Most school-leavers aim for higher education so that they are in a better position to find jobs of their choice. The traditional three or four-year, college-degree course is the typical choice after 10 plus two. But, at the end of it, as Anuradha and Mohit found out they hadn’t really developed skills for any specific kind of work. Kruttika, on the other hand, pursued vocational education right after school and she found that it helped her to develop skills for direct employment.

She is now using her beautician and hair dressing training in a full-time job at a prominent beauty salon. She plans to work there for some years. Eventually, her aim is to be self-employed. Even, the Mudalliar Commission (1952) emphasised that at the end of secondary education, a student should be in a position to enter into the responsibility of life and take up some vocation.

Recently, the Union government too has announced the relaxation of the emigration check clause for those who are going abroad. This includes those who have 10 plus two qualification and those who possess two-year diploma certificates from institutes recognised by the National Council for Vocational Training or its counterpart in the states.

The Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM-C) has pipped all other IIMs this year by bagging the highest domestic offer across all IIMs during lateral placements.

The institute beat its more illustrious counterpart, the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) to grab the top spot in the highest domestic salary offered during laterals.

The highest offer at Rs 16.2 lakh, made by a software major to an IIM-C grad, betters the offer made by Genpact to an IIM-A student at Rs 15.5 lakh. It is also the best-ever domestic offer in laterals.

In addition, international firms such as Johnson Electric, Microsoft, Mittal Steel and SAP International Consulting Group made 21 overseas offers this year, compared with just 14 last year.

The highest overseas offer this year is $85,000. The total offers made to IIM-C grads this year stand at 65 so far, compared with 90 last year. The institute hopes to bag more offers during the next few days. IIM-A and IIM-C have clubbed the Day zero of laterals with the Day zero of finals for the first time.

“Most of the Day zero recruiters for laterals and finals are the same, and to reduce their travel time, it was decided to club the two days into one,” a source told ET. With lateral placements drawing to a close, all eyes are fixed on the final placements which begin at IIM-A, B, C from the second week of March.