al/i

nte

r-d

isci

plin

ary

pro

ble

ms

Ab

ility

to

des

ign

a s

yste

m,

com

po

nen

t, o

r p

roce

ss t

o m

eet

des

ired

nee

ds

Dat

a A

nal

ysis

Eco

no

mic

s an

d F

inan

ce

Inte

rdis

cip

linar

y sk

ills

Res

earc

h a

nd

Exp

erim

enta

�o

n

Average Importance of Technical Skills (2017-18) Average Importance of Technical Skills (2018-19) Average Importance of Technical Skills (2019-20)

Similar to the importance of so� skills, importance of technical skills has also increased over the years for

employers except for skills related to economics and finance. Major increases were observed in importance of

skills related to research and experimenta�on, high order technical skills, basic computer knowledge, data analysis

and ability to iden�fy, formulate and solve technical/inter-disciplinary problems.

Chart 27 : Performance of employees w.r.t. each a�ributes of technical skills

Performance on technical skills w.r.t TEQIP-III

2.75

3

3.25

3.5

Engi

nee

rin

g kn

ow

led

ge

Bas

ic c

om

pu

ter

skill

s

Hig

h o

rder

tec

hn

ical

ski

lls

Ab

ility

to

use

ap

pro

pri

ate

and

mo

der

n t

oo

ls,

equ

ipm

ent,

and

tec

hn

olo

gies

spec

ific

to t

hei

r jo

bs

Ab

ility

to

iden

�fy

, fo

rmu

late

,an

d s

olv

ete

chn

ical

/in

ter-

dis

cip

linar

yp

rob

lem

s

Ab

ility

to

des

ign

a s

yste

m,

com

po

nen

t, o

r p

roce

ss t

o m

eet

des

ired

nee

ds

Dat

a A

nal

ysis

Eco

no

mic

s an

d F

inan

ce

Inte

rdis

cip

linar

y sk

ills

Res

earc

h a

nd

Exp

erim

enta

�o

n

Average Performance of Technical Skills (2017-18) Average Performance of Technical Skills (2018-19) Average Performance of Technical Skills (2019-20)


37

In contrast to the increase in importance of technical skills over the years, there has been a marginal decline in

performance in AY 2019-20 with reference to previous years.

Chart 28 : Sa�sfac�on of employees w.r.t. each a�ributes of technical skills

Overall satisfaction level of technical skills

3.193.24

3.08

2.5

2.75

3

3.25

3.5

Average Performance of TechnicalSkills (2017-18)



In the above charts, there has been a consistent increase in sa�sfac�on level of engineering graduates from TEQIP-

III supported ins�tutes for both technical and so� skills in the previous academic years (2017-18 to 2018-19), with

minor decline recorded for performance in AY 2019-20.

Chart 29 : Overall importance & sa�sfac�on regarding skills of engineers from TEQIP-III ins�tutes

Overall importance & satisfaction w.r.t. TEQIP-III

5.8 Visited but not recruited

Out of the 235 respondents, 20 employers visited the campus for recruitment but did not recruit any engineering

graduates for employment in AY 2019-20.

It has been observed o�en �mes that as a consequence of reasons mostly unknown, companies who visit

engineering ins�tutes for recrui�ng purposes end up not recrui�ng at all. The objec�ve is to iden�fy the gaps or

the unavailability of appropriate skills that resulted in the failure of the final selec�on.

4.19

3.42

3.89

3.19

4.22

3.44

3.92

3.24

4.31

3.27

4.01

3.08

2.5

2.75

3

3.25

3.5

3.75

4

4.25

4.5

Overall Importance Overall Sa�sfac�on Overall Importance Overall Sa�sfac�on

So� Skills Technical Skills

2017-18 2018-19 2019-20


38

Based on the discussion from FGDs, employers highlighted lack of flexibility and crea�vity as areas of concern.

Engineering graduates lack the so� skills to quickly adapt themselves in this rapidly changing world of technology

and market. In this period due to the COVID-19 pandemic related disrup�ons, some of the employers were not

able to complete the recruitment in TEQIP-III supported ins�tutes. The need for the newly graduated engineers is

to build the right a�tude for the work.

5.8.1 Factors for not hiring

Chart 30 : Gaps in technical skills vs. so� skills for employers who visited but did not recruit

Top reason for not hiring after visiting the institutes AY 2019-20

In this chart, emphasis has been laid on the gaps exis�ng with regard to so� skills and technical skills possessed by

engineering graduates. It is evident that technical skills that are most lacking include research and

experimenta�on skills, engineering knowledge, ability to use appropriate and modern tools and equipment. Gaps

in so� skills were recorded for entrepreneurial skills, flexibility and willingness to learn. For gaps iden�fied a�er

visi�ng the ins�tutes but not recruits any engineers in both 2017-18 & 2018-19, refer annexure chart 17.

Gaps were also recorded for core engineering knowledge; ability to iden�fy, formulate, and solve technical/ inter-

disciplinary problems. Engineering graduates while possessing basic core discipline knowledge, were not aware of

the latest technical trends of the market.

5.9 COVID-19 pandemic impact

5.9.1 Emerging technical and so� skills

Chart 31 : Emerging so� skills and technical skills as per industrial sector in light of pandemic

Emerging technical & soft skills

62.50% 60.80% 60.23%

52.27%

78.98%75.00%

67.05%60.80%

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

Ar�ficialIntelligence

Virtual work skills Machine Learning Cloud BasedCompu�ng

Adaptability Communica�onSkills

Proac�veness Emo�onalQuo�ent

Technical Skills So� Skills

0.55

0.45 0.45 0.45

0.35

0.50.45 0.45

0.4 0.4

Res

earc

h a

nd

Exp

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ills

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/in

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s w

ell t

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ty (

Iden

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pro

ach

es t

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lem

s)

Technical Skills So�s Skills


39

This chart shows the top emerging so� skills and technical skills in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Technical skills

such as ar�ficial intelligence, machine learning and cloud based compu�ng have emerged as relevant technical

skills. In light of changing dimensions of workplace adaptability to virtual work skills has also become an important

so� and technical skills. Communica�on, pro-ac�veness and emo�onal quo�ent are the major so� skills which

have emerged. For new emerging skills (technical and so�) w.r.t. industrial sectors and size, refer annexure chart

13, 14, 15 & 16.

Chart 32 : Industry percep�ons on quality of distance learning in TEQIP-III ins�tutes

Perception regarding quality of distance learning platforms relevant to TEQIP-III institutes

As shown in above graph, majority of the employers reported moderate deteriora�on in the quality of learning

and skills.

Chart 33 : Industry percep�ons on distance learning in TEQIP-III ins�tutes

Industries perception related to distance learning in TEQIP-III institutes

5.9.2 Percep�ons of employers regarding impact on quality of learning and skills due to distance learning in

TEQIP-III ins�tutes

In the above chart, employers from all the sectors have recorded percep�ons of moderate levels of deteriora�on

in learning outcomes from online learning tools.

10% 11%

19%

49%

10%

Major Improvement inQuality of Learning

and Skills

ModerateImprovement in

Quality of Learningand Skills

No impact ModerateDeteriora�on in

Quality of Learningand Skills

Major Deteriora�on inQuality of Learning

and Skills

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Maj

or

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men

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40

Chart 34 : Industry percep�ons on the impact of COVID-19 employment opportuni�es

Impact on the availability of employment opportunities

As shown in above graph, majority of the employers reported moderate deteriora�on in the quality of learning

and skills.

5.9.3 Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on employment opportuni�es

The data in this sec�on represents the impact of various factors on the overall sa�sfac�on through a cross-sec�on

data analysis (limited to the scope of this study). This data may be useful to iden�fy areas that can be par�cularly

targeted to improve the overall sa�sfac�on of employers from engineering graduates.

Disrup�ve change in the medium of instruc�on from physical learning to virtual learning amidst lack of

preparedness of educa�onal ins�tutes has impacted the quality of learning and skills of students. The socio-

economic dispari�es in terms of access to infrastructure, awareness, other resources have amplified the adverse

impact of COVID-19 on delivery of quality educa�on to the students. The imposi�on of lockdowns led to

temporary shutdown of various industries, which had a cascading impact on industrial exposure of engineering

graduates. This had a bearing on performance of engineering graduates and their work produc�vity. The changing

paradigm par�cularly impacted the industries requiring physical engagement of employees such as civil,

electrical, mechanical industries.

Chart 35 : Impact of Distance Learning on the Quality of Leaning and skills of engineering graduates in TEQIP-III ins�tutes

5.10 Factors Impac�ng Sa�sfac�on Level of Employers

Satisfaction level of employers related to online learning for TEQIP

Improvement No impact Deteriora�on Average TEQIP

3.623.53

3.243.153.11

2.85

3.27

3.08

Avg Sa�sfac�on : So� Skills Avg Sa�sfac�on : Technical Skills

The above chart indicates that the experience and percep�on of employers pertaining to impact of distance

learning has a bearing on the sa�sfac�on of employers from engineering recruits. As the chart represents that the

6%

22%

37%

25%

10%

Major Increase Moderate Increase No Impact Moderate Decrease Major Decrease


41

Chart 36 : A�ri�on and Sa�sfac�on

Attrition & satisfaction

employers who reported an improvement in the quality of learning and skills of engineering graduates also

reported a higher sa�sfac�on as compared to those who reported a deteriora�on as well as the average

sa�sfac�on for so� and technical skill a�ributes for TEQIP recruits. Whereas those who reported no impact

recorded similar sa�sfac�on to the overall TEQIP average.

3.25

3.09

3.36

3.123.07

2.9

3.28

3.09

So� skill average Tech Skill average

Less than 10% 10% - 25% More tha 25% Overall TEQIP sa�sfa�on

The above data shows mixed results in order to understand a clear rela�onship between rate of a�ri�on and the

overall sa�sfac�on. The employers who reported an a�ri�on rate of less than 10% reported similar sa�sfac�on to

the overall average for so� and technical skills and those who reported an a�ri�on rate of more than 25% reported

a lower sa�sfac�on. It is interes�ng to note that the employers who reported an a�ri�on rate between 10 to 25%

also reported a higher sa�sfac�on. The data is consistent with the response received from the employers during

the FGD regarding the a�ri�on rate where most of the employers reported that a�ri�on has not been a concern

for recruits from 2019-20 batch due to the COVID induced economic disrup�ons.

Chart 37 : Average sa�sfac�on of employers' vis-a-vis difficulty experienced during recruitment

Average satisfaction of employers vis-a-vis difficulty experienced during recruitment

Faced difficul�ty Average TEQIP Not faced any difficulty

The above chart shows that employers who do not face difficulty with regard to recruitment are experiencing the

highest levels of sa�sfac�on with so� and technical skills when compared to those facing difficul�es and those

recrui�ng from TEQIP-III ins�tutes.

3.20

3.01

3.27

3.08

3.38

3.21



42

Chart 38 : Sa�sfac�on level of employers w.r.t industrial exposure

Satisfaction level of employers w.r.t industrial exposure

The above chart indicates that those employers that have higher levels of sa�sfac�on with industry exposure also

have overall higher levels of sa�sfac�on with the so� and technical skills of engineering graduates from the

respec�ve ins�tutes.

2.73

2.50

3.27

3.08

3.39

3.21


Those not sa�sfied with industrial exposure Average TEQIP Those sa�sfied with industrial exposure

6. FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION

Date - 13/07/21

Dura�on - 3PM to 4:30PM

Sectors - Mechanical

Par�cipa�ng Organisa�ons:

I. Bosch

II. Larsen & Toubro Ltd.

III. Think Gas

IV. SNL Bearings

V. AJR Oil and Gas

VI. Walchandnagar Industries Ltd.

VII. Super Smelters Ltd.

Key Points of Discussion

• Engineering graduates are lacking in so� skills

such as presenta�on and communica�on

abili�es, despite having amazing ideas and

technical understanding they fail at expressing

it

• Fresher also lack the necessary industrial

experience and problem-solving skills

• Present online learning & teaching methods

are not best for courses like engineering. Need

to adopt 3D modelling techniques in order to

improve overall learning experience

• Educa�onal ins�tu�ons have not sufficient �e-

ups with the industries to provide internship to

fresh graduates

• The curriculum is not upda�ng according to

i n d u st r y re q u i re m e n t a n d c h a n g i n g

technologies. Curriculum should update on a

regular basis to meet the needs of industry and

also to boost engineers' future employment

prospects

• Ins�tutes should also adopt techniques to

aware their graduates regarding various

industrial standards used these days in

respec�ve industrial domains

Sugges�ons

• Special sessions/modules should be focused on

d e v e l o p i n g g e n e r a l p e r s o n a l i t y

(communica�on, presenta�on, confidence,

etc.)

• Industrial internships should be incorporated in

the third year so that Engineering graduates

can concentrate on their internship learning

for at least another year

• New tools and techniques should be included in

the course curriculum

• Investment in technology and virtual reality

should be given priority

• Improvements observed due to TEQIP

interven�on in technical educa�on & thus

horizon of TEQIP needs to expand to more

colleges

43

6.1 Focus Group Discussion 1


44

Date - 14/07/21


Sectors - Agro, Pharma & Service industries


I. Interna�onal Flavours & Fragrances India

Pvt Ltd

II. ITC

III. RSWM

IV. Tandem Research

V. Satwik Mediequip Global Pvt. Ltd.

VI. INDIAN BIOGAS ASSOCIATION

VII. GRC consultancy

VIII. Aar� Industries Limited


• Engineering graduates are equipped with

theore�cal knowledge but lack industrial

exposure

• The imbalance between weak ar�cula�on,

communica�on skills, and sound crea�ve,

technical skills creates a barrier in transla�ng

their ideas and problem solving/innova�ve

ability

• Teaching techniques and equipment's are not

latest, college infrastructure, machines are not

in par with the industries

Sugges�ons

• It is necessary to build curriculum and make it

industry-ready, prac�cal knowledge should be

g i ve n m o re we i g ht t h a n t h e o re � ca l

informa�on. Industrial ins�tute interface can

be included in the updated curriculum

• Training must be given for so� skills as well as

facets such as presenta�on, problem solving,

decision making, and collabora�ve skills.

• There should be focus on developing strong

interdisciplinary skills such as, poli�cal, social,

economic and dynamics of environment

• Conduc�ng internships between the first and

second years should be priori�sed, it's

important to remember that at least 6 months

of industrial exposure is required

• The importance of conceptual clearance

should be emphasised on

• A digital portal across all engineering colleges

so that that students of �er 2 and �er 3 colleges

are not devoid of the opportunity given to Tier

1 colleges

Sugges�on for improvement Post Pandemic:

Virtual internships can be a be�er way amidst

pandemic as everyone is embracing the virtual

reality and it will be of great value to the students.



45


Date - 15/07/21


Sectors - IT/ITeS


I. Flipkart

II. Infosys

III. Adobe

IV. Capgemini India

V. Smart Brains (HCL)

VI. Accenture

VII. Global Archer Consultancy

VIII. nVipani Technologies, Bangalore

IX. Truminds

X. Pie Infocomm Pvt. Ltd., Lucknow


• College curriculum should be industry-based

to adapt changes and meet industrial needs

• Preferences should be given to hands-on

experience and to solve real-�me problems

• In order to bridge the gap between �er 1 and

�er 2 colleges, equitable employment

opportuni�es should be provided

• Co l leges are unaware of the var ious

technologies available in the market and fail to

educate students about them

• More industries must be linked to colleges as it

necessary to enhance industrial par�cipa�on

to prepare the graduates well for be�er job

prospects

• As new engineering graduates are not well-

versed regarding engineering, thus emphasis

should be placed on ins�lling them since high

school

• Engineering graduates are not ge�ng right

amount of industrial exposure and prac�cal

knowledge

• Engineering graduates are not prepared

according to industry standards therefore,

internship programme needs to be revised.

Exposure to live projects is essen�al, as are

more industry visits

Sugges�ons

• Increasing Industrial Partnership

• Clubs such as oratory and other such clubs

should be created to boost peer learning and

personality development

• To equip engineering recruits for industrial

training and work, online and offline modes of

learning should be used

• Inculca�ng team-building ac�vi�es at colleges

could be beneficial because it creates a

collabora�ve environment at an early stage

• Technical abili�es should be priori�sed

because they are of cri�cal importance in this

sector

Problem faced Post Pandemic

It is difficult to work from home with new recruits

as their training and supervision is incomplete

virtually as well there is lack of communica�on and

interac�on.


46


Date - 16/07/21


Sectors - Electrical/Electronics


I. Trithi Robo�cs

II. MITCON

III. Phoenix Engineering Technologies

IV. Astra Microwave Pvt Ltd.

V. Sahasra Electronics

VI. BioUrja

VII. Presevi Industries Pvt Ltd.

VII. Shapoorji Pallonji


• Engineering graduates lack prac�cal exposure, theore�cal as well as prac�cal applica�on of such knowledge integrity and authen�city

• Graduates should be exposed to industry during their course of educa�on with the help of industry visits and project work. Industry associa�ons and field visits must be made mandatory in the course curriculum

• Infrastructure related to electrical and electronics labs should be developed in engineering colleges as per the latest industrial requirements

• There should be amalgama�on of technical training and behavioural training. Certain management games should be part of the curriculum of engineering graduates in order to improve their behavioural skills

• Students should be encouraged to visit the industry of their choice and interest, so that they can build a correla�on between t h e o re� ca l k n ow l e d ge a n d p ra c � ca l knowledge

• S o � s k i l l s s u c h a s E n g l i s h l a n g u a ge , mul�tasking, presenta�on skills are lacking in engineering graduates along with lack of confidence, conceptual clarity

• The fundamental framework of students is weak. No ski l ls are acquired or even demonstrated while doing their project work

and training provided to them is also not at par with what is required in the industry

Sugges�ons

• Entrepreneurial skills should be encouraged or developed in India by providing necessary linkages with Industry

• Minimum 6 months of internship should be made mandatory

• Industries should be provided with incen�ves (in the form of reduc�on in tax rates or rebates & reduc�on in regulatory compliances – just a sugges�on) as well as proper infrastructure to train the students, furthermore trans-func�onal trainings should be promoted

• So� skills, behavioral skills and presenta�on skills of engineering graduates need to be worked upon

• Project work should be made an independent ac�vity rather than a group exercise, furthermore project work should be supported by state governments or central government in the form of scholarship or funding of future startups, this would lead to an increase in enthusiasm as well as par�cipa�on of students

• Colleges need to bridge the gap between engineering graduates and industries. Colleges should interact with industries as well as graduates in order to coordinate with both of them and make the students aware of latest trends in industry as well as expecta�on of the industries. Such a step would lead to increase in job employment opportuni�es and industries would get trained manpower as per their requirements

Problem faced Post Pandemic:

• COVID-19 has had a major impact on technical educa�on and has raised concerns with respect to gaining of prac�cal exposure by engineering students

• COVID19, has resulted in decreased human interac�on amongst the students and students have forgo�en basic e�que�es such as how to conduct themselves in an interview or being aware of current and general affairs


47


Date - 17/07/21


Sectors - Civil


I. Larsen & Toubro

II. Tata Projects Ltd.

III. Gramco Infratech Pvt Ltd.

IV. UltraTech Cement

V. Voyants

VI. Tata Power

VII. Shapoorji Pallonji

VIII. Dekky Electronics Ltd.

IX. Sterling & Wilson

X. L&T ECC

XI. Southern Railways


• Engineering graduates lack basic technical

s k i l l s r e l a t e d t o d r a � i n g , s o l v i n g

interdisc ipl inary problems, research-

experimenta�on etc.

• There is lack of awareness related to industry as

well as their standards and prac�ces.

Graduates also lack behind in decision making,

p ro b l e m - s o l v i n g , e nt re p re n e u r i a l &

communica�on skills

• The curriculum is not industry-ready and non-

inclusive, it should also include latest so�ware

applica�on, use of equipment and tools, etc.

• There is inequality in the credit system of the

subjects

Sugges�ons

• Engineering graduates should be required to

learn AutoCAD during their internships and

college so that they can get hold of these

technologies

• The learning horizon of engineering graduates

should be expanded, there must be inclusion

of case studies, current affairs, industrial

standards, etc.

• A so� skill course should be developed and

provided to the students

Problem faced Post Pandemic:

Civil engineers cannot benefit from online lessons

since the skills essen�al to make them efficient

must be taught to them in person via offline

classes.


48


Date - 19/07/21


Sectors - Expert Symposium


I. D G A Q A , D e p a r t m e n t o f D e fe n c e

Produc�on, MoD

II. HCL Financial Services

III. Michelin Tires

IV. BHEL

V. Virtusa

VI. Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement

VII. Anubhav Beverage

VIII. Avant Garde Consul�ng


• The new engineer ing graduates lack

comprehension, communica�on and problem-

solving skills

• They have difficulty in ar�cula�ng their project

work due to lack of industrial exposure,

integrity and sincerity

• As graduates lack prac�cal knowledge more

emphasis should be laid on it

• The key area to be focused on is outdated

curriculum; the training �me should be

incorporated in it mandatorily to improve the

employability of new graduates

• COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted

focus of engineering graduates at the

workplace due to increased reliance on remote

working models.

Sugges�ons

• Training period of minimum 6 months needs to

get included in the college curriculum,

mandatorily. It will improve the employability

of the engineers and will also make them

aware about the technical background of

industries

• Industries started accep�ng the cer�ficate of

the online degree courses with equal

weightage to that of the offline course

Problems faced Post Pandemic:

• Due to the fact that students did not have much

industry exposure last year, the training term

for current �mes should be longer than typical

7. KEY FINDINGS

1. Ranking of the ins�tutes, experience with the

previous recruits and past rela�onship with

employers through MoUs are the most

important factors considered by industries

while selec�ng any ins�tute for campus

placements

2. While iden�fying engineers for personal

interview and other recruitment process,

industries focus on grades, project work, & any

relevant internship experience of engineering

graduates. The relevance of project work tends

to increase as the size of organiza�on

decreases. GATE score has become a major

factor in the selec�on of engineering

graduates for civil, electrical & electronics

industries

3. The recruitment of engineer graduates as per

the needs of industry has become a major

challenge for employers. One of the major

factor iden�fied by them is lack of both

technical and so� skills and industry relevant

internship/projects among engineering

graduates. The COVID-19 pandemic and

resul�ng shi� to recruitment via virtual-online

process has increased the challenges of both

iden�fying suitable engineering graduates and

assessing their ability to work from home

through relevant psychometric and ap�tude

capabili�es measures

4. Industries focus on training engineering

graduates in order to align them to the

employer's work culture and job roles. Among

training methods, employers show a clear

preference towards hands-on experien�al

training. With the advent of the COVID-19, the

propor�on of employers making use of online

learning modules to train engineering

graduates, has increased when compared to

years before the pandemic. 45% of employers

have recorded that they provide training up to

6 months while 12% provide more than 6

months of training

5. The a�ri�on rate of engineering graduates

recruited in AY 2019-20 has improved over the

AY 2017-18 and 2019-20. The pursuit of higher

educa�on and be�er career prospects has

been iden�fied by employers as major factors

contribu�ng towards the a�ri�on rate

6. Employers have given the highest importance

to willingness to learn, integrity and teamwork

from so� skills as well as engineering

knowledge, basic computer skills, ability to

iden�fy-solve technical/inter-disciplinary

problems from technical skills as the most

industry centr ic ski l ls expected from

engineering graduates of AY 2019-20

7. Employers have also recorded the highest

sa�sfac�on with wil l ingness to learn,

teamwork, integrity, discipline from the so�

skills along with basic computer skills and

engineering knowledge from the technical

skills of newly recruited engineers in AY 2019-

20

8. The Spearman's Rank-Order correla�ons

coefficient measure between importance and

sa�sfac�on related to all respec�ve a�ributes

of so� skills and technical skills shows that

there exists a strong posi�ve correla�on

between them

9. In the case of employer's sa�sfac�on levels

w.r.t. engineering graduates from TEQIP-III and

non-TEQIP ins�tutes:

a) Engineering graduates from TEQIP-III

49

ins�tutes performed be�er in so� skills

such as metacogni�ve skills, crea�vity,

teamwork and willingness to learn when

compared to engineering graduates from

non-TEQIP ins�tutes. Whereas, in so� skills

such as awareness of environment/

sustainability/social responsibili�es issues

and entrepreneurial skills engineering

graduates from non-TEQIP ins�tutes

performed be�er than those from TEQIP-III

ins�tutes

b) Engineering graduates from TEQIP-III

ins�tutes performed be�er in technical

skills such as the ability to use appropriate

modern tools/equipment/technologies

specific to the required jobs, high order

technical skills and basis computer skills

when compared to non-TEQIP ins�tutes.

Whereas, engineering graduates from non-

TEQIP ins�tutes performed be�er in

technical skills related to research-

experimenta�on, economics-finance and

interdisciplinary skills when compared to

those from TEQIP-III ins�tutes

10. The IT/ITeS sector has recorded highest

sa�sfac�on with both (so� and technical) skills

of engineering graduates from TEQIP-III

ins�tutes when compared to other domains

whereas, employers from mechanical sectors

have lowest sa�sfac�on.

11. In the case of distribu�on of employers by size

of organisa�on, large industries registered

higher sa�sfac�on levels with so� and

technical skills of engineering graduates.

Whereas, small industries have registered

lower levels of sa�sfac�on related to so� and

technical skills of engineering graduates from

TEQIP-III and non-TEQIP ins�tutes

12. Overall sa�sfac�on levels with engineering

graduates from TEQIP-III ins�tutes was higher

than those with graduates from non-TEQIP

ins�tutes over the AY 2017-19, 2018-19 and

2019-20. But the gap between sa�sfac�on

levels regarding engineering graduates from

TEQIP-III and non-TEQIP ins�tutes also narrows

over this period

13. In the case of AY 2019-20, employers have

recorded sta�s�cally significant difference

between sa�sfac�on levels with engineering

graduates from TEQIP-III and non-TEQIP

ins�tutes in the case of so� skills, whereas the

difference in the case of technical skills is only

marginal

14. In the case of employer's overall sa�sfac�on

levels with the technical and so� skills of

engineering graduates from TEQIP-III and non-

TEQIP ins�tutes, TEQIP-III ins�tutes are scoring

consistently higher than non-TEQIP ins�tutes

over the years

15. In the case of employer's overall sa�sfac�on

levels with the technical and so� skills of

engineering graduates from TEQIP- I I I

ins�tutes, an increase in overall sa�sfac�on

levels is recorded from AY 2017-18 to 2018-19

which is followed by a slight decrease in AY

2019-20, this decrease may be a�ributed to the

effects of the COVID-19 pandemic-related

disrup�ons to final semester ac�vi�es and

engineering graduates' professional evalua�on

as well as increased expecta�ons of industry

and rise in par�cipa�on of large scale industries

(as corroborated in FGD 6)

16. Consistent increase has been recorded by

employers regarding the importance of so�

and technical skills over the years, though

there has been a slight decrease in sa�sfac�on

levels for these skills in the AY 2019-20 when

compared with previous AY 2017-18 and 2018-

19

17. There has been no change recorded in

sa�sfac�on levels with skills such as willingness

to learn, crea�vity, metacogni�ve skills and

teamwork for engineering graduates from

TEQIP-III supported ins�tutes when compared

to previous AY 2017-18 and 2018-19

18. Employers have iden�fied that engineering

graduates from TEQIP-III ins�tutes may lack

50


requisite so� skills to effec�vely adapt

themselves to new technology, industry and

market trends. Thus, there is a requirement for

engineering graduates to be open flexible and

crea�ve in their approach while dealing with

work par�cularly w.r.t. COVID-19 related

disrup�ons

19. The importance of technical skills has

increased for employers in the current �me,

and has resulted in an increased focus on skills

such as research and experimenta�on; high

order technical skil ls; basic computer

knowledge; data analysis along with the ability

t o i d e n � f y , f o r m u l a t e a n d s o l v e

technical/inter-disciplinary problems (as

corroborated in FGD 5)

20. Technical skills related to ar�ficial intelligence,

machine learning and cloud-based compu�ng

have emerged as being very relevant to the

industry and market today. In light of changing

nature of the workplace, so� skills such

adaptability w.r.t. to virtual work have become

important. So� skills such as communica�on,

pro-ac�veness along with emo�onal quo�ent

have also been iden�fied by employers as

major emerging so� skills for the present �me

(as corroborated in FGD 1)

51


8. RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Based on interac�ons with employers during

v irtual focus group discuss ions, i t i s

recommended that engineering ins�tutes in

the country which are supported by the TEQIP -

III program of Ministry of Educa�on should

ac�vely enable industry-oriented course

curriculum for technical graduates rela�ng to

all the branches of undergraduate B. Tech./B.

E. programmes.

2. The following is also based on the opinions of

some employers in focus group discussions, it

is recommended that the final year six months

project work/internship curriculum may be

based on industry related issues. The

engineering ins�tutes may encourage final

year students to ac�vely par�cipate in project

work/ research work/industry-based issues in

the concerned field of specialisa�on under the

ins�tute-industry interac�on programme.

3. It is recommended that the final year

curriculum of UG B. Tech. programmes may be

modified in terms of dura�on and their

content. Employers have expressed their

concern on the tenure of project work/

internship. The dura�on may be for a minimum

period of 6 months to 1 year. Under such a

situa�on, the en�re credit system and course

curriculum of UG B. Tech. programme may

require a revision with the ac�ve par�cipa�on

of industry experts during the ins�tute Board

of Studies (BoS) mee�ng.

The present TEQIP-III employer sa�sfac�on survey study has been completed a�er in-depth discussion with

employers of various industries across a number of technical domains as well as different geographical regions.

The detailed survey has insights on improvements based on the sa�sfac�on ra�ngs scale recorded by employers

which include several important a�ributes.

4. In the case of communica�on skills relevant to

technical graduates, engineering ins�tutes

may focus on improvement of communica�on

skills/so� skills of technical graduates. This

may play a significant role in building the

employability of graduate engineers and also

in turn significantly contribute to their career

growth.

5. Although the TEQIP-III program has provided

major support to engineering / technical

ins�tutes in terms of crea�ng infrastructure,

however, there is an urgent need to further

a u g m e n t t h e e x i s � n g s o � s k i l l s /

communica�on skills of engineering graduates

emerging from TEQIP-III supported ins�tutes.

6. Similarly, the exis�ng online learning modes of

teaching and training have increased their

presence in the context of the COVID-19

pandemic, however, some core engineering

branches especially civil and mechanical

engineering need physical modes of teaching

and training in order to adapt core domain

knowledge par�cularly those related to design

and modelling.

7. Engineering ins�tutes need to understand the

exis�ng technical domain challenges faced by

industries and encourage their students to

work on these for their disserta�ons/projects.

This may be the basis for the working of cluster-

based industry-academic associa�ons.

52

The followings are the recommenda�ons that have emerged from this study:

53

8. A common repository of projects/internships/

disserta�ons may be created and maintained

which may bring more opportuni�es to

interested engineering students of TEQIP-III

supported ins�tutes towards their career

building and future professional growth.

9. Keeping in mind the success of the TEQIP-III

programme in terms of improving the

technica l capabi l i�es of engineer ing

graduates, it is recommended that the next

genera�on TEQIP programme may be

launched in the country which can facilitate

infrastructure development in engineering

ins�tutes and catalyse an environment that

can foster learning oriented towards

innova�on among engineering graduates.

10. As TEQIP-III has played an important and

significant role towards improving the quality

of technica l educa�on in India , i t i s

r e c o m m e n d e d t h a t M i n i s t r y o f

Educa�on/NPIU may develop a ra�ng

mechanism in consulta�on with industries and

engineering ins�tutes towards assessing the

quality and level of innova�on of the

disserta�on/project work/undergraduate

research in order to measure the significance

of projects with regard to its applica�on in

solving challenges faced by industries. There

may also be incen�ve mechanism in place to

reward student projects through provisions for

s c h o l a r s h i p s , c a r e e r a d v a n c e m e n t

opportuni�es, job opportuni�es, cash awards,

scien�fic publica�on, IPR patents etc.

11. Ministry of Educa�on may consider suppor�ng

industries through the TEQIP program in terms

of providing incen�ves that can enable in-

house technical training and upskilling in terms

of exis�ng skills of engineering graduates who

have just joined industries. This support may

be in terms of crea�on of infrastructure for in-

house industrial training, relaxing the

regulatory norms, support regarding IPRs,

which may be followed by transfer of

technology through IPR under PPP mode.


9. CONCLUSION

i. The study showed interes�ng results in terms

of marginal decline in overall sa�sfac�on of

employers from engineering graduates for so�

and technical skills as compared to previous

years for both TEQIP as well as Non-TEQIP

ins�tutes. The possible factors and condi�ons

that influenced the sa�sfactory level of

employers along with working capabili�es of

engineers, are:

• Impact on the health and safety of the

engineers and their families, and thus as a

result of this, their performance suffered at

both physical and mental levels. This has

impacted their work schedules, training,

and other extra-curricular ac�vi�es

including hobbies

• Long 2020 lockdown had shown nega�ve

influence on engineering ins�tutes. During

the last semester ac�vi�es in AY 2019-20,

the physical classroom ac�vi�es of

learning-teaching was disrupted and also

due to lack of awareness towards online

learning, university exams, final evalua�on,

and recruitment of engineering graduates

received significant delay in the process

• Reduced interac�ons in the workplace of

new recruits impacted their induc�on,

training, teamwork, overall performance

and professional evalua�on. However,

work-from-home op�on was available at

the end of the year (2020), but it is only

useful to a limited number of industries.

ii. The employers who hired students from TEQIP

assisted engineering ins�tutes reported a

higher sa�sfac�on for so� and technical skills

when compared to employers who recruited

students from Non-TEQIP ins�tutes. The

difference in sa�sfac�on from technical skills,

significantly high (sta�s�cally), is indica�ve of

impact of ini�a�ves taken under TEQIP – III,

where TEQIP –III recruits faired well as

compared to others.

iii. The adap�ve strategies adopted by the

employers have yielded mixed results for those

job-roles that require on-site hands-on-

training but has proved beneficial for IT/ITeS

sector in par�cular. The vola�lity in demand

for various skills along with change in

opera�onal and structural processes in the

organisa�on from March 2020, has increased

t h e d e m a n d fo r s o � s k i l l s , s u c h a s

communica�on, adaptability for effec�ve

professional conduct while working virtually,

as iterated by the employers during the FGD.

iv. The employers emphasized the importance of

availability of latest equipment and machines

in the engineering ins�tutes, par�cularly for

mechanical, electrical and civil engineering

courses, which has been the key focus of TEQIP

– III. Such efforts may further be supplemented

by ensuring access to latest reading material

for research and experimenta�on

54

Based on the findings of the study, following are the outcomes:

10. ANNEXURE

Annexure: Chart

55

Annexure Chart 1 : Sectoral representa�on of par�cipa�ng industries as per industrial domain in 2017-18 & 2018-19

Sectoral Representation 2017-19

Annexure Chart 2 : Sectoral representa�on of par�cipa�ng industries as per size of organisa�on in 2017-18 & 2018-19

Size of the participated organizations 2017-19

13.10%

9.66%

17.93%

17.93%

41.38%

Civil Electrical/Electronics IT/ITeS Mechanical Other

27%

27%

33%

13%


Annexure Chart 3 : Factors for selec�on of ins�tutes for campus placement by different size of organisa�on

Factors related to selection of institutes for campus placement by different size of organisation


56

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Ranking of the ins�tute Experience with previous recruits

Past rela�onships through Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) NBA accredita�on

Proximity from the work place Faculty student ra�o

Others

Annexure Chart 4 : Factors considered by industries for screening candidates

Factors considered by industries for screening candidates

Annexure Chart 5 : Factors considered by industries as per size of organisa�on for screening candidates

Factors considered by industries as per size of organisation for screening candidates

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Grades Project work Any relevant internship experience

Internship with the same company GATE Score Other compe��ve exam score

Others

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Grades Project work Any relevant internship experience

Internship with the same company GATE Score Other compe��ve exam score

Others

Annexure Chart 6 : Difficulty faced by employers during hiring over the year

Difficulty faced by employers during hiring new engineers


57

Annexure Chart 7 : Training tenure for new engineers across industrial domains

Training tenure for new engineers across industries

Annexure Chart 8 : Mode of training adopted for new recruits w.r.t. size of organisa�on

Mode of training for new recruits w.r.t. size of organisation

25%

7% 6% 6%

15%

25%

20%

36%

24%

39%38%40%

53% 52%

37%

13%

33%

6%

18%

9%



3%

11%

42%

33%

11%

3%7%

53%

27%

10%

4%

11%

51%

28%

6%

Extremely Difficult Very Difficult Somewhat Difficult Not very Difficult Not at all Difficult

2017-18 2018-19 2019-20

Hands-on Experien�al Training

Online Training

Classroom Training (Theore�cal knowledge)

Cross Func�onal Training (Placing employees in teams with diverse func�onal exper�se)

Internship (Prac�cal knowledge)

Deputa�on to Specific Projects

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Annexure Chart 9 : Training tenure for new engineers across size of organisa�on

Training tenure for new engineers across different size of organisation


58

Annexure Chart 10 : Comparison of a�ri�on rate over the year

Attrition rate within a year of joining organisation

Annexure Chart 11 : A�ri�on rate across industrial domains

Attrition rate of new engineers across industries

12%

4%

12% 11%

29%33%

30%

56%

40%

50%55%

33%

18%

13%

3%0%



45%

34%

21%

43%

34%

23%

55.13%

32.69%

12.18%

Less than 10% 10%-25% Above 25%

2017-18 2018-19 2019-20

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Civil


IT/ITeS

Mechanical

Services

Less than 10% 10%-25% More than 25%

Annexure Chart 12 : Impact on the availability of employment opportuni�es due to COVID across industrial sectors

Impact on the availability of employment opportunities due to COVID across industrial sectors


59

Annexure Chart 13 : Emerging technical skills w.r.t. industrial domains due to pandemic

Emerging technical skills as per industrial sectors in light of pandemic

Annexure Chart 14 : Emerging technical skills w.r.t. size of organisa�on due to pandemic

Emerging technical skills as per size of organisation in light of pandemic

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Civil


IT/ITeS

Mechanical

Services

Major Increase Moderate Increase No Impact Moderate Decrease Major Decrease

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%


MachineLearning

Virtual workskills

So�warespecific

Proficiency

Cloud BasedCompu�ng

Robo�cs AdvancedAutoma�on

Others


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%


MachineLearning

Virtual workskills

So�warespecific

Proficiency

Cloud BasedCompu�ng

Robo�cs AdvancedAutoma�on

Others


Annexure Chart 15 : Emerging so� skills due to pandemic across industries

Emerging soft skills as per industrial sectors in light of pandemic


60

Annexure Chart 16 : Emerging so� skills due to pandemic across different size of organisa�ons

Emerging soft skills as per size of organisation in light of pandemic

Annexure Chart 17 : Top lacking technical & so� skills that leads to not recruitment a�er visi�ng ins�tutes in 2017-18 & 2018-19

Top reason for not hiring after visiting the institutes AY 2017-18 & 2018-19



0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Emo

�o

nal

Qu

o�

ent

Co

mm

un

ica�

on

Skill

s

Ad

apta

bili

ty

Cre

a�vi

ty

Rec

ep�

ven

ess

Co

mm

itm

ent

Pro

ac�

ven

ess

Dili

gen

ce

Oth

ers

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Emo

�o

nal

Qu

o�

ent

Co

mm

un

ica�

on

Skill

s

Ad

apta

bili

ty

Cre

a�vi

ty

Rec

ep�

ven

ess

Co

mm

itm

ent

Pro

ac�

ven

ess

Dili

gen

ce

Oth

ers

51.67% 51.67%

40.00%35.00% 33.33%

51.67%46.67%

43.33% 43.33%

33.33%

Engi

nee

rin

g kn

ow

led

ge (

Co

reD

isci

plin

e)

Ab

ility

to

iden

�fy

, fo

rmu

late

,an

d s

olv

e te

chn

ical

/in

ter-

dis

cip

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y p

rob

lem

s

Ab

ility

to

use

ap

pro

pri

ate

and

mo

der

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Technical Skills So�s Skills

Annexure Chart 18: Importance and sa�sfac�on of common employers from 2017-18 and/or 2018-19 and 2019-20

Satisfaction level of common employers


61

2.5

2.75

3

3.25

3.5

3.75

4

4.25

4.5

Importance Sa�sfac�on Importance Sa�sfac�on


2017-18 and/or 2018-19 2019-20


62

ƿ = 0.96154

There appears to be a very strong posi�ve correla�on.

There is a 0.1% probability that your null hypothesis is correct p=0.001 (99.9% sta�s�cal significance level). So

you must accept the alterna�ve hypothesis (that there is a very strong posi�ve correla�on between data sets)

and reject the null hypothesis that there is no correla�on.

This correla�on does not imply causa�on. One variable may not cause the other.

Note: ƿ = +1 (indicates a perfect associa�on of ranks and strong posi�ve correla�on between the ranks

obtained in importance and sa�sfac�on regarding skills)

= 0 (indicates no associa�on between ranks)

= -1 (indicates a perfect nega�ve associa�on and strong reverse correla�on between the ranks)

Annexure: Table

Annexure Table 1 : Spearman's Rank order correla�on for so� skills

Mean: Importance of so� skills

(2019-20)

Mean: Performance

So� Skills (2019-20)

Rank (Mean: Importance of so� skills

(2019-20)

Rank (Mean: Performance

so� Skills (2019-20)

Flexibility 4.43 3.25 4 6

Entrepreneurial skills 3.98 3.09 11 12

Reliability 4.38 3.25 6 7

Integrity 4.54 3.37 2 3

Teamwork 4.44 3.39 3 2

Willingness to learn 4.62 3.42 1 1

Leadership skills 3.96 3.10 12 11

English Communica�on skills 4.00 3.19 10 10

Awareness of environment/sustainability/ 3.79 3.05 13 13social responsibility issues

Discipline 4.39 3.30 5 4

Accepts responsibility for 4.36 3.29 7 5consequences of ac�on

Metacogni�ve skills 4.20 3.20 9 9

Crea�vity 4.22 3.25 8 8

A�ributes (So� Skills)

Spearman's Correla�on co-efficient (? or rs) = 1-((6?(square of difference in ranks))/(n(n^2-1)))Where, n = number of a�ributes of skill


63

Annexure Table 2 : Spearman's Rank order correla�on for technical skills

Mean : Importance of Technical Skills

(2019-20)

Mean : Performance of Technical Skills

(2019-20)

Rank (Mean : Importance of technical skills

(2019-20)

Rank (Mean : Performance

technical Skills (2019-20)

Engineering knowledge 4.31 3.18 1 2

Basic computer skills 4.22 3.30 2 1

High order technical skills 4.05 3.07 4 5

Ability to use appropriate and 4.04 3.08 5 4modern tools, equipment and technologies specific to their jobs

Ability to iden�fy, formulate and solve 4.14 3.09 3 3 technical/inter-disciplinary problems

Ability to design a system, component 3.94 3.03 7 8or process to meet desired needs

Data Analysis 4.02 3.04 6 7

Economics and Finance 3.40 2.85 10 10

Interdisciplinary skills 3.88 3.04 8 6

Research and Experimenta�on 3.88 2.92 9 9

Technical Skills

Spearman's Correla�on co-efficient (ƿ or rs) = +0.9424

There appears to be a very strong posi�ve correla�on.

There is a 0.1% probability that your null hypothesis is correct p=0.001 (99.9% sta�s�cal significance level). So

you must accept the alterna�ve hypothesis (that there is a very strong posi�ve correla�on between your data

sets) and reject the null hypothesis that there is no correla�on.

This correla�on does not imply causa�on. One variable may not cause the other.


64

T-test on sa�sfac�on of TEQIP-III and non-TEQIP ins�tutes regarding so� skills-

Annexure Table 3 : T-test for sa�sfac�on of so� skills from TEQIP-III to non-TEQIP ins�tutes of AY 2019-20

2019-2020So� Skills : Sa�sfac�on

Non-TEQIPTEQIP

Mean 3.267143709 3.203846154

Variance 0.020347489 0.008803419

Observa�ons 13 13

Pearson Correla�on 0.840336289

Hypothesized Mean Difference 0

df 12

t Stat 2.797165381

P(T<=t) one-tail 0.008064406

t Cri�cal one-tail 1.782287556

P(T<=t) two-tail 0.016128812

t Cri�cal two-tail 2.17881283

Furthermore, the t-Test: Two-Sample assuming unequal variances has been used to determine whether the

average employer sa�sfac�on level for so� skills in TEQIP-III is significantly different from non-TEQIP in 2019-20.

As per the result P(T<=t) = 0.016128812 with the significance level = 0.05.

Since, 0.016128812 < 0.05, the difference between the two means is sta�s�cally significant.


65

Furthermore, the t-Test: Two-Sample assuming unequal variances has been used to determine whether the

average employer sa�sfac�on level for technical skills in TEQIP-III is significantly different from non-TEQIP in

2019-20.

As per the result P(T<=t) = 0.160960049 with the significance level = 0.05.

Since, 0.160960049 > 0.05, the difference between the two means is not sta�s�cally significant.

Annexure Table 4 : T-test for sa�sfac�on of technical skills from TEQIP-III to non-TEQIP ins�tutes of AY 2019-20

2019-2020Technical Skills : Sa�sfac�on

Non-TEQIPTEQIP

Mean 3.080620155 3.031666667

Variance 0.026737175 0.008407407

Observa�ons 10 10

Pearson Correla�on 0.829556873

Hypothesized Mean Difference 0

df 9

t Stat 1.527599557

P(T<=t) one-tail 0.080480024

t Cri�cal one-tail 1.833112933

P(T<=t) two-tail 0.160960049

t Cri�cal two-tail 2.262157163

T-test on sa�sfac�on of TEQIP-III and non-TEQIP ins�tutes regarding technical

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so�-skills-disconnect/

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Educa�on, 78(2), 273-299.


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