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After tier I players like Wipro have delayed the onboarding of freshers, it is now the turn of mid-cap information technology (IT) players as the sector faces headwinds with the banking sector in turmoil.
LTIMindree has asked freshers still awaiting onboarding to enrol in a new training programme, expected to impact 700-800 employees.
According to an email sent to these freshers, the students have little option but to accept the new programme.
The mail that the company has sent says that the training programme called ‘IGNITE’ will allow them to sharpen their skills, and will be of a six- to seven-week duration.
However, freshers after completing the programme will have to pass an assessment programme with a score of above 60 per cent and more in all three milestones that the programme has.
While the company has asked employees to respond by April 12, if they choose to say no, the offer letter given to them by the company will stand auto-cancelled.
“If we do not receive response from you by such time or receive ‘no’ as a response, it will be deemed to be your unwillingness to proceed with the training related to career opportunities with LTIMindtree. As such, the offer of training and subsequent employment earlier made to you will stand auto-cancelled,” said the email from the company.
“I received the offer letter in March 2022. Since I was an off-campus recruit, I was given an internship and got a stipend of Rs 10,000. I cleared all the internal assessments that the company asked from us and scored 68 per cent, but instead of final data for onboarding, we are being asked to again go through another assessment,” said a person impacted by these changes at LTIMindtree.
“We have received complaints that the company is about to remove freshers who have been awaiting their joining date for more than a year under the pretext of a new training programme called IGNITE. The company sent offer letters to these freshers for training and employment in January 2022. However, instead of providing them with an onboarding date, the company has now introduced a learning and training programme with a duration of six to seven weeks,” said a mail from Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES).
NITES email further added, “It is clear that the company is putting these freshers in a state of uncertainty and using this new programme as a way to delay their onboarding.”
An email sent to the company remained unanswered as the company is in the silent period for the fourth quarter of 2022-23 results.
Sources in the know also said that this could also be the impact of the merger of both companies. The offers were made before the actual merger of the companies had begun. The merger of both the companies — LTI and Mindtree — was completed in November 2022.
“This programme, IGNITE, was something that LTI had and is now being implemented at the merged entity. Freshers, who were given offer letters by LTI, have been onboarded, but those by Mindtree are being delayed,” said another fresher.
Human resource experts pointed out that the current uncertainty in the sector will be impacting the hiring numbers of Indian IT companies.
“Companies will be a little picky in the entire college hiring space this year. In some cases, companies may not even go to some of these colleges, or if they do, it may be to maintain relationships rather than to hire in large numbers. Or they look at the very minimal numbers that need to be hired,” said Pasupathi S, chief operating officer, HirePro.
For candidates, this will be a challenging year.
“The overall opportunities for candidates will be low, and it might be all the more tougher for candidates to get through the entire selection process because it’s going to be more competitive. Also, since many colleges and organisations have not even been able to complete the onboarding of their previous batch, which is the 2021-2022 batch, they might not visit the campus this year,” he added.
Several Indian IT firms have delayed the onboarding of freshers as the industry is seeing delays in deal closure and softness in deals as the biggest vertical for the sector — the banking and financial services — has seen turmoil in the US.
In February this year, Wipro had asked candidates to take an offer at a lower salary package of Rs 3.5 lakh.
