Yet to start its own, MU asks colleges to set up placement cells

In a letter sent earlier, the UGC had also asked the university to set up similar counselling and placement cells on campus.

With the University Grants Commission (UGC) asking universities to associate with representatives of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) by setting up placement centres to help students choose career avenues and facilitate placements, the Mumbai University has now instructed its affiliated colleges to constitute counselling and placement cells. Ironically, the over 150-year-old university does not have a centralised campus placement centre of its own at present.

“The steering committee on skill development has decided to strengthen the industry-academia linkage and the counselling and placement cells in universities and colleges by associating representatives of the NSDC to guide students regarding the pathway available for progress and facilitate their placements. You are, therefore, requested to send a circular to all the colleges in your region, affiliated to your university, to inform and sensitise them to set up counselling and placement cells and associate the representatives of NSDC,” said the UGC letter sent to all universities.

The Mumbai University, in its circular to the colleges, has asked them to send a report on the implementation of the same to the Department of Students’ Welfare.

In a letter sent earlier, the UGC had also asked the university to set up similar counselling and placement cells on campus. At present, while there are individual departments of the Mumbai University which conduct placements for its students, there is no dedicated placement service or system of campus placements that the university offers. Further, the university’s Department of Applied Psychology has a counselling centre, where people can seek career guidance, counselling and psychotherapy.

“Efforts are being made at the level of individual departments. Further, in related efforts, the Mumbai University had also enlisted three external agencies in 2013 to make students job-ready, with most recruiters expecting students to have a certain set of skills and persona. But, a centralised placement centre is the need of the hour,” said a senior faculty member of the university.

Mrudul Nile, director of students’ welfare, Mumbai University, said the university is planning to set up a full-fledged centralised placement cell for its students this year.

Source | Indian Express |5 August 2015