Employability Skills in Indian Context – Are our students ready yet? (Updated)
“India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world today & with liberal economic policies it is poised to grow further. Recent surveys¹ indicate that by 2030, it will be the third largest economy in the world just behind US & China. In addition to this India is currently enjoying demographic dividend – we have highest number of people in working-age group (15-64 years). United Nations Population Division (UNPD) data suggests that we will continue to enjoy this until 2050! This advantage offers India a unique opportunity to accelerate economic growth if it can effectively harness its young workforce with proper education, skill development, and employment opportunities. But the question is are we really ready for this? Are our students skilled enough to compete globally and be successful in getting those jobs? The answer is an overwhelming ‘No’! Let us know why and how to tackle this issue.”
Indian students are under skilled!
While India is rapidly transitioning into a powerful economy, our education system still hovers around traditional methods of teaching where onus is given to ‘scoring marks’ or taking ‘good grades’ than the practical skills which make them employable. There is very little/no employer-academic institution interaction. Mostly the education system is theoretical (rote-learning) & lacks adequate life and career skills required for students to excel in their personal & professional lives. This is substantiated by various surveys which indicate that in India only 10% students get some sort of skills training (2% formally & 8% informally). Rest 90% are left in the lurch! This means that college education is not enough to make our young adults job-ready.
College Learning is not enough for Career Success
Employers across the globe agree in unison that there is a glaring mismatch between what skills employers look for in graduate students vis a vis the skills they actually acquire as part of their college education. This is substantiated by various surveys. In India, National Employability Report³ by Aspiring Minds states that 80% of engineering population is unemployable! In another survey4 conducted by Hart Foundation in US almost 86% of the employers say that college learning is not enough for students to get jobs & they have to learn ‘broad based’ soft skills. In this context it becomes extremely important for all of us to identify these ‘Employability skills’ help our students acquire them. This would help them get the right job and flourish at workplace.
Employers agree that following skills are absolutely essential for students.
- Interpersonal skills (including Verbal/Oral Communication Skills & Listening skills)
- Written Communication Skills
- Collaboration and team work
- Work ethics and decision-making
- Critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills
- Problem solving
- Time Management and Organizational Skills
- Negotiation & Leadership skills
What next? It’s Time to Learn!
Fortunately for all of us, Employability skills or any of the related soft skills are ‘learnable’. Therefore students and their parents should immediately ensure that these essential skills are acquired in first place (if not done already) and practiced. The situation is either learn or be jobless!
It is very important for students to remember that these skills should be taught by experienced professionals who should ideally have exposure to both academic and corporate sectors. If you are aiming for online training, ensure that the training provider is an expert in that space and adequate use-cases/exercises are embedded in those training programs. If not the entire training exercise would go in vain!
So my dear students brace yourselves for some new learning, acquire those skills, aim for a suitable job & go get it! All the best..
About Academics and Beyond:
Academics and Beyond (A&B) is an emerging training and advisory services company that caters to the needs of students, parents and young professionals. A&B specializes in Academic, Career and Life skills. They have an array of training programs suitable for students in various grades and level. The trainers and consultants currently associated with A&B are all experienced (more than 10 years) and have adequate exposure to both academic and corporate sectors. Contact us at services@academicsandbeyond.in or call/whatapp us at +91-9483009981. Visit www.academicsandbeyond.in to know more about trainings & other services offered by us.
References:
- Derived through secondary research on WWW- Source: Centre for Economics Business and Research (CEBR) – UK
- Aspiring minds report
- https://www.aacu.org/sites/default/files/files/LEAP/2015employerstudentsurvey.pdf
- Hart foundation report
