Originally published at http://www.indiaincorporated.com/
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by: Joan Reilly
The recent announcement in India’s Union Budget proposing a national multi-skill programme, ‘Skill India’, with the aim of instilling the youth of India with an awareness of the importance of employability and entrepreneur skills, is very welcome.
The lack of employability skills is not, however, a problem unique to India. As the global economy recovers, and more and more businesses develop an international focus, it is crucial that there are sufficient numbers of graduates with the requisite skills to progress within a company and realise their full potential.
The alternative is high rates of attrition, and the likelihood that economic recovery will stall. However, employability skills are not easily acquired in an academic environment.
For many HE (Higher Education) institutions the employment of graduates is a key performance indicator. The focus, however, is often on the numbers employed and not necessarily on where they are employed.
In India, discussion with many Placement Officers indicated that their priority is to ensure that graduates are in employment without considering the actual preparedness for the workplace. An extreme example is when I gave a presentation at a college in India to over 100 students, a month away from their final examinations, and not one of them had started to compose their CV. The students, at that stage, had been given no opportunity to consider their key competencies and how these could be matched to their career aspirations.
Discussion with leading employers in India also indicated considerable concern about the dearth of employability skills among graduates, highlighting communication, teamwork, creativity, and cross-cultural awareness. As a result employers have to invest in expensive training programmes to address the lack of skills among graduates.
Programmes,of course,that are more vocationally-oriented do go a long way in preparing graduates for the work place. However, such programmes are only available to some students. Indeed, in India it may be argued that the system of affiliation of colleges to universities leaves little opportunity for innovative curricula.
The lack of employability skills, however, is a global issue. There are examples of HE institutions with initiatives that actively encourage preparedness for the workplace. In the UK for example, the University of Kent’s Careers and Employability Service offers an online programme on key skills leading to the University’s Careers Employability Award. Durham University offers workshops on a range of employability skills that are delivered by employers. Student feedback on these initiatives is very positive with participants indicating how much better prepared they are for the workplace.
There are examples of good practice in India. However, many programmes that focus on the development of employability skills tend to be initiatives led by individuals who have the vision to realise the importance of preparing students for work.
The proposed ‘Skill India’ programme is an opportunity to address the lack of employability skills among graduates and equip them with the necessary skills to be successful in their careers, and ultimately, contribute to the economic growth of India.
Click here for original post
by: Joan Reilly
The recent announcement in India’s Union Budget proposing a national multi-skill programme, ‘Skill India’, with the aim of instilling the youth of India with an awareness of the importance of employability and entrepreneur skills, is very welcome.
The lack of employability skills is not, however, a problem unique to India. As the global economy recovers, and more and more businesses develop an international focus, it is crucial that there are sufficient numbers of graduates with the requisite skills to progress within a company and realise their full potential.
The alternative is high rates of attrition, and the likelihood that economic recovery will stall. However, employability skills are not easily acquired in an academic environment.
For many HE (Higher Education) institutions the employment of graduates is a key performance indicator. The focus, however, is often on the numbers employed and not necessarily on where they are employed.
In India, discussion with many Placement Officers indicated that their priority is to ensure that graduates are in employment without considering the actual preparedness for the workplace. An extreme example is when I gave a presentation at a college in India to over 100 students, a month away from their final examinations, and not one of them had started to compose their CV. The students, at that stage, had been given no opportunity to consider their key competencies and how these could be matched to their career aspirations.
Discussion with leading employers in India also indicated considerable concern about the dearth of employability skills among graduates, highlighting communication, teamwork, creativity, and cross-cultural awareness. As a result employers have to invest in expensive training programmes to address the lack of skills among graduates.
Programmes,of course,that are more vocationally-oriented do go a long way in preparing graduates for the work place. However, such programmes are only available to some students. Indeed, in India it may be argued that the system of affiliation of colleges to universities leaves little opportunity for innovative curricula.
The lack of employability skills, however, is a global issue. There are examples of HE institutions with initiatives that actively encourage preparedness for the workplace. In the UK for example, the University of Kent’s Careers and Employability Service offers an online programme on key skills leading to the University’s Careers Employability Award. Durham University offers workshops on a range of employability skills that are delivered by employers. Student feedback on these initiatives is very positive with participants indicating how much better prepared they are for the workplace.
There are examples of good practice in India. However, many programmes that focus on the development of employability skills tend to be initiatives led by individuals who have the vision to realise the importance of preparing students for work.
The proposed ‘Skill India’ programme is an opportunity to address the lack of employability skills among graduates and equip them with the necessary skills to be successful in their careers, and ultimately, contribute to the economic growth of India.
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