Up in the air

Indian Air Force and Bharat Petroleum come calling to DU for the first time

New vistas of employment have opened up for science students of Delhi University. This year, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has come calling for the first time to recruit post graduate students for its meteorological section. The students can now decide if they want to deviate from research and join the men in uniform. In another first, Bharat Petroleum too has come to the campus to look out for bright young minds.

Fly high
"It's an honour to be in the Indian Air Force. This is a great opportunity for us that the IAF has come for campus placements," says Abhishek Bhatnagar, DU student. Out of the 26 students who registered for the IAF recruitment, 13 have been shortlisted. The ones who clear the selection process will be inducted into the training programme on January 2011. The advantage of the Fast Track Selection is that the entire process of recruiting is shunted from 7-8 months to a mere 2-3 months.

Students who have an MSc in Chemistry have the opportunity to work in various research and development projects of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. BPCL representatives from its research wing said that the programme they are offering would give the students a hands-on experience in working in a professional environment. It is more like an apprenticeship for a year. Abhishek Bhatnagar, a post graduate applicant, was however not satisfied with the programme offered by the oil company as it did not ensure a job after an year. A total of 26 people applied for BPCL and are waiting for the results post which the successful ones would be interviewed at the BPCL Noida unit.

The Gandhi Fellowship Programme is the only one which is recruiting undergraduate people. Vivek Sharma from the Kaivalya Education Foundation said that they collaborate with primary schools run by the government where the fellows go and work with the headmasters. In the process they gain knowledge and create a positive impact on the system. The effect reflects in the running of the school as the headmaster is not only a teacher but has a greater responsibility of looking after the running of the school. The foundation is currently working with schools in Ahmedabad, Jhunjhunu and Mumbai.

They are now recruiting the fourth batch for the fellowship programme. "In the first year we had 12 students but this year we are looking forward to recruiting 175 students. The first batch which passed out this year have dispersed into various fields like microfinance and public policy research. Some have also joined the foundation," he said.

Swati Puri from the foundation added: "Abhidaya, a former History student of Hindu College, has successfully completed the course and has been given the Navodaya Grant for organic farming. Another girl who did a post graduation in Political Science has been absorbed by theu00a0 German Development Organisation."

A good start
The first day of placements at DU went on well with a fair amount of participation as mostly the visiting institutions required post graduate students. The Central Placement Cell worked with the examination section to inform candidates about the event. Prof S K Vij, Dean, Student's Welfare, said that their aim would be to start a short-term course from next year to groom the students before the placement session begins.

Among those who came out with flying colours after two successful screening rounds of the IAF, Shalini Gaur said, "I never thought I will join the Air Force. But after clearing two rounds, I feel motivated to work harder and join the IAF."