Engineering graduates expressed disappointment at the ‘NaMo Maharojgar Melava’ job fair in Thane, saying few IT companies and multinational corporations participated.
Job seekers said they couldn't find suitable opportunities matching their qualifications. Some complained companies offered courses instead of permanent jobs, and a woman alleged gender bias in a pharma company's hiring. However, freshers seeking data entry, BPO, and sales positions were hopeful.
The two-day fair, which concluded Wednesday, promised exceptional job opportunities for youth. On day one, 21,166 of 61,805 registered candidates were interviewed, with 9,350 receiving job offers. A total of 298 employers participated.
Some students who travelled from the Universal College of Engineering in Vasai criticized the absence of company representatives.
Students who traveled from Universal College of Engineering in Vasai expressed their disappointment to LokmatTimes.com, stating, "In some IT companies like HCL Tech, there were no HRs. We know that it is a big arrangement and interviews are not possible in the fair, but at least HRs should be there. What is the point of traveling 2 hours if companies who promised to come earlier are absent?"
Reputed companies like HCL, TCS, Capgemini, and L&T participated, but some only offered back-office positions. For instance, TCS hired graduates for trainee positions with a starting salary of Rs 15,000 per month. Prashant Tambe from TCS explained, "We are hiring candidates who have completed graduation in courses like BA, BCom, BAF, BBI, and BSC. It will be a trainee job for 15,000 per month. After 6 months of training, candidates will be made permanent employees."
Job seeker Pravesh Upadhyay lamented the lack of opportunities for electronic and software engineers at the job fair, saying, "It is obvious by hearing the name of TCS, all candidates get excited. But they are hiring only for back-office operations and are not interested in hiring people with more educational qualifications."
Capgemini, on the other hand, showed interest only in 2023 pass-out students. Wasim Patel, who completed Instrumentation Engineering, expressed his disappointment, stating, "I came here with a lot of hope, but I think I have to find a job through LinkedIn or Naukri.com only as there is no option here."
Candidates from the hospitality and manufacturing sector were hopeful of being selected for further rounds of interviews after submitting their CVs. Some employers emphasized the need for guidance, with 90 percent of the candidates being freshers. An employer from Bajaj Life Insurance commented, "Candidates don’t want to come in sales and marketing. Instead, they want jobs in operations and back-office. This platform is indeed a good opportunity for them to explore, but candidates should also do some research before directly approaching a company."
Companies like JSW Steel Coated Producers Limited, Yuvashakti Skill India Private Limited, and Bharat Financial Inclusion Limited were hiring people who completed their SSC, HSC, Diploma, ITI, etc.
Maharashtra state government officials told LokmatTimes.com that this fair is primarily designed to provide employment to youth and freshers who have completed their basic educational qualifications. "We will definitely try to incorporate more MNCs and IT companies in the upcoming job fairs and raise its standards," a state government official said.