Apple, UIDAI, Nasdaq to debut at IIT Madras placements on December 1

As many as 270 companies have registered as on date for more than 400 job profiles at IIT Madras

Final placements process at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras will begin on December 1. Apple Inc., UIDAI and Nasdaq, among others will mark their debut in the placement session.  This is the first time that Apple will be participating in campus placements at several major institutes including IITs and International Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs)

Apart from Apple Inc, UIDAI and Nasdaq, the other first-time companies who have registered for the first phase of placements include UBS AG, Alvarez and Marsal India Pvt Ltd, Country Garden, Halma India Pvt Ltd, Rubrik, and Sekisui Chemical. 

As many as 270 companies have registered on date for more than 400 job profiles at IIT Madras.  This is an increase from last year, which saw a total of 250 companies. Of these, close to 15 per cent are first-time recruiters. 

The first phase of the campus placements at IIT Madras will begin on December 1 and go on till December 10, 2017 with a break of one day on December 05, 2017 in between, the institute stated. Over 1,100 students have registered for placements across different study streams and departments this year.

Roughly 43 percent of the recruiters registered for placements at IIT Madras this year are from Core Engineering as well as R&D sector, followed by 32 per cent from IT and 25 percent from finance-analytics-consulting sectors. Having lifted ban on several startups from participating in placements, IIT Madras will see more than 50 start-ups coming down to the campus this year.

Traditional recruiters such as Microsoft, Samsung R and D, Goldman Sachs, Eaton, Schlumberger, Mahindra, Intel, Bajaj, EXL, Citi, Larsen and Toubro have also confirmed participation in placements to IIT Madras.

Further, as many as 19 companies have advertised international profiles, most of which are for positions in Asian countries such as Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan, along with the US as well.

In what could hint at improved placement scenario at IIT Madras, the institute has already seen a 56 per cent jump in pre-placement offers (PPOs) being extended to students who interned at these firms. As many as 114 PPOs have been received this year by IIT Madras students as against 73 last year.

According to Manu Santhanam, Advisor, Training and Placement, IIT Madras, the institute hopes to see the PPO success being translated into final placements process as well. "Our team of students and the staff at the IIT Madras Placement Office have worked hard to bring in a large number of recruiters to the campus, and thanks to their efforts, this placement season looks promising," he said.

In a major change in placement process this year, IIT Madras has done away with the 'Graveyard Slot', which begins the early hours of Day One (December 1), usually from 12 midnight to 6 am. As per the institute, the move was taken with a view of reducing the stress faced by the students in the early phase of the process.

The number is expected to increase, as more research scholars become eligible (this happens as and when they achieve a specific target in their research programme).

Meanwhile, about 35 students have opted for deferred placements as they are either pursuing start-up ventures or planning to apply for higher studies.