Mysuru: Core engineering branches such as mechanical, electrical and electronics, and civil engineering are receiving strong recognition in the ongoing campus placement drives across city colleges.For instance, a BE mechanical engineering student from SJCE, JSS STU, secured an offer of Rs 27 lakh per annum —the highest package ever recorded for mechanical engineering stream in the college’s history. Similarly, several colleges reported encouraging offers for students set to graduate in June 2026.Pradeep M, training & placement officer at JSS Science and Technology University, said that many companies are visiting the campus to recruit students from core engineering disciplines, including mechanical, civil, electrical and computer science. “Tier-II cities are attracting more companies because students from here tend to stay longer in organisations. Their eagerness to learn and humble attitude gives them an edge. That is the advantage of students from Mysuru,” he claimed.He further noted that core branches are currently receiving more offers.Harshith Diwakar, training and placement officer at NIE, Mysuru, said demand for core engineering branches has improved significantly. “There was an increase of up to 40% in the number of offers made to students from core branches during the campus recruitment season,” he noted.He added that the highest package offered at the college this season is Rs 42 lakh for a computer science student. Additionally, 48 students from computer science and related streams secured offers with a package of over Rs 20 lakh.According to a placement officer from an engineering college in the Old Mysuru Region, for new and less popular colleges, the centralised campus placement drive initiative of the VTU is the sole ray of hope. “Today’s engineering graduates are not ready to accept offers like Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh, citing that it is not enough for them. Internships are a big advantage for our students,” he added.‘Make in India’ created jobs: OfficerAccording to Pradeep, a training & placement officer, the increased demand for students graduating from core engineering branches is the ‘Make in India’ initiative, which has created significant job opportunities in manufacturing and small-scale industries, particularly in units that supply ancillary components to major industries. Second, the defence sector has opened up substantial employment opportunities for these graduates, he said.“Many Tier I engineering colleges had completely shut down several non-IT core branches and promoted IT-related courses. In contrast, other colleges did not discontinue these branches but only reduced intake. As a result, these colleges and their students are now benefiting from the renewed demand.” He further said when Tier I institutions scaled down non-IT branches, it led to an imbalance between the demand for skilled core engineering graduates and the available supply.
