Why do Engineers opt for delivery roles?

I decided to tip the young man who went out of his way to serve me when I stopped for breakfast while going to talk to engineering students in an outreach program conducted by the NIT Trichy team. I asked my customary question to every youth whom I come across when they serve me anywhere, "What have you learnt?"

"I am a Civil Engineering graduate Sir?" said Dinesh. Before I could ask him why he chose this job, he told me he is a first-generation graduate from the hill town Ooty, could not get any job. He has taken up this job as he gets three meals and a place to stay. He went on to say that he would have taken up a delivery boy's job like many of his friends which pays nearly 15,000/- pm, but could not afford it as he does not have a two-wheeler vehicle.

It was not only disappointing but also disheartening. All this talk of India deriving the demographic dividend sounds so hollow, one govt talks about skilling 550 million, the successor has been talking about skilling 400 million, but the reality hurts.

The delivery boy role has become an aspirational job!!!

What will these youngsters do? these temporary jobs will not give them a sustainable livelihood in the long run.

When will the institutions realise that churning out graduates without any serious effort to empower them with the required skills to get entry levels in their chosen streams will do more harm than good?

We talk about rising unemployment, paradoxically the companies lament about the lack of a skilled workforce to meet their recruitment needs. Can the CSR activities of companies focus on assessing the interests and abilities of the youngsters and handhold them to pursue meaningful jobs that would help them build a sustainable career? Won't the impact be bigger and change the lives of many young lives meaningfully? It can be a small contribution to the nation-building exercise

What are your thoughts?