1. AGCAS/NASES PMI2 India Visit Report
PMI 2 Dissemination Event – 16th March 11

2. Objectives Brief background and methodology of the research
Overview of job market
Tips for
- Indian students & graduates
- UK Careers professionals

3. Purpose of the visit Improve understanding of the Indian labour market
Develop relationships with Indian employers
Develop information resources to be distributed nationally
Understand the graduate recruitment processes in India
Develop relationships with HE careers professionals in India
Internationalisation Task Group defined some questions
Consultation with AGCAS membership
Issues identified by AGCAS and NASES in the original PMI 2 bid

4. Methodology
Research questions = combination of Internationalisation Task Group and AGCAS membership
Qualitative approach
- focus groups
- individual alumni case studies
- semi-structured interviews
Decided on 3 cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore
Minimal support from the British Council

5. Indian economy – key industry sectors
Agriculture
Industry & Services
Banking & Finance
Natural Resources
Pharmaceuticals
‘Sunrise sectors’
Agriculture – Employs 60% of workforce; 2nd worldwide in farm output; exports rice, cashew, spices, tea and coffee; 19% GDP in 2009; developments in biotechnology and genetic engineering being applied.
Industry & Services – Textiles 2nd largest source of employment & 26% of manufacturing output; IT and BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) fastest growing sectors;
Banking & Finance – 2 classifications = ‘scheduled banks’ and the unorganised sector (individual or family owned indigenous bankers, money lenders and non-banking financial companies)
Natural Resources – includes coal, iron, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium, chromite, limestone, thorium; 10% of coal reserves; 12% growth in consumer market for fuel and power.
Pharmaceuticals – majority of its medical consumables produced domestically
‘Sunrise sectors’ – increase awareness and availability of internet, rapid increase of mobile phone, shift from savings and thrift to luxury and vacations; boom in sophisticated retail and insurance.

6. The power of the brand!
This refers not just to your institutions brand but also graduates aspirations of the type of company they want to work with and what jobs they go for.
There is massive parental pressure to go in to certain professions.
There is a strong emphasis on brand recognition on their cvs….

7. Recruitment Process
Skills required similar to UK employers (communication, teamwork, leadership)
Written application/cv stage = depends heavily on academic grades and reputation of the university
Interview and testing stage given primary importance
Employee referrals
Walk-ins
Campus recruitment
Skills required similar to UK employers (communication, teamwork, leadership) = however can also select on age/family background/photos/geographical stereotypes
Written application/cv stage = depends heavily on academic grades and reputation of the university – back to the reference about brand; employers often create their own ranking mechanism based on performance of personnel from a particular institution or rate of rejection from that institution, influence the employer has on curriculum design
Interview and testing stage given primary importance – English fluency/accent etc given importance; technical tests common
Employee referrals – can be incentivised; if the referral proves successful reflects well on the person who suggested them but the inverse is true too.
Walk-ins – usually used for mass-recruitment, potential applicants walk-in with a cv and undergo the relevant recruitment tests and interview for particular roles
Campus recruitment – usually carried out by University Placement Cells; the committee (comprising students) decides which recruiters will come on to campus and in what order. The best ones (usually highest salaries or brand recognition) come on Day Zero (Day One, day two, etc). They make offers on the same day, if a student is offered a place they can’t continue to participate in subsequent recruitment days. Different policies in different institutions.

8. Opportunities & Challenges
Assumption of English proficiency – professional communication
Rankings and reputation
Potential to add international contacts to their network
Independent enquiry based learning – critical analysis, initiative, imagination, creativity.
Practical opportunities
Brand recognition
Parental influence
Loss of local network and opportunities
Lack of local recognition of volunteering and/or part-time work
No University Placement Cell
Perception of UK education programmes
Pre-conceptions….
Practical opportunities = using lab equipment, etc; enhancing learning by professional/vocational qualifications CAD or accountancy, etc;
Pre-conceptions = US #1; not having UK work experience makes a student a failure,

9. Tips: Indian students & graduates
Register with job sites and recruitment agents before returning (naukri.com; monster India, Jobstreet)
Provide key selling points for your institution on the cv & full academic content/skills developed
Target multi-nationals & joint venture partners
Realistic expectations of salary, entry level and work-life balance
Positive spin on decision to both study overseas and return to India
Join alumni organisations
Explore career opportunities in emerging markets
Register with job sites and recruitment agents before returning (naukri.com; monster India, Jobstreet) – a few months before, research the market.
Provide key selling points for your institution on the cv & full academic content/skills developed – practical elements will be particularly well thought of
Target multi-nationals & joint venture partners – both in the UK and in India
Realistic expectations of salary, entry level and work-life balance – young professionals are never off work (mobile contact throughout the day)
Positive spin on decision to both study overseas and return to India – negative perceptions from some employers about them ‘failing’ to gain relevant experience in the UK
Join alumni organisations – Association of British Scholars (British Council), your own institution alumni organisation, your UG Indian alumni organisation.
Explore career opportunities in emerging markets – Middle East, Singapore and Africa – meeting with Naukri suggested that any international experience was acceptable to demonstrate success.

10. Tips: UK Career professionals
Internationalisation Community - AGCAS website
Help to nurture alumni associations
Use alumni as ‘brand ambassadors’
Ensure your institution is recognised by key international bodies, e.g. ACU
Encourage students to join Linkedin & Brijj
Suggest that students/graduate emphasise their long term commitment to the company
AGCAS website = highlight a selection of resources, including i-graduate.
Confederation of Indian Industry – time and resources needed to establish and maintain a relationship but may be hugely beneficial.

11. Recommendations Summary
Branding = institutional and personal
Networks
Realism
Research the market
If you remember nothing else!

12. Thank you
Any questions?