Uncertainty hits coaching classes hard at Ameerpet

The dream street that once attracted thousands hoping to reach their dream destination--the US--nowadays wears a deserted look. The stretch from Maitrivanam to Gurudwara at Ameerpet in Hyderabad, which is the home to hundreds of coaching centres that help aspirants in aspects such as filling up their resumes and picking up the latest certification course has been witnessing a drop in footfall.

The downtrend started after the US  under the Donald Trump’s administration began imposing stringent rules with regard to work permits, immigration and travel.

The area, which is jocularly referred to as “United States of Ameerpet”, attracts fresh engineering graduates from all over the country who want to study latest IT certification courses that can get them a  job in the US.

Ameerpet is considered notorious by Nasscom (National Association of Software and Services Companies) as coaching centres here used pirated softwares to train the aspirants.
 The coaching centres updated themselves with needs in the US and offered the latest in programming, big data management, gaming, tool testing, business analytics and accounts and audit and fee was very low.

“Fresh graduates and IT experts who want to work in the US land up here with a dream. Down the years many have left from Ameerpet to America without a hitch as we provided them with the expertise in a short span of time, that too at a fraction of the cost that any American institution would charge,” Venkat Reddy, owner of a coaching centre in Maitrivanam, said. His 50-student capacity classroom now hardly has 10 occupants at any given time.

He teaches Tableau software to non IT B Tech and MBA degree holders for a quick entry into hundreds of data analytics posts in the US, particularly in the Bay area of Silicon Valley.

“In fact the entry into such jobs is easy for those who have a degree from any US university. But an Ameerpet trained H1-B visa holder will be happy at an entry level job and salary,” he said.

 “However, this was the exact reason why the host country is concerned about cheap labour taking away the jobs from Americans,” he said. There is a 60% fall in enrolment in his classes since Trump took over.

 “It is more out of fear,” said Madhu Neha of Global Tree Consultancy, one of the most sought-after coaching centre in Ameerpet. She said that incidents of attacks on Indian students and professionals, particularly the Kuchibhotla Srinivas murder case in Kansas, has created panic among Indians and many are now opting for alternatives in Australia and Canada. “There will be a gestation period for a coaching centre to shift to new courses that have demand in these new destinations,” she said.  She pointed out that there is a long waiting list for Canadian work permits and  the future of Indian techies is uncertain in Australia too.

The faculty too is under severe stress. Venugopal, a faculty member who goes around teaching big data management courses in many centres, said that more than the Trump impact there is a paradigm shift in the international job market.

“Now it’s not software any more. There is digitisation and robotics everywhere. Companies are not recruiting in large numbers. Earlier at least 90 out of every 100 students trained in our coaching centres secured jobs in India and  the US, but there are hardly any now,” Venugopal said.

 He argued that not all the students who enrol for coaching used to opt for the US. Even the local job market for techies is depressing. Recent reports about layoffs by major IT companies in the garb of “separation” owing to lack of skill sets has made the aspirants to think twice before joining the courses in Ameerpet.

The immigration ban on Islamic countries by the Trump administration also made several Muslim students to think twice before venturing into the US. Rehman, a trainee at a coaching centre, said that many of his friends have cancelled their US plans fearing entry barriers at the port of entry in that country. “I am planning to go to one of the Gulf countries instead,” he said.

His parents too are concerned about his plans to go to the US. Another aspirant Praveen from coastal Andhra Pradesh pointed out that he would still continue with the training and apply for a student visa as he believed that there will be no persecution of students in American universities.

The institutions that offer coaching for Toefl, GRE and GMAT are also facing similar predicament. “There is a 50% fall in enrolment as students need time to change their plans as it involves huge money to enrol in any American university,” Murali Krishna, owner of another coaching centre, said.

He said that coaching for IELTS, which is a requirement in Commonwealth countries, is picking up fast. The downtrend also has its impact on allied businesses in Ameerpet. The PG accommodation, messes, canteens and hotels have seen drop in business.

“Earlier any vacancy in our hostel used to get filled up immediately. Now not many students are coming here from outside the city,” Ramu, owner of Venkateswara Boys Hostel in Ameerpet, said.
Not only that, the owners of Xerox shops, the spiral binding works, stationery shops who have nothing to do with the immigration policies of  the big brother are feeling the pinch and are waiting for a turnaround.