Bhubaneswar: The number of students graduating from government technical universities, engineering colleges, and polytechnics in Odisha has increased over the past decade, but the placement figures remain significantly lower, revealed Skill Development and Technical Education Minister Sampad Chandra Swain's reply to a question by MLA Pabitra Saunta in the Assembly today.

As per the data provided by Minister Swain, while the number of students passing out has risen, the number of those securing jobs through campus placements has not kept pace.

According to the figures, 3,675 students graduated with engineering degrees in the 2023-24 academic year, but only 2,053 secured placements. Similarly, 5,288 diploma students passed out, while just 3,631 got jobs.

The trend is consistent over the past decade. In 2014-15, only 1,042 out of 2,397 degree holders secured placements. The situation worsened in 2017-18 when placements dropped to 914 despite 3,646 students passing out. Though the placement numbers saw some improvement in 2021-22 and 2022-23, they remained considerably lower than the number of students graduating.

For diploma holders, the situation was similar. In 2014-15, no placement data was available, but in the following years, placements remained lower than the number of students passing out. In 2022-23, out of 6,589 diploma graduates, only 4,311 got placed.