SRM University-AP, with its uniquely curated “Destination Japan” program for its highly skilled Engineering & Non-engineering Students, is an initiative by the university to address the growing demand for human resources in Japan. The ‘Destination Japan’ program provides well-equipped engineers with valuable industry skills and well acquainted with Japanese culture. Under the programme, students are trained in the Japanese language, Japanese traditions, and work culture from the first year onwards, which helps them easily assimilate into the country’s workforce. The initiative also welcomes reputed companies from Japan to directly hire skilled engineering graduates from core engineering fields to enhance their manpower.

SRM University–AP has also signed MOUs with multiple universities in Japan for faculty & student exchange programs, collaborative R&D projects, Hi-tech & innovative labs and other academic initiatives complementing the “ Destination Japan “ program.

To further enhance this mutual alliance, the Director of Corporate Relations & Career Services of SRM AP, Dr Vivekanandan M S, has visited prospective companies and industries in Hamamatsu, Japan, during which he presented the stellar record of engineering graduates being nurtured at the varsity and the possible partnership for recruitment and employment.

SRM University-AP has also signed an agreement with the Shizuoka Government to foster Indo-Japanese academic and recruitment partnerships. These partnerships enable internships in Japanese organisations, admissions to universities for higher studies, and good career placement opportunities for their students in Japan.

Under the “Destination Japan” program, direct campus recruitment has begun with the visit of recruitment teams from two reputed Japanese companies, Forum Engineering Inc. and CRESCO Ltd., to hire proficient engineering graduates. This is a remarkable accomplishment for the university to ensure international placements for its students.

A recruitment team of four from CRESCO Ltd, including the Managing Director, and a team of two from Forum Engineering Inc. visited the university campus. The team included engineers, HR Executives and other professionals.

Many more Japanese companies are lined up for campus visits & recruitment in the coming months.

In an interaction with the recruitment teams from Japan, Mr Satoshi Iwami, MD of CRESCO, remarked, “As we are facing a shortage of IT engineers not only in our company but all over Japan, and with the SRM AP harbouring excellent IT engineers, we decided that an alliance would greatly benefit both parties.”

Ms Saho Funahashi, UI/UX Designer at CRESCO, said, “The students’ Japanese skills have impressed me. SRM University-AP has helped students understand the practical way of studying engineering through its impressive resources. This would greatly benefit them in a techno-driven country like Japan.”

Mr Mitsutaka Sekino, Operating Officer at Forum Engineering and Director of Cognavi India stated, “Due to the population crisis, the Japanese economy is getting weaker, but we believe hiring an able workforce from SRM AP to Japan will help improve the economy. We have come to hire excellent students from the university, and I’m greatly impressed by their proficiency in Japanese and their work attitude.”

Mr Masahiro Koizumi, Senior Executive Officer at Forum Engineering and Managing Director of Cognavi India, opined, “We, from Forum Engineering, have come here with the intention of recruiting high-skilled engineers. Furthermore, the clients of Forum Engineering, the manufacturers of electrical and mechanical equipment in Japan, have been facing a shortage of engineers. They desire Indian students to come to Japan and help resolve the problem.”

This program is guided and driven by SRM Global Consulting Private Limited, a consulting company of SRM Group established in Japan. Speaking on this, Mr Sankar Karunanidhi, Country Manager, SRM Global Consulting, mentioned, “SRM Group has had a long-standing relationship with Japan for over 25 years. This association has helped us design this unique program and training for our university students”.

This flagship initiative by SRM University-AP is helping Japan alleviate its labour shortage in various industries. Highly skilled graduates from India can get lucrative placements in Japan, ensuring a good work-life balance and career growth opportunities. SRM University–AP, continuing its success of placing students in Japan with the dedicated program and the team behind Destination Japan, envisions placing a minimum of 120 Highly Skilled students in Japan year-on-year.

Vice Chancellor of SRM University-AP, Prof. Manoj K Arora, said this remarkable venture by the two parties would enrich the student’s academic experience, moulding them into global citizens with exceptional industry acumen. “We have established a prolific alliance with Japan. We plan to extend our collaborations to place our students in Taiwan, Canada, Germany and other European countries,” stated the head of the institution.

The continuous dedication and support from the team’s leading both nations guarantee prospective Indian graduates a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to secure their dream careers in Japan.

Japan boasts the third-largest economy in the world. Being an incredible destination for aspirants, Japan proffers limitless opportunities and a rewarding career. The International offers in Japan are the brand-new addition to the success saga of placement 2022 at SRM University-AP. Three students from the class of 2022 have been placed with the international firm PVP in Japan with a lucrative salary package of 45 LPA. Alex Martin Mason, Ravi Srihitha, and Sahitha Yalamanchili of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and Electronics and Communication Engineering are making the institution proud with their academic rigour and industrial skillset.

Japan is well known for its concrete work ethic and fascinating culture. For students to be placed in Japan, more than just technical training, Japanese language proficiency and cultural knowledge are equally important. The Directorate of Corporate Relations and Career Services made sure to equip the students with intensive training in the Japanese language and culture. The international placement is also a commendable achievement for the team working exclusively on Japanese placements.

Mani Saketh is beyond happy to get placed with a Marquee offer of CTC 21 LPA in his third year of under graduation at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. He is placed at Western Digital, the company that introduced hard discs to the world. An immense commitment to obtain a Marquee offer was the driving force of his placement journey. He believed in keeping hope, persistence, and perfection alive at heart as they procreate the momentum to learn anything.

The company he got placed in basically works on HDD’s, SSD’s, Pendrive, NAND Flash-based Storage devices, etc. It is a hard disk drive manufacturer and data storage company. It is also the parent company of SanDisk. It was his internship that led him to this enormous placement offer.

He is in awe of the robust support system that the Directorate of Corporate Relations and Career Services is. “They helped me a lot by bringing many Marquee companies at the beginning, which made me work faster on my skills. The way they helped us by conducting various training sessions, responding very quickly whenever we have a single doubt or concern is commendable”, said Mani Saketh with most gratitude.

He was part of the Marquee Training Batch, where he got the freedom to practice whatever he wanted. But at the end of the day, all he wanted was to show some progress. Students who attended the Marquee training session used to solve coding questions, and if anyone failed to find the solutions, they had discussions in peer groups. This helped the students with the benefits of self-learning. The interactions among students during the problem-solving sessions encouraged their communication skills and improved their efficiency in resolving any coding question.

Mani Saketh thanked Mr Laxmanan Angu Raju, one of the senior managers of the Directorate of CR&CS, for having hope and confidence in him. According to him, getting placed at Western Digital wouldn’t be possible without the help of Ms Akhila, CR&CS executive. The mentoring and training of the placement team stayed with him throughout the placement session. He also thanked Dr Jaya Lakshmi Tangirala, his placement mentor, who made him realise the importance of CSE core fundamentals in the initial days of placement training.

As of now, Mani Saketh wants to convert this internship offer to a full-time offer and would like to work in the organisation for at least three years. Later, based on his interest, he wants to study further and grow in the company.

Addepalli Srilekha from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering is excited to step into a new phase of life with her incredible marquee offer of CTC 26.50. She is placed at Paypal, an American multinational fin-tech company that operates an online payments system that supports online money transfers. She is selected for the position of data scientist, where she will work for the Resolutions and Protections Team.

She had the assistance of the Directorate of Corporate Relations and Career Services at every stage of her placement journey. Constant support and guidance were given to the students and different sessions were held in an organised manner which covered various aspects such as coding, interview handling skills, Resume building sessions, etc. One-on-one feedback sessions were also conducted by the placement panel, which was extremely helpful for the students.

Srilekha always wanted to work in data science, so she began her training with Python, SQL, Excel, and a few data visualisation courses. She has consistently learned all the fundamental concepts of computer science, such as data structures, operating systems, and database management systems. She also participated in Competitive Coding Contests from the beginning, which helped her develop an interest in coding and problem-solving. To learn the fundamental concepts, she used to refer to University materials and a few online resources. She has also done much hands-on coding and regularly applied the theoretical knowledge she gained.

The training received at SRM University- AP was highly relevant, timely, and beneficial for Srilekha. For students at various levels, various types of training were provided. “There is always the possibility of starting from scratch here. Daily technical assessments helped us understand the industrial standards and requirements”, said Srilekha as she recollected her training days. Company-specific tests were also administered, and regular alum connect sessions were organised to assist students in understanding the organisations’ recruitment and operations.

She is thankful to Dr Jatindra Kumar Dash, Dr Murali Krishna Enduri, and Dr Priyanka S for their excellent teaching, which was a great help for her during the placement season. “Dr Jatindra Kumar Dash greatly aided my understanding of Machine Learning Algorithms. Because of his guidance, I was able to answer every ML-related question in the interviews”, said Srilekha with gratitude. The classes she took helped enhance her subject knowledge and gain hands-on experience.

She studied FLAT and Compiler Design for two semesters under Dr Murali Krishna Enduri. This subject helped her understand the insights of Automata theory and the structural workings of compilers. These two subjects are Srilekha’s favorites solely because of Dr Murali Krishna Enduri. Dr Priyanka S taught her two crucial subjects that played a significant role in the placement season: Introduction to Python and Operating Systems. Her classes were very organised, and the teaching strategies were very effective.

Srilekha aspires to come up with new ideas and innovations at her workplace and climb up the ladder of her career with determination and hard work.