LTI Mindtree has delayed the onboarding process of freshers who were selected as part of the campus hiring process in January 2022.
According to an e-mailed note received by the candidates awaiting to be boarded, the IT services firm has asked them to go through a new training programme to prove their eligibility.
The e-mail sent to the freshers, which was reviewed by CNBC-TV18.com, mentions that those who were selected for job opportunities in Mindtree now after the merger have to complete the learning and training program ‘IGNITE’ to start their onboarding.
As per the note , the IGNITE programme will grade these freshers following a training programme with 80 percent self-paced learning and 20 percent instructor-led training.
The mail further states that the IGNITE programme will grade these freshers following a training program that is 80 percent self-paced and 20 percent instructor-led. A 40 percent weight will be given to multiple-choice questions (MCQs) in the assignments and a 60 percent weight will be given to coding assignments.
In order to qualify, freshers must score at least 60 percent on the milestones and then the onboarding will start on business demand.
“It is clear that the company is putting these freshers in a state of uncertainty and using this new program as a way to delay their onboarding,” said Harpreet Singh Saluja, President, Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate NITES in a statement.
Freshers left in despair
Freshers who had been waiting to get an onboarding date have now been left with more anxiety and stress about the job itself.
“I was part of the campus recruitment and was offered my offer letter in January 2022, they had assured us that they will start onboarding soon but a year has passed, and they don’t reply to mails there is no conversation with our training placement officer. With that now we have received the mail which also doesn’t guarantee that we will have a job or not and even if we clear it there is no joining date it’s just ‘as per business demand which is not hopeful at all,” said a fresher on the condition of anonymity.
Another fresher added that students couldn’t apply for other jobs in campus placement since they got selected in the Mindtree placement drive (before the merger). Then after August passed without any communication from the company students have been trying to find other job roles but being a fresher in the job market in the current economic downturn is just not working in their favour.
“I left other job opportunities in startups for Mindtree as the company has a big name and starting from there I thought it would be better for my career but now it feels like I have no career at all. I don’t have a guaranteed job, it’s hard to look for a new job and with that, there is added pressure as you see your friends going to the office and starting their careers and you are just stuck. My relatives keep on asking my parents if your kid did engineering, right? Did he not get placed and we have no answer and it’s just frustrating, disheartening and also financially burdening,” he said.
Further some students (who were placed off campus) from the 2022 batch have been absorbed in the company starting August 2022 after they completed a 9-11 week internship which was stated not to be mandatory by the company.
According to the students, there are more than 600 freshers stuck in despair.
Another student mentioned that in her offer letter from Mindtree she was promised to get inducted into the Orchard Learning Program which would last for 3 months. This would involve training and monthly assessments and a stipend of Rs 26,000 per month. Further her employment will start with the company after clearing the program. She alleged that to this date she hasn’t been updated about the training program.
The training program is not the issue the delay and uncertainty are the issue
Most IT companies before onboarding freshers have a pre-onboarding training process which can last from 1 month to 6 months.
Employees who have worked in L&T and Mindtree before the merger (LTI and Mindtree started operating as a merged entity in November 2022.) told CNBC-TV18.com that L&T has a Learn Before Joining pre-onboarding training program and Mindtree has Orchard and other programs. The companies usually start the pre-onboarding process within 6-8 months of the selection.
Further the results of the assessments in the training program are not accessible to the students
“The issue is not with the training process as we all know that most companies have the training process but the problem is with no clarity. As the IT sector is already under pressure with layoffs now the company saying that they will see recruit on basis of performance so there is a fear that they might just cancel the onboarding of some freshers and say that they didn’t qualify,” said another fresher waiting for onboarding.
The copy will be updated after a response from LTI Mindtree.
(Edited by : C H Unnikrishnan)
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