Engineering grads unready for AI
Coverage and analyst posts argue that India’s roughly 1.5 million annual engineering graduates — including many in computer science — are not adequately prepared for the demands of AI‑enabled workflows. The reporting notes firms like Infosys are retraining hires, while Karat’s data suggests India leads in AI adoption for engineering workflows, amplifying the gap between strong and weak hires. (x.com/SarithaRai/status/2044641322502603133) (x.com/karat/status/2044826657190732012)
India is graduating about 1.5 million engineers a year, but employers and researchers say too many arrive unready for AI-shaped software work. (bloomberg.com) (indiaai.gov.in) Bloomberg reported on April 16 that Infosys is putting new hires through extended training to teach current programming tools before they join projects. Infosys says its Global Education Center in Mysuru, opened in 2005, is the world’s largest corporate training facility. (bloomberg.com) (infosys.com) The gap is showing up in hiring data as well. TeamLease said in September 2024 that only 10% of India’s 1.5 million engineering graduates were expected to secure jobs that year, with only 45% meeting industry standards. (business-standard.com) Artificial intelligence coding tools do not replace basic engineering judgment; they speed up writing, testing and reviewing code for people who already know what good output looks like. Karat said in its 2025 preview that engineering leaders see AI widening the productivity gap, with strong engineers delivering 3x more value than peers. (karat.com) That changes what “entry level” means. Karat said hiring has overtaken upskilling as the main AI-readiness strategy for the 400 engineering leaders it surveyed across the United States, India and China. (karat.com) Researchers and employers have been describing the same bottlenecks for months: too much theory, too little project work, and weak exposure to emerging tools. An October 2024 analysis published by IndiaAI said many colleges still lag on practical training, artificial intelligence literacy and problem-solving. (indiaai.gov.in) The market is rewarding the minority of graduates who do have those skills. Deccan Herald reported in December 2025 that Infosys expanded its Specialist Programmer track to offer some freshers between Rs 7 lakh and Rs 21 lakh a year for roles in applied AI, data engineering, cloud and cybersecurity. (deccanherald.com) India is not short on adoption. Separate 2025 surveys cited by Karat and Boston Consulting Group showed heavy AI use in engineering and office workflows, which means the skills gap is becoming more visible as tools spread faster than curricula change. (karat.com) (zeebiz.com) For universities and recruiters, the pressure is now the same: teach graduates to work with AI before they are hired, or keep shifting that cost to companies after they arrive. (indiaai.gov.in) (infosys.com)
