If you are an engineering graduate looking for job opportunities in the public sector and government services, then you are in the right place. There are several ways for budding engineers to enter the Indian Government services and other coveted positions.
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Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE)
GATE exam offers wonderful ‘GATE’ways for engineering graduates to work at respectable positions in many PSUs (Public Sector Units). People popularly refer to the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering as popularly known as the GATE exam, which is an entrance exam that tests the knowledge of candidates in Engineering and Technology. One out of several IIT’S (Indian Institute of Technology) conducts it every year and provides excellent opportunities for enthusiastic graduates to advance their careers.
Engineering graduates who are pursuing Bachelor’s in Technology (B. Tech) or Bachelor’s in Engineering (B. E) can apply for this competitive exam during their third year or later. Although, there is a ceiling on the upper age limit and the number of attempts!. You can apply for one or two papers in the GATE exam, which are preferably related to the course you have graduated from according to the eligibility criteria.
For graduates who have specialized in Mechanical engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Science and Information Technology, Electronics and Communication Engineering and many other engineering disciplines, the pattern of the exam makes up general aptitude, engineering mathematics, and the subject of the paper. After getting a good score in the exam, you will have multiple options to choose from.
Major Opportunities after qualifying GATE exam
You can work as a junior research fellow at CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) and its sponsored projects. In addition, you can also work at other premier institutes like IITs, IISc, and other centres of excellence in India and abroad. An attractive benefit of cracking GATE is that you can get PSU jobs that not only offer attractive salaries, but also job security. Let’s have a look at the companies for which graduates in various specializations can apply. The following data is based on the latest vacancies.
Mechanical engineering graduates- BARC (Bhaba Atomic Research Center), BEML (Bharat Earth Movers Limited), BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited), BNPM (Bank Note Paper Mill), BPCL (Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd.), CEL (Central Electronics Limited), DDA (Delhi Development Authority), DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation), ECIL (Electronics Corporation of India Limited), EIL (Engineers India Limited), GSECL (Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited), HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited), HPCL (Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited), IOCL (Indian Oil Corporation Limited) and many more
Electrical Engineering graduates- AAI (Airport Authority of India), BARC, BEML, BHEL, BNPM, BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited), BSPHCL(Bihar State Power Holding Company Limited), CEL, DDA, DMRC (Delhi Metro Rail Cooperation), DRDO, GSECL, HAL, IOCL, IRCON, KRIBHCO, MDL, MIDHANI, MPMKVVL (Madhya Pradesh Madhya Kshetra Vidyut), MPPGCL, MRVC Ltd (Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation), NALCO, NFL, NHPC, NPCIL, NSPCL, NLC, NTPC, OPGC Ltd, PGCIL (Power Grid Corporation of India Limited), POSOCO (Power System Operation Corporation Limited), PSPCL (Punjab State Power Corporation Limited), PSTCL, RVNL (Rail Vikas Nigam Limited), SAIL, THDC, Vizag Steel, WBSEDCL.
Electronics and Communication Engineering graduates- AAI, BARC, BBNL (Bharat Broadband Network Limited), BEML, BNPM, BSNL, CabSec (Cabinet Secretariat), CEL, DMRC, DRDO, ECIL, EdCIL India (Educational Consultants India Limited), HAL, IOCL, KRIBHCO, MPMKVVL, MPPGCL, MRVC Ltd, NALCO, NPCIL, NSPCL, NLC, NTPC, PGCIL, PSPCL, PSTCL.
Civil Engineering graduates- AAI, BARC, BSPHCL, CEL, DDA, EdCIL India, EIL, HAL, HPCL, IOCL, IRCON, KRIBHCO, MRVC Ltd, NBCC (National Buildings Construction Corporation), NFL, NHAI (National Highways Authority of India), NHPC, NPCIL, NLC, OPGC Ltd, PGCIL, PSPCL, PSTCL, RITES, RVNL, THDC, WBSEDCL.
Instrumentation Engineering graduates- BARC, BSNL, GAIL (Gas Authority of India Ltd.) IOCL, KRIBHCO, NALCO, NFL, NPCIL, NSPCL, NLC, NTPC, PSTCL, SAIL.
Computer Science and Information Technology graduates- BARC, BSNL, DRDO, ECIL, IOCL, KRIBHCO, NFL, NLC, PGCIL, POSOCO, PSPCL, PSTCL, WBSEDCL.
Chemical Engineering graduates- BARC, BNPM, DRDO, EIL, GAIL, HPCL, IOCL, KRIBHCO, NFL, NPCIL, RCFL (Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd), SAIL.
Metallurgical Engineering graduates- BEML, IOCL, MIDHANI, NALCO, SAIL, Vizag Steel.
Mining Engineering graduates- NLC, NTPC, SAIL.
Petroleum Engineering graduates–MECL
I have arranged the disciplines, starting with the number of PSU recruiters in descending order.
There are fellowship programmes as well offered by ISRO, BARC, IITs and IIMs using GATE scores for higher studies, along with a commendable stipend. Further, you can become a faculty (Professor, assistant professor, etc.) at these institutions and avail yourself of impressive job perks. MNCs also use the GATE score as a criterion for short-listing candidates.
Indian Engineering Services (IES)
Next, let us look at Indian Engineering Service Exam (ESE) conducted by UPSC (Union Public Service Commission). UPSC conducts it for students who have obtained their degree in engineering from a UGC or AICTE recognized universities or institutions. Engineering students from civil engineering, mechanical engineering, Electrical engineering and electronics and Telecommunication Engineering can apply for this exam. Similar to the UPSC civil services exam, this exam also comprises three stages. The preliminary exam contains two objective papers, including a general paper to assess the general aptitude and a technical paper. The mains exam has two descriptive papers in the chosen engineering discipline. Finally, there is a personality test, after which UPSC prepares the ultimate list of candidates.
Link for IES Notification of this year
The current branch-wise vacancies are 32, 39, 58, and 86 for Mechanical engineering, Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Civil engineering.
Job Opportunities in Defense Sector
Indian Army offers Technical Graduate Course (TGC) for engineering graduates for a training course following which it will grant a permanent commission. Male engineering graduates who are in the final year or who have graduated can apply. The branches with vacancies for the TGC are (in the descending order) civil engineering, Computer Science Engineering, Electrical or Electrical and electronics engineering, Information Technology, Mechanical Engineering, electronics and telecommunication. Other disciplines that have vacancies include Industrial engineering, Aerospace engineering, production engineering, and so on.
Indian Navy also recruits engineering graduates from several branches like Electrical engineering, Industrial engineering, information technology, mechanical engineering and Marine engineering for Short Service Commission (SSC).
Indian Air Force recruits engineering graduates from B. E or B.Tech disciplines for the Flying branch, ground duty branch, and technical branch.
Indian army TGC notification Jan 2022
Engineering jobs in Indian Navy
Job Opportunities through CSIR – NET
Engineering graduates can clear the CSIR National Eligibility Test (NET) JRF test for the position of Junior research fellow in various government and private universities. They can apply under a plethora of subjects like aeronautical engineering, mining engineering, Electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, agricultural engineering, and many more. They can also apply for PhD programs, PSU jobs, lab postings, and scientists.
CSIR UGC NET 2022 Exam details
Job Opportunities in Indian Railways
Indian Railways hires graduates from various engineering backgrounds like civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, manufacturing engineering, production engineering, computer science and so on as junior / senior engineers. It holds a common written exam for engineering degree and diploma holder candidates for various posts.
Other Government Job Opportunities
Banks recruit students with IT, computer science and related fields as IT specialist officers through bank exams. The staff selection commission also conducts exams for junior engineering posts in civil, mechanical, and other branches.
We hope we will give you the required information to explore the different career options in government sector after engineering. If you liked the article, then share it with your friends and colleagues over social media to let them explore and get benefitted with the same.
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Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is S. Deva Vikaas. I am from Chennai. Currently, I am pursuing my Bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering from the College of Engineering Guindy. My fields of interest include marketing, poster designing, content writing, and management. I believe in the values of hard work, resilience, and in having a growth mindset.