IIM Shillong campus

The Indian Institute of Management, (IIM) Shillong's new Director in-charge is considering expanding the institute's placement process to a location either in Calcutta or Guwahati. The Director in-charge, Prof Keya Sengupta, says that although the institute had not faced any problem during its previous placement process, it was considering the move just to improve company responses.

The Director in-charge admitted that though companies come over to the campus or use the video conferencing mode, a few probably do not consider either of the option.

"Our placement process for the last batch did not face any problem. However, there are a few companies who are reluctant to make the travel to Shillong or even use the technological option of video conferencing," Prof Sengupta told PaGaLGuY.

It may be recalled that the earlier director Prof Ashoke Dutta also had a similar plan in mind during his tenure.

The institute has already started talking to a couple of colleges in both Guwahati and Calcutta, to make them the base for placements for the next year. The idea is to call some of the top companies, who have voiced their difficulty in making the trip to Shillong, to the base college in the new city. Till now, the institute has followed a rolling placement process. However, in order to shift the placement process to a new city, the institute needs to rethink its placement strategy.

One of the major issues with the plan is an extended stay for the students in the city while the placements are going on. "It will not be possible for students to stay in a different city throughout the placement process. We are considering the option of holding a placement week like IIM Calcutta in the new city and then continue with the rest of the placements after coming back on campus," Prof Sengupta said.

While the PGP 2010-12 batch had 93 students, the 2011-13 batch has 105 students. Although the increase is not a very huge one, the number of students to be placed has increased. In addition, construction has already started for the institute's new campus. Once the new campus begins operations in a few years from now, the number of students will rise even more.

For the students at IIM Shillong however, the placement process last academic year went off without a problem. According to a member of the placement committee at the institute, the proposal about continuing the placement process to Calcutta or Guwahati has already been prepared and submitted to the concerned officials and a response is awaited. .