Fewer than 20% colleges achieve strong placements despite NEP push: Report

Less than 20 per cent of colleges achieve strong placements within six months, highlighting gaps between academic outcomes and job readiness despite NEP reforms

Fewer than 20 per cent of higher education institutions in India manage to place more than 75 per cent of their students within six months of graduation, despite employability emerging as a key focus under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, according to a report released on Monday by TeamLease Edtech.

 

The report, titled ‘From Degree Factories to Employability Hubs’, highlights persistent gaps between academic outcomes and labour market expectations, even as universities and colleges increasingly prioritise job readiness.

 

Strong placement outcomes remain limited. Only 16.7 per cent of institutions reported placement rates of 76–100 per cent within six months of graduation, while 31.6 per cent placed between 51 and 75 per cent of students. At the other end, nearly 29 per cent reported placement rates below 25 per cent, underscoring wide disparities in employment outcomes across institutions.

 

 

India’s higher education system has expanded rapidly over the past two decades, with thousands of institutions enrolling millions of students each year. Yet, the report notes that the shift from degree-focused education to employability-driven learning remains uneven.

 

“There is growing consensus that employability must be embedded within academic design rather than addressed at the margins. At the same time, the pace and depth of adoption vary widely. Some institutions are beginning to build integrated employability systems, while others continue to rely on fragmented initiatives that struggle to scale,” said Shantanu Rooj, founder and CEO of TeamLease EdTech.

 

The report said higher education institutions must move beyond traditional classroom-based models and integrate practical exposure, internships and industry-linked training into academic programmes.

 

Only 8.6 per cent of institutions said their curricula are fully aligned with industry requirements across all programmes, while 16.9 per cent reported such alignment in select courses, according to the report. Taken together, roughly a quarter of institutions show some degree of industry alignment, suggesting that efforts to connect academic programmes with labour market needs remain limited and uneven, said the report.

 

Industry collaboration is expected to play a critical role in improving employability outcomes. Institutions with strong employer partnerships are better placed to adapt their curricula to market needs and offer students hands-on exposure through projects, apprenticeships and internships.

 

Internships are gradually becoming part of academic programmes, with 9.4 per cent of institutions offering them across all courses and 17.4 per cent providing them in select programmes, according to the report.

 

A growing number of institutions are also incorporating soft skills and communication training into their curricula. About 15.75 per cent offer continuous training modules, while 19.95 per cent deliver such training through short-term workshops.

 

“While adoption is still uneven, emphasis on soft skills indicates clear momentum toward embedding employability skills more intentionally within the student experience. Progress is visible, though significant headroom for expansion remains,” the report said.

 

It argues that colleges must evolve from being “degree factories” to “employability hubs”, with skill development and career readiness embedded into the academic ecosystem. That would require stronger industry engagement, regular curriculum updates and greater emphasis on applied learning.

 

Policy reforms are also nudging institutions in that direction. The NEP 2020 encourages multidisciplinary education, flexible course structures and stronger academia-industry linkages to improve graduate employability.

 

The report suggests that institutions may increasingly be judged not just on enrolment and academic performance, but also on placement outcomes and the long-term career progression of graduates.