The HR Symposium 2026 at D Y Patil International University (DYPIU), Akurdi, Pune, delivered one of the most practically focused career-readiness events in Maharashtra’s academic calendar this year, drawing 560 engineering students and six senior industry professionals on April 10, 2026. Centred on the theme “Future-Ready Engineers: Skills, Attitude, and Industry Expectations,” the event challenged students to look beyond their degrees and build the adaptive, communication-forward, and tech-savvy profiles that modern employers actually hire. The symposium ran as a structured panel discussion moderated by Mr. Chetan Khairnar, with each expert sharing direct, field-tested perspectives on hiring, career growth, and the professional skills gap.
Vice Chancellor Sets the Tone: Think Global, Skill Constantly
Honourable Vice Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) Manish Bhalla delivered the inaugural address, urging students to cultivate a global outlook, commit to continuous skilling, and develop the right mindset to navigate a fast-changing industry landscape. His opening message framed the entire event: success in the modern workforce goes far beyond academic achievement it demands ongoing personal evolution. His address immediately established the symposium’s core directive — that the responsibility for becoming industry-ready sits with the student, not the institution alone.
Dean Placement Calls Out the Adaptability Gap
Dean Placement Ms. Jasmita Kaur told students directly that technical knowledge alone no longer guarantees employability in an era of rapid technological disruption. She defined the profile that industry now actively seeks: professionals who are agile, collaborative, and genuinely committed to continuous learning — not those who simply hold a degree. She also confirmed that DYPIU actively advances practical and skill-based initiatives to bridge the gap between what universities teach and what employers require on day one.
Ms. Kaur’s message carried a pointed challenge: students must take ownership of their own growth rather than waiting for institutions to hand it to them. She specifically encouraged the audience to stay curious, build relevant technical and soft skills proactively, and treat their time in university as a launchpad — not a finishing line.
Job Market Data: 170 Million New Roles, 92 Million at Risk
Prof. Dr. Arun Sacher, Associate Dean of Corporate Relations and Placement, grounded the discussion in hard numbers from the Future of Jobs Report 2025, which projects nearly 170 million new roles globally by 2030 alongside the displacement of approximately 92 million existing positions. He identified AI, big data, and software development as the fastest-growing job categories — making technological and analytical skills non-negotiable for the next generation of engineering professionals. The gap between those numbers is not just an opportunity; it is a warning about what happens to those who stop learning.
Citing the India Skills Report 2025, Prof. Sacher noted that graduate employability has climbed to nearly 55%, with Maharashtra among the states showing the strongest demand for engineering, management, and AI-related talent. He directed students to pursue internships actively, invest in both technical and soft skill development simultaneously, and treat continuous learning as a career-long professional habit rather than a pre-placement task.
Six Industry Experts, Six Direct Messages
The panel discussion served as the symposium’s centrepiece, with each speaker delivering focused, experience-backed guidance:
- Mr. Girish Khilari pushed students to embrace innovation and a problem-solving mindset in an era of digital transformation, warning against passive, conventional learning approaches
- Mr. Umesh Ganjale addressed fresher hiring directly, stressing that adaptability and communication skills rank equally alongside technical qualifications in every hiring decision
- Mr. Vaibhav Abdeo gave students a recruiter’s perspective, explaining how effective self-positioning in a competitive job market separates shortlisted candidates from overlooked ones
- Mr. Hardik Patel shared his personal career journey to illustrate how innovation and consistent learning build careers with genuine impact — not just employment
- Mr. Pritesh Shah broadened the conversation to leadership and global exposure, urging students to develop a long-term professional vision rather than simply chasing their first job offer
- Mr. Abhijit Puri rounded out the panel with insights into evolving talent acquisition trends, equipping students with a clear picture of how employer expectations continue to shift
HR Symposium 2026: What 560 Students Took Away
The symposium produced six concrete learning outcomes that cut across every expert session:
- Technical skills must pair with strong communication, confidence, and professional attitude to produce a hire-ready profile
- Recruitment processes favour candidates who demonstrate self-awareness, adaptability, and preparation — not just qualifications
- AI, digital transformation, and global operations now represent baseline awareness requirements, not specialisation topics
- Internships, stretch projects, and real-world exposure build the profile that classroom performance alone cannot
- A strong professional identity — online and offline — now forms part of every serious candidate’s competitive toolkit
- Career vision matters from day one — students who plan long-term outperform those who treat placement as a final-semester task
DYPIU’s Academic Mission: Where Industry Meets Education
D Y Patil International University operates as a multidisciplinary institution across Engineering and Technology, Management, Design, Media and Communication, Biotechnology and Healthcare, and Liberal Arts. The university offers specialised pathways in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Digital Business, UX/UI Design, and Entrepreneurship — disciplines that directly mirror the hiring trends its placement team presented at the symposium. DYPIU’s focus on experiential learning and industry collaboration makes events like the HR Symposium 2026 a structural part of its academic model, not a standalone activity.
The university’s placement infrastructure — led by Ms. Jasmita Kaur and Prof. Dr. Arun Sacher — runs ongoing industry partnerships to give students access to real hiring insights before they enter the market. Contact details for prospective students and industry partners: enquiry@dypiu.ac.in or +91 86000 91180.
One Message That Defined the Day
Every speaker, every data point, and every student question at the HR Symposium 2026 converged on a single, unambiguous statement: being degree-ready is not enough — one must be industry-ready. The 560 students who attended left with not just information, but a personal roadmap built from real recruiter expectations, live labour market data, and the candid career experiences of six professionals who have sat on both sides of the interview table.
