Joining letters in hand, students’ fingers crossed

AMRITSAR : The Covid-19 pandemic may have delayed their joining but no company has gone back on its job offer to students of Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, despite reports of layoffs due to the slowdown.

“The process takes a year. Those offered jobs last year have got their joining letters,” says GNDU placement in-charge Amit Chopra.

“Students hired by leading IT companies in Gurugram, Bangalore and Hyderabad are waiting due to travel restrictions. IT companies are planning online joining,” he said. The hospitality and service sectors have been hit but IT will cover up. “There will be more jobs in IT. Due to the pandemic, everything is being managed online,” he said. ANIL SHARMA

ONLINE HIRING, VIRTUAL JOB FAIRS IN LUDHIANA

LUDHIANA : Due to social distancing, companies are hiring from campuses after online assessments and interviews but the process has been slow.

At Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Ludhiana, the placement cell was able to arrange jobs for only 25 final year students in three months, while 280 students were placed in companies such as Airbus and Samsung before March.

Covid-19 has buoyed hopes in the IT sector. Placement officer GS Sodhi says companies are interested in hiring students of computer science engineering.

More than 200 students of the Industrial Training Institutes have been recruited in the virtual job fair being held along with the district bureau of employment enterprises in the past fortnight. Government ITI, Gill Road, principal Baljinder Singh, says, “The jobs of welder, fitter and machinist are in demand.”

Balwant Singh, 22, a former student of ITI, says, “My class in-charge told me about the virtual job fair through which I’ve been hired by Hero Ecotech Limited at a monthly salary of Rs 17,200.” DEEPA SHARMA SOOD

BATHINDA STUDENTS AWAIT JOBS IN CHANGING TIMES

BATHINDA : Campus placement at the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Technical University in Bathinda failed to take place this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

University placement cell in-charge Harjot Singh Sidhu says exams for the final semester are still to be scheduled, so companies have not approached the institute. “Coronavirus is leading to changes that depend on the market demand. New avenues are opening up,” Sidhu said. VISHAL JOSHI

ONLINE TESTS, INTERVIEWS ON AT LPU, PHAGWARA, PTU

JALANDHAR : The process of online placements for the 2021 batch of Lovely Professional University is underway.

“We have conducted online placements for companies, including multinationals,” says Aman Mittal, who heads the division of international affairs at LPU. The IK Gujral Punjab Technical University (PTU), Kapurthala, conducted its placement drive in May and two companies are in the process of hiring students. Deputy director, corporate relations, Navdeepak Sandhu said that the companies have held online tests and the final recruitment process will start soon. JATINDER MAHAL

LAW FIRMS TAKE ONLINE OPTION FOR HIRING; PATIALA UNIVERSITY GEARS UP

PATIALA : The pandemic has not only delayed the academic session but also affected the placement process at Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL) and Punjabi University.

RGNUL registrar Naresh Kumar Vats said: “Law firms are holding online interviews. Since this is new, it will take a few days to be streamlined.”

Punjabi University placement cell director Manjit Singh says, “Admission was delayed due to Covid. We will invite companies for placement once the situation improves in September,” he said.

Last year, 366 engineering students got jobs in different companies. NAVRAJDEEP SINGH

A pharmaceutical company of Punjab has asked the 10 students it recruited to join as early as possible.

AMIT CHOPRA, GNDU, Amritsar, placement in-charge