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Welcome sir, may I help you?" With an endearing smile on her face, the teenager makes you feel comfortable and warm in the coffee shop every time you walk in. From mopping floor to serving fries, she does it with pride and elan. Well versed in English, she and her mates are suave, smart, trendy, working swiftly to serve Indians and foreigners pleasantly. Over the past few years the student-oriented service industry has been booming and one gets to see a good number of students serving in cafes, eating joints, event promotion companies, BPOs, retail outlets of big brands. These service sectors believe in young talent and skills with the motto of ‘catch -em-young.’ Students in the age group of 17-22 are in demand, for they are flexible and can be easily moulded according to the needs and requirements of the job, points out Neeraj Chopra of Pizza Hut. "Students are always preferred for their energy, zeal and commitment towards work, they are young, well-versed with the likes and dislikes of the youth thereby adding freshness and appealing college crowd to the restaurant," he says. Other employers point out that the basic reason for shortlisting students are the raw skills that they possess. "There is lots of demand of college students in the corporate world and trade promotion services, it’s easy to mould their raw skills in a desired way," says Rashmi Kapoor of P.A.B placements. "The placements triple during the three months of summer. On an average, 300 students are hired for promotions and events," says Manav Khanna of Solutions, Event and Management Company. Experts say that the trend among the students to work along with their academic pursuits is on the increase which is a positive change. “Today's youth are looking for opportunities to work part-time or taking up summer jobs while pursuing their academic interests. This is an extremely positive and appreciable trend, that is definitely on the rise, financial independence is one of the main factors motivating youngsters to work part-time, with the additional bonus of gaining experience and exposure to corporate culture, for future career enhancement,” says Rajat Gandhi, Head of Marketing, Timesjobs.com. "Students are driven primarily by the high salaries, with focus on sectors such as the ITeS & BPO that earns them around Rs 9,000 to Rs. 18,000 a month and leave once their academic courses begin. Being fast and eager learners, they’re in great demand in the company," he adds. "In the age of cut-throat competition in the job sphere, to be street-smart and gain confidence it's a good idea to work along with studies. Though right now my priority is to get experience, who minds the extra money after all?" says Ashima Prakash, an IP university student. Deepanker, pursuing MBA from Open University, says: "Working in Pizza Hut is a great experience where I get to interact with different faces all day and to serve myself confidently, the Rs 21- per -hour job is sufficient to meet my daily expenditure," he says. "Doing promotions for Solutions Inc (event management company) is an exciting job where I get to meet celebrities and eminent personalities, it has helped to shed my inhibitions in interacting with strangers, devoting 4-6 hours a day fetches me a handsome amount, which has made me independent and realise worth of each penny," says Karan Chabbra, a student of Delhi University. While the idea of earning lures students enormously, the parents have their own views. "It's definitely a very healthy trend for children to have a sense of responsibility," says Neena vohra, mother of an 18-year-old. On the other hand, Aruna says "I have apprehensions in allowing my daughter to work after college hours, in an eating joint or a call centre, because of the unhealthy environment and unsafe provisions for
girls." — PTI
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