India is one of the youngest countries in the world.
With a population of over one billion in India, government census reveals that 41.5 % of them constitute youth of our country.
A further investigation reveals that out of an approximate 410 million young Indians, only 60% of them are educated and literate.
The question that arises here is that, ‘Is this 60% employable i.e market ready where the industry can absorb them into skillful jobs and be considered as skillful labour?’. The question has been answered in a recent report published by McKinsey. According to that report only 51% of the employers thought Indian graduates were prepared for entry-level positions in their respective fields. They have discovered that the lacunae exists in areas of problem-solving and communication. Such disclosures are quiet disappointing to the mood of “Developing and Incredible India”.
What are the next steps to alleviate youth from such state?
This is no one man’s job. All the stakeholders involved in educational sector and HRD of India need to get social and add value to raise the quality of human resources being produced for the nation. Who are the stakeholders?
What is the role of each stakeholder?
Let us with Government and end at NGOs.
Government: Any anomaly in the society, the reason is always government, fingers are immediately pointed towards the current government However, in this case Government of India has been doing some great stuff. It has established Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. They have their schemes gathered on a portal called http://www.youthportal.gov.in/. National Skill Development Corporation is another relevant initiative that has made a mark in facilitating and filling skill gaps. Is this enough? Not really.
We need expeditious reforms in a greater magnitude, with youth population is growing in numbers. Government has collaborate with the industry and provide rigorous training programs. Most of all it has to update the curriculum in all fields to include field experience, industry experience as a compulsory element. Thorough theory and academics have to be kneaded with real time industry exposure.
Universities and Colleges: These educational institutions have an opportunity to make a direct impact on this issue and fill the gap. They need to welcome industry leaders to participate in the annual curriculum and interact with students. Similarly encourage innovation among students.
Some instances of such action already happening are:
IIIT Hyderabad – They have an incubation center that nurtures innovative technilogies created by students into practical business models.
St.Francis College for Women, a commerce and science college brings in companies and internships within their college and as an autonomous college, it has absorbed industry experience as a compulsory part of its curriculum.
Students: “If you want to see change in the world, then YOU be the change.” Though their is action gearing up among other stakeholders the attitude of students have to change with it. Students need to understand the definition and purpose of education before getting into a college. The students need to now reorient themselves towards the approach of learning. A section of urban youth are participating in collaborative activities to expand their horizon of exposure however there is a large section of youth still left out and requires penetration.
Industry or Recruiters: Companies looking for employable talent also need to be ready to provide internship and apprentice opportunities to students before they hit the market for employment. Recruiters, irrespective of their scale of business need to welcome themselves for orientation and plenary sessions where students get to interact with them.
Everonn has made efforts to introduce vocational training programmes under one of NSDC reforms.
NGO and Social Enterprises: The social sector can never be left behind when there is an issue on the table. Social enterprises need to do their bit. Gradually there is momentum picking up with innovative interventions from NGOs for students to be tuned and certified as employable. Creative Cares is one NGO we could quote in this context.
Investopedia defines EMPLOYABILITY as employability is a product consisting of a specific set of skills such as soft, hard, technical, transferable etc. The broad perspective includes the narrow definition and enhances it further by viewing employability as a life-long, continuous process of constantly acquiring experience, new knowledge (purposeful learning) and skills that contribute to improving one’s marketability and subsequently ability to obtain and maintain gainful employment in the various labor markets. Further, employability can be defined both as a product – a set of skills – that “enables” and as a process that “empowers” an individual to acquire and improve marketable skills that can lead to gainful employment.
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