By Varun Sharma:
It has been a tiring day for Raman. Sitting in his dimly lit room, he is thinking about the day which has passed by without noticing him. Busy replaying things in his mind, he contemplates what went wrong and where. He did his graduation from a recognized university, scored well in his school, even did a computer course. Then, why does he have to toil every day looking for a job to support him. He grumbles and goes to bed mumbling; at least he is not alone. And the worst part is hidden in the righteousness of the statement. Army of youngsters who graduate from innumerable colleges scattered around the country think on the same lines while going to bed every night.
The educational system in India has failed miserably. While there is a huge demand of skilled manpower in domestic and international markets, the quality of students who are graduating doesn’t meet the requirements. “Though India produces the highest number of engineers in the world, it is expected that only 20-30 percent of these are employable,” Ernst & Young National Leader (Automotive Sector) Rakesh Batra told to a news agency. According to industry estimates, only a quarter of all graduates are employable and about 80% of job seekers in employment exchange are without any professional skills. This clearly indicates the sensitivity of the problem at hand.
Virtually every industry ranging from IT, Retail, Finance, telecommunication, manufacturing and biotechnology is struggling to find skilled workers and managers as they expand. The HR bosses argue that most of the aspirants lack the basic skills which play a crucial role in establishing a person as an asset to a company. Communication skills, ground knowledge and technical skills are the basics which a person should possess to climb the success ladder in any organization.
The situation is much worse in colleges and institutes located in rural areas. Practices like use of primitive teaching tools, aged faculty members with no access and knowledge of modern techniques and theoretical teaching practices without any emphasis of ground realities are gnawing at the future of these young minds who want to make it big in this competitive world but are left helpless in hands of machinery which broke years ago.
Such serious shortages of manpower are also reflected in the phenomenal pay rises Indian industry is giving to retain existing staff. The cream of the company comprising top level executives, directors and department heads pick heavy pay packets to provide access to their services and vast pool of experience. The likes of IIM’s and IIT’s do provide their share of leaders and entrepreneurs but sadly, it is not enough for a country as big as India. India needs a pool of technical and managerial talent to create pathways on the unbeaten lands.
Country as vast as India needs a large amount of talent and skilled work force to guide the path of the future growth. The old brigade cannot meet the demands of the present times. So, the task of shaping the future leaders and managers becomes much more important. At present, India is riding the growth horses powered by positive industry sentiments and economic expansion but it will not take time for the tables to turn.
Image courtesy: http://rozgarpatrika.com/2010/02/epsi-national-admission-test-enat-2010-notification