Mangaluru: A quiet shift is reshaping placements at engineering colleges of undivided Dakshina Kannada, with Japan turning out to be a major destination for graduates from Karnataka’s coastal education hub. Colleges that once saw students head largely to the Middle East and other established job markets, including Bengaluru, are now increasingly sending engineering talent to Japan, where an ageing workforce and persistent labour shortages have sharply increased demand for skilled technical workers. Recruiters are focusing on engineering, manufacturing, automation and related sectors, with salary packages starting at Rs 25 lakh and above. Premier institutions in the region say Japan has become a strong and growing employment market, driven by direct company recruitment, on-campus language training, and a perceived cultural fit between coastal Karnataka students and Japanese workplaces. NMAM Institute of Technology, Karkala, has sent more than 280 students to Japan over the past five years, while Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management, Adyar, has placed about 70 candidates there since 2017. College officials say most recruits are finding stable jobs, especially in manufacturing and IT. NMAM principal N Chiplunkar said graduates from his college are working mostly in manufacturing, followed by the IT sector. “Nearly 60% of the candidates are working in the manufacturing sector. None have returned,” he said. “Our association with Japan started with one of our staff members, who had worked for 40 years in Japan, with his spouse being a Japanese national, residing now in Udupi. They helped us build a good collaboration with the Japanese company. The candidates are directly recruited by the companies there and they have a good work environment,” Chiplunkar further said. “This year, 68 candidates have already been recruited,” he added. Rashmi Bhandary, the dean of placement at Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management, said the college began sending students to Japan in small numbers in 2017 and has since built a steady pipeline. “We started in small numbers in 2017. So far, we have been able to send a good number of candidates and have received favourable reviews from recruiters. Over the years, what I have observed is that Japanese companies look for those who have respect for tradition as they do. Also, recruitment is permanent and retrenchment is very low,” Rashmi said. Among those who have made the move is Information Science and Engineering graduate Sachin Ronson D’Silva, who moved to Japan in 2024. He said the experience has been transformative, shaped by professional growth, cultural adaptation and personal resilience.
