Building Blocks of Employability

Modern economies are based on knowledge rather than on raw materials, skill sets, or physical labor, the job market is changing at a dramatic pace. More and more, both public and private sector interest groups are realizing the need to create jobs needed by a dynamic, knowledge-based society, especially in times of the global economic crisis in which we live. The current system of education in India does have a strong emphasis on knowledge acquisition but sometimes fails to integrate the required employability skills to the students. In the undergraduate program, this leads to a mismatch between the industry needs and the existing skill set of the students.

The solution I see to help bridge this gap is to provide structured short credit certificate courses supplementing the current education system. Through NEP implementation, the Indian education system is surely going in the right direction.

For example, in schools, there can be summer credit courses offered to students to help them understand the trends in the marketplace across industries to understand career prospects and also help them choose the right courses to pursue the right career options. For example – Work Education (WE) (Similar to Socially Useful Productive Work (SUPW) in ICSE) is an integral course in the CBSE syllabus. As a part of this module, students can choose from a number of vocational education activities and learn to work as a team and to work with skill and deftness. In addition to developing individual skills, WE aims to help develop among the students the habit to work as a community, encourage community thinking, increase awareness of scientific advancements and develop a scientific outlook. The training acquired in the classroom is expected to help students solve the day-to-day problems of the community.

For example at The Aurinko Academy, a science fuel camp is being organized as part of their summer program called “Summer Edge” which helps give that extra edge to their students. The Science Fuel camp has industry SMEs come and speak with the students and help them understand the opportunities available. In case they want to pursue a certain career option, then which course to take up and which universities to target. The school has implemented a “mentor in a box” program. In this program, they have an SME from the industry working with the teacher within the school mentoring the child on the career option, helping them with the admission process as well as coaching them for the admission process. We also have options for students to earn college credits while they are at school. There are multiple advantages of completing college academic credits while at school

1. You will gain valuable experience
2. You can jumpstart your career
3. You will learn to work smarter and not just harder
4. You will improve your chances of admission to UG programs
5. You will learn how to juggle things on your own
6. You will gain an appreciation for academic rigor
7. You will get a better idea of what to study
8. You’ll Have More Opportunities to specialize Your Studies With a Minor or Second Major

Similarly, students are leaving university with a great degree education under their belt; some employers still feel that many aren’t 100 percent prepared for life as a real-world employees. Universities like Oxford, Cambridge, and other leading universities have industry experts who deliver guest lectures at universities helping to bring theory to life by illustrating how the tools are used in industry. Apart from that, they also have credit courses in the key areas of focus within each vertical to make the students more meaningful. All of this is possible only when academia and industry work closely together and build a relationship where they support each other.

Global employers often look for the “four Cs”: cultural awareness, communication skills, collaboration, and creativity. “They aspire to hire individuals who are sensitive to the impact of cultural differences across countries in the ways business is conducted; write and speak clearly and persuasively; actively participate in and lead cross-functional teams; and think broadly, expanding the boundaries, and identifying new ways of doing things. This is what Universities like Harvard University, Stanford, Yale, MIT, and Columbia University additionally provide apart from the world-class education courses offered.

So just trying to work on skilled courses will not bridge the gap between the current skill gap to the unemployable workforce being created. The success formula is to have a good knowledge base and the right attitude that encourages continuous learning coupled with the right soft skills and credit courses to help the students of today become more employable.

Picture credit: Stem Learning