The Certificate Programme in Business Administration offered by the Institutes of Management has not found favour with information technology companies.
The six-month course targets defence personnel considering a shift to the corporate sector. The objective is to help officers from all the three services - Army, Air Force and Navy - in their rehabilitation to civil life after retirement.
The course has been initiated by the Directorate-General of Resettlement, Ministry of Defence, in association with the IIMs at Ahmedabad, Indore, Calcutta, Bangalore and Lucknow.
With the average age of participants in the course between 35 years and 40 years, the presence of IT companies on campus during the placements is almost nil.
Pradyumana Khokle, co-ordinator of the certificate course at IIM Ahmedabad, says: "During the recent placements, IT firms were absent. Since these companies recruit mostly youngsters and freshers to create a youthful environment at their premises, they stay away from courses like these."
Of the 80 companies that visited IIM-A during placements for the 66-strong participants in the batch, only a handful including Tech Mahindra, TCS and Patni Computers were from IT. Companies from sectors sectors like infrastructure, retail, telecom and finance were present in strength for the placements.
At IIM Lucknow, only five of the 26 companies that offered placements were from the IT sector.
Brigadier Atul Mishra, a part of the placement committee for the course at IIM Calcutta, says: "IT companies, looking for software skills, do not flock to the armed forces' programme as the students do not come from an IT background. The candidates lack the relevant experience or exposure in handling IT-based work."
