The recent focus on diversity initiatives by companies has significantly boosted campus placements for female students from core engineering branches. Leading institutions have reported over 80% placement success rates for these students in the past two years.
However, with fewer women opting for core engineering branches, the pool of eligible candidates in their final years still needs to be expanded. In response, colleges are actively working to raise awareness about the job opportunities and working conditions available in manufacturing sectors.
According to placement officers, manufacturers are recruiting women for positions such as design and plant engineers, offering competitive salary packages. “Under the diversity policy, companies plan to make 33% of their workforce women in the near future. We have enough girls in electrical and electronics engineering (EEE), whereas branches such as mechanical engineering do not have enough, (sic)” explained K Shanmuga Sundaram, director of the Centre for University-Industry Collaboration at Anna University as reported by the Economic Times.
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In 2023, Anna University saw 15 out of 16 eligible female mechanical engineering students, and 15 out of 23 civil engineering students, successfully placed. Companies like Caterpillar, Renault Nissan, and Hyundai offer attractive packages averaging ₹10 lakh to students from prestigious campuses such as the College of Engineering, Guindy, and MIT. Sundaram added, “If girls shift focus from computer science to core engineering, they will have better chances of placement.”
Colleges in the city report that this trend has continued into the current year. “Of 120 girls in core engineering branches, 40% got offers. The rest will get placed in the next two months as more companies are scheduled to visit,” said P Deivasundari, principal of SRM Easwari Engineering College.
Industry leaders point out that the gender diversity push has been in the pipeline for several years. S Sarathi, joint managing director of HL Mando Anand India Private Limited, stated that their target is to have women make up 30% of the shop floor workforce and 20% of the total staff. “Availability of a skilled workforce is a challenge. We may achieve diversity at entry level in the next few years, but at the mid-level and senior level, it may take up to 10 years,” he noted.
Colleges are also seeing an increase in female enrolment in core branches, which had previously been in single digits. “Now, girls constitute up to 25% of the total in core branches,” said Abhay Meghanathan, vice-chairman of the Rajalakshmi Group of Institutions.
Efforts to promote core engineering disciplines among female students continue, with institutions highlighting that the working environment in these fields is on par with computer science-related courses. “We are creating awareness that girls pursuing core branches can have a similar working atmosphere to students pursuing computer science-related courses,” said Sriram Parthasarathy, chairman of the Chennai Institute of Technology.
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