Wipro recently revoked job offers to freshers, nearly 30 months after initially extending them. The company cited the failure of some candidates to meet eligibility criteria by not successfully completing mandatory pre-skilling training. This decision underscores the increasing challenges freshers face in India’s IT sector, where stringent training and delayed onboarding are becoming more common.
Mandatory Pre-Skilling: A Crucial Barrier
In an email to affected candidates, Wipro emphasized that completing pre-skilling training is a prerequisite for onboarding. The company conducts comprehensive evaluations during the onboarding process to ensure that new employees possess the necessary skills to meet client requirements. This rigorous approach aims to match entry-level employees’ proficiency with the needs of the business, ensuring they can make an immediate impact.
Freshers’ Frustration and Disappointment
Ayush Srivastava, one of the candidates who received the rejection letter, expressed his disappointment on LinkedIn, revealing the emotional toll of the prolonged waiting period and rigorous training. His experience highlights the frustrations many freshers face as they navigate the complex and often unforgiving hiring processes in the IT industry.
Changes in Wipro’s Skilling Programs
Wipro’s recent decision follows the discontinuation of the Velocity skilling programme last year. This programme allowed ‘Elite’ freshers to upgrade to the ‘Turbo’ category, earning a higher salary. Under this program, candidates in the Elite category were offered Rs 3.5 lakh per annum, while those upgraded to Turbo could earn Rs. 6.5 lakh per annum. The discontinuation of this program signals a shift in Wipro’s approach to onboarding fresh talent.
Industry-Wide Challenges: Delayed Onboarding Across IT Firms
The challenges faced by freshers are not unique to Wipro. The Nascent Information Technology Senate (NITES), a union representing IT employees, recently lodged a complaint against Infosys for failing to onboard freshers hired as system engineers and digital specialist engineers in 2022-23. Similarly, LTIMindtree mandated freshers to complete a seven-week training programme with stringent requirements to secure their positions.
A Tough Landscape for Freshers in the Indian IT Sector
The delayed onboarding and rigorous training requirements reflect the broader challenges within the Indian IT services sector. With a subdued growth environment and clients reducing discretionary spending, top IT firms are staggering their onboarding processes. Over-hiring during the pandemic has exacerbated these issues, leaving many freshers in a prolonged state of uncertainty as they await their turn to enter the workforce.
