Worldwide talent shortages are most acute in the Asia Pacific region including India. India stands third in the index with close to 61% difficulty in filling jobs. The global average is around 35%. Various surveys in the recent years have revealed that not more than 30% of the young generation getting ready to join the workforce has Employability skills that the Industry is looking for. There’s a huge gap in the curriculum and teaching Methodology followed by majority of the Educational Institutions offering professional courses and what actually is required by the Employers. A report on Higher Education in India – Vision 2030, by Ernst and Young for the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry mentions the skill gap in different sectors as 75% in IT; 55 % in manufacturing, 65% in healthcare and 50% in Banking and Insurance
Today’s work scenario is defined by change, whether it is technology, skills and problems. Educational Institutions , however have either not recognized that they are not in sync with the demands of the Industry or do not have the capability to align themselves to the need of the hour. The curriculum is still focused on academic rather than experiential learning.
Besides functional skills, Employers are giving a lot of importance to soft skills, especially communication, tenacity, teamwork, collaboration, self and social awareness, networking and many more. Students need to be articulating their views effectively, have clarity of thought, structured thought process, interpersonal and real problem solving skills to do well in their jobs. Soft Skills are a must have to enhance your Career in today’s world of work but unfortunately very few Educational Institutes seems have realized this.
Focus should be more on Industrial training, live projects, mentorship programs with Industry experts and interest alignment. Self-awareness and Personality Development helps students to be authentic and successful. Most importantly students should be given Career Guidance at an early stage to identify their strengths and discover their areas of passion before deciding on a Career.
Although quite a few programs have been launched by the government in Skilling India , it needs to be done at a faster pace in order to tap the huge potential of the youth in India.
