Education, Careers & Professional News
PAC for IT jobs
ource
HINDU
Date
2005-06-21
Information
INDIA CHURNS out 2.5 lakh engineering and diploma graduates every year, a majority of them entering the IT sector. The demand for IT professionals is far outrunning this number. There are 13,000 engineering colleges and companies such as Infosys recruit nearly 12,000 employees each year.
Despite the magnitude of the industry, companies waste a lot of money on recruitment, trying to find the right candidate for the job at hand. These companies only have access to the top institutes, thereby missing out on a sea of talent, which is freely available across smaller, regional colleges. Similarly, students too are finding it difficult to approach companies of their choice.
This is where Professional Aptitude Council (PAC) comes in. Founded in April 2003 in San Francisco, PAC recently kicked off its worldwide operations through its subsidiary in India. The company was launched in Bangalore in March this year.
Standardised test
After nearly a decade of research into the required human traits for successful performance, PAC has put together a technical aptitude test, which meets the criteria required in the IT sector.
PAC tests for technical skills, baseline technical knowledge and psychometric variables, that are directly related to technical aptitude and job performance. The exams also give companies the ability to see a candidates performance five years down the line, reducing the high attrition rate which exists in this industry.
The exam is developed in conformity with the globally accepted standards for employee selection. Similar to a CAT or a GRE where students are able to gain access to the top rung of colleges, the standardised PAC exam allows students the opportunity to access the most prestigious IT organisations and across the world. PAC has merged technical aptitude assessment with candidate sourcing, providing employers a tool to easily find the desired candidates from anywhere across the world. PAC has created a new way for companies to screen, source and indicate the potential success of a candidate based on the standardised test. This test provides a fair means of measuring IT knowledge and aptitude.
The PAC exam is beneficial for students as it gives them accessibility to highly reputed firms. This will also exempt them from taking numerous tests, which is usually the first round of any interview, hence giving them a direct edge over others.
Students from all disciplines who would like to take up assignments in the IT arena can attempt the PAC exam.
Saving time and money
Companies, on the other hand, profit in several ways: they have direct entrance into a pool of talent which is not only restricted to campus recruitment. It saves them time and money as they can easily find the candidates for the job they require through the PAC scores.
It also allows companies to market directly to qualified candidates and to help people of all backgrounds get the very best job possible based on their abilities, thus driving meritocracy.
PAC opened its doors with a record-breaking response of 10,000 applicants in its first month in India. In April 2,540 students appeared for the exam and 2,800 in May. The pan-Indian reach of PAC enabled students from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Delhi to take the exam.
The reliability and validity of PAC was tested in a pilot scheme early 2005, which proved successful. It was conducted on 500 employees in leading IT companies. The cumulative reliability for the exam was an outstanding .9362. The pilot also gave PAC valuable inputs to make the necessary changes in its exam to suit Indian requirements.
Reputed organisations such as Accenture, Cognizant and TCS await Propel which aids companies to find the best candidate for the job. By taking the PAC exam and entering information into Propel, students highlight their academic, professional and personal qualifications.
On entering the Indian market, PAC has already come up with some new features. In mid-June, they plan to launch Attaché, the insiders guide to getting the best job in the industry.
Attaché will give applicants first hand knowledge on the tricks of the trade, tips and interviews from the experts in the field.