College campus turn battleground for EV industry talent war

01 Oct 2023

As India's nascent electric vehicle (EV) industry gains momentum, college campuses are emerging as the new battleground for recruiting top talent. In the current placement season, EV companies, startups, and commercial vehicle manufacturers with EV divisions are aggressively hiring engineering graduates for roles spanning research and development, design, production, and techno-managerial positions, among others.

Placement cells at prominent institutions like NIT Calicut, NIT Warangal, and MNIT Jaipur, which have commenced final placements, have reported a significant surge in demand for talent from the EV sector. This growing appetite for talent in the EV industry comes as a silver lining in a year when tech hiring across the board has faced setbacks, and several companies across various sectors have scaled down their recruitment efforts.

Highlighting the industry's popularity among students, some colleges have granted coveted "Day Zero" slots to recruiters from the EV sector. Major automakers including Tata Motors, Hero MotoCorp, Maruti Suzuki, Bajaj Auto, and Ola Electric have actively engaged in campus recruitment drives at institutions such as MNIT Jaipur and IIT-BHU.

Praveen Sankaran, Chairperson of the Centre for Career Development at NIT Calicut, emphasized the shifting landscape towards electric vehicles, particularly in the two-wheeler segment. He stated, "A tectonic shift towards EVs, particularly two-wheelers, has been happening. These companies need to expand hiring numbers, particularly in areas such as battery management, thermal management, power electronics, power systems, etc."

The surge in recruitment activity within the EV industry not only reflects its growing prominence but also indicates the sector's commitment to fostering a pool of skilled professionals to drive its continued growth in the Indian market.

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