The National Employability Conclave 2015 - 16 (NEC 2015 - 16) was organized by Aspiring Minds on 18th January, 2016 at Hotel Shangri - La's- Eros. Faculty member Ms. Priyanka Mahani, Assistant Professor of Electronics and Computer Engineering Department, Dronacharya College of Engineering, Gurgaon attended the event on behalf of the College.

NEC provided a platform of discussion between the opportunity providers i.e. the corporates and the talent custodians i.e. the training and placement officers.

Following were the key highlights:

1. HR leaders of some of the largest IT and engineering companies sharing an employer's perspective on shaping the young talent to meet their expectations.

2. India's largest job assessment and talent benchmarking company discussing the opportunities and challenges in reducing the employability gap.

3. The CareerGuru Awards initiated by Aspiring Minds to recognize the outstanding effort and constant contribution of Training and Placement Officers toward fulfilling the placement aspirations of their students.

4. Campus Innovations Showcase Window providing an opportunity for all campuses to showcase their best practices in terms of training and placement (preferably some innovations in this field using technology aids).

The event began with its first session - Panel Discussion on Employability Issues and Possible Solutions. Industry leaders from top organizations discussed the problems faced by them in the hunt for the right talent and what they seek from colleges. There were eminent panellists from many companies including Mr Maneesh Sharma, Vice President, Client Solutions, Aspiring Minds. Some important points taken up in the discussion were that the biggest challenge for the industry is to choose the right institution. Although the talent pool today is very limited the 2 major reasons why Freshers are preferred are: they are mouldable and they come with innovation and fresh ideas. One of the panellists quoted that the hard reality is that even by the time students reach their final year they are not prepared on the following 3 major aspects: Attitude, Aptitude, Technical Expertise which are a must for them to move ahead in their career. The moderator, Mr Maneesh Sharma then summarized the panel discussion and concluded the session by defining 2 important terms: employability and trainability. He summed up the major points that are kept in mind while recruiting a candidate. These points are: Basic Aptitude, Team Player, Adaptability, Learnability, Domain Knowledge, Intent to learn, Apprehensions due to conditioning and counselling, Work Privatization. The second session saw Training and Placement Officers from various institutes sharing their thoughts and insights from the institutional perspective. In Session 3 the house was thrown open for discussion between the corporates and the training and placement officers from almost 50 colleges. One of the prominent outcomes of the discussion was that we need to create employees focused on the requirements of companies and at the same time make students realize and understand the scope /career prospects the large and new start - up companies have in store for them. The most important point that came up was that for all these things to fall in place we need to work with our students not from the fourth year, but the first couple of years by educating them about companies, new job roles and making them serious about gaining the right skills for the industry from an early stage.

The session ended by presentation of the Career Guru Awards to the Career Gurus – the Training and Placement Officers. The awards were divided into four categories : Performing Minds Award, Inspiring Minds Award, Visionary Minds Award, Young Achiever Award.

It was overall a very informative and knowledgeable session. The participants gained insight to some of the roles available and in demand in the current market scenario. They understood things from an HR’s point of view and what are their expectations from a fresher.