JOIN USAn increasing number of engineering students in Bengaluru are opting to study at least one foreign language in addition to their regular course. Students feel that a foreign language gives them an edge during recruitment, especially when foreign companies come calling.
Dia Boppanda, a final-year student at the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE), has completed a basic course in German. Though not a mandatory requirement under her syllabus, she chose to learn the language to better her chances during recruitment.
“I am from an electronics and communications background and a number of companies in Germany like Bosch prefer students who know German,” she said. “It’s a very good way to build one’s resume.”
She said that in her batch of 70 students, at least 10 had learned a foreign language. Many of her seniors also enrolled in various language courses.
At Bangalore University, many engineering students like Boppanda opt for German while commerce students go for French, according to Jyothi Venkatesh, co-ordinator, Centre for Global Languages.
“There is an increasing awareness that learning a language is an added skill and something that is required,” she said.
At Dayananda Sagar University, too, German is one of the most popular foreign languages among engineering students, according to M N Guruvenkatesh, vice president, Placements and Skill Development Centre, Dayananda Sagar Institutions.
“For the last few years, students have the option to learn foreign languages. It has become very popular now. German is particularly popular, besides French and Japanese,” he said. Of the 1,500-odd engineering students at the university, there are 150-250 who learn foreign languages, he added.
Besides jobs, students choose to study foreign languages keeping in mind their aspiration to go for higher studies in a foreign country. Giving an example, K B Raja, placement officer, UVCE, explained that at least 20% of the 450 students from the college go for higher studies and hence they tend to learn a foreign language.
“Countries like Germany and Japan are leaders in the world of technology and many students who aim to go to such countries tend to feel that they need to learn the local languages of these respective nations,” he said.