In a significant boost to graduate employment, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has selected 225 degree-engineering students through a special placement drive organized by the Gujarat government. The four-day event, which concluded on Thursday, December 4, 2025, was aimed at students from government technical institutes across the state.
Government Initiative Bridges Gap Between Students and Industry
The drive was orchestrated by the state's Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) as part of a proactive initiative to provide job opportunities to graduating students and help build a local workforce for industries based in Gujarat. A senior official stated that while companies routinely conduct campus interviews, this is likely the first time the state government itself has organized a dedicated placement drive for a single corporate giant.
Beginning at LD College of Engineering in Ahmedabad from December 1 to 4, the drive targeted both degree and diploma engineering students graduating in 2025. According to Higher and Technical Education Minister Pradyuman Vaja, students from 47 government technical institutes participated in the process.
High Registration and Rigorous Selection Process
The response from students was overwhelming. Official data reveals that around 3,800 students registered on the RIL portal for the opportunity. From this large pool, the company shortlisted 608 degree-engineering and 728 diploma-engineering students through an initial online test.
Of the 478 degree-engineering candidates who subsequently appeared for in-person interviews, 225 were finally selected for positions at Reliance. The selection process for diploma-engineering candidates is currently still underway, as confirmed by the government release.
A Model for Future Collaborations
A top government official connected with the development explained the broader vision. The objective is to encourage reputed private companies to recruit directly from government engineering colleges across the state, not just a select few.
"Generally, private companies hold campus interviews in very few government institutes. Our point is that there are good students in other government institutes as well in the state," the official said. "We are reaching out to private companies to hold such placement drives... RIL has responded first. We want to ensure that students are benefited by this and get good employment." The government assured participating companies of free logistics support.
The official also highlighted a larger socio-economic objective: promoting a local workforce. "Currently, the industrial workforce in Gujarat is majority from outside Gujarat. We want the industries in Gujarat to have a Gujarati workforce. And our efforts are on to ensure that," the official added.
To institutionalize this effort, the government has established placement cells in all degree and diploma engineering colleges under the Technical Education department. These cells are tasked with linking students with companies based on their specific interests and skill sets, indicating that more such collaborative drives with other industries are on the horizon.
