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Industry THMB Skill deficit hampering production of India industry

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Bikky Khosla | 22 Dec, 2009
While we all are talking and focusing on the lack of our country's infrastructure, another issue which needs to be addressed on a war-footing is the skill deficit that the country is facing at the moment. The industry has been voicing its concern about this gap between available talent and knowledge pool for a long time now, and a holistic approach by the government in bridging the skill deficit is perhaps the need of the hour.

Entrepreneurs will agree with me that with the deteriorating quality of skilled workers in companies, there is a huge demand and supply mismatch of competent manpower. There is a dearth of vocational skills, something that is not taught in schools and colleges, and companies - both small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and big - are now feeling the heat as it's affecting their production. With deficit of skills in our workforce, our industry is wasting valuable production time on training the workers on the job.

The country's case is a paradox of sorts. On one hand, India has a workforce of around 525 million being the world's second most populous country, on the other hand, we have just 5,500 industrial training institutes and 1,745 polytechnics. When we compare our case with that of China's, we see that that there are five lakh similar institutes in this neighbouring nation.

In addition, the skills imparted by our vocational training institutions do not match the requirements of the industry. So this imbalance is not only costing the industry dearly owing to lack of proper workforce, it has also come out as the main reason for unemployment - a topic which is close to our government and babus alike. However while we are focusing on unemployment as a crisis, in actuality we are missing out on the bigger crisis - unemployability.

If I remember well, the India Labour Report of 2007 had come out with startling facts that only 8 percent of the the Indian youth were unemployed, while 53 percent of employed youth suffered some degree of skill deprivation.

There is a surplus labour-force in the agriculture sector. Now, if India has to emerge as the fast-growing major economy in the world, it will have to equip this surplus workforce with higher levels of skills and make it fit for the manufacturing and services sectors.

Without doubt there is a need to develop human skills to foster the envisaged growth in the various industrial sectors. If achieved, not only will our production rate increase manifold, we will also be able to attain a higher level of prosperity towards the development of the nation. Difficult, I would say, but not impossible!
 
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Skill deficit hampering production of India industry
D Mistry | Mon Jan 4 11:44:12 2010
This is the first article I have read that has hit the nail on the head. I am a UK resident and British subject - I have been all my life. I was brought up in UK. The general opinion of the business owners I know is that although the Indian graduates have qualifications and know how to speak the language. They lack general understanding of the work ethics. So they come across as being ignorant and lazy. When asked to do something they will never say they don't understand instead go out to carry out the job very badly. In business terms this works out costly to the company. I know of people that have gone to India to set up business and closed it down after 18 months as the work force were not able to carry out simple tasks. It's ashame - I think if India could provide good education at base level - it would be an unbeatable force in business.


skill deficit balme to education system
S Joseph | Sun Dec 27 08:30:55 2009
In kerala almost 90% ITC closed down due to non-availability of students. Because of 95 and above percentage of passing in 10th and 80 to 90% of 12th pass. earlier for 10th it was 45 to 50% and 12th it was 30 to 40%. This we can not belive students are better studied. it is just because of liberal valuation and lot of moderation mark provided by education board. So all below average students pass 12th exam with 80 to 90% mark so how can they go to ITI or polytechnic they will go to BE and later they will not get any job. Earlier this policy done by north Indian states now it is started in south also. also this policy please many privet institution (own by politician). Ultimately we produce below average BE engineer and increase unemployment. First step Central Govt must make common exam for 10th and 12th with tight valuation with out any free mark. then automatically students will go to professional college based on their IQ. And we will produce better professionals from India.


Skill deficit hampering production of India industry
RAMA RANJIT MEHRA | Sat Dec 26 05:53:22 2009
All the replies to this subject carry substance in their own rights. Many a times in the training of skill the personality development is side lined or not considered to be addressed as a culture. If in the training centres the culture would influence to motivate the development of personality along with skill, somewhere the links would generate employment marking satisfaction free of results- that which falls behind every action in the Law of Nature. Many come for interview but very few qualify as a complete candidate of substance and skill.


Blame to companies only
K Pravin | Thu Dec 24 04:31:15 2009
Sir when I had passed out graduation in engineering in 1994 I had searched for job for 5 years & nowhere found employment. Now I am doing my own buisness from 2001 since I could not got proper job.Big Companies do not want skilled person but they want "chamchas". IS there any scam in employment or purchase come out in any big company from so many years? Why??


Skill deficit hampering production of India industry
L.N.Raghavan-Consultant | Wed Dec 23 15:41:40 2009
Editorial is the true reflection of Countries need of the Hour.In addition to infrastcture development Government should also concentrate and improve and meet the demand of skilled labour. Government should concider opening of Institutions and train ITI's and Diploma holders more vigorously with more practical approach,coordination with industries, and create a platform of better environments for them will solve more problems.Should not pass on the bugs between Centre and States.Make this a compulsory for both student and Industries may be good.


skill deficit
raju | Wed Dec 23 05:53:23 2009
skill deficit may be because existing ITI's and Polytechnics unable to impart quality education to the students.another reason may be most of students intends to work in it industry. you will be shocked to see the status of existing and newly opened polytechnics in karnataka. with such conditions it will be difficult to train students to the requirement of industry.

  Re: skill deficit
Woodie Woods | Wed Dec 23 13:04:57 2009
We have student exchange programs, why not start worker exchange programs with countrys like UK and The Us?


Perfect Observation
Akshay Iyer | Wed Dec 23 04:44:14 2009
the author has touched upon an issue which is definitely the need of the hour. While I am definitely a proponent of training for industrial competence, I firmly beleive that it is only On-the job training that can really help you build a skill set. I am a engineering student from a metro who passed out last year. While over my engineering years i have done 2 internships ( One international with Voltas IOBG ), the level of learning and more importantly the intention is abyssmal. This I speak not only for myself but for almost any youth my age. There is a strong beleif now among the youth that education is only a means to a job. There are many reasons for the same which may be discussed in a different forum. However, working now for over a year what I have realised is that it is the systems that are followed that mould the employees of a company. It is not a mere co-incidence that some of the best CEO's have emerged from HLL. I think it may be a perfect combination of classroom and on-the-job training along with good systems to increasing the competancy of the employees. Also working now for a year i can feel the inertia when asked to learn something new or do it in a defferent way. i Can only imagine what people with years of wisdom who feel they know everything about their profession are to be forcefully trained. Indian companies ( big and small ) should focus on system..manpower will develop throw it. One should never stop learning throughtout your life


skill deficit
Dr N Krishnaraj | Wed Dec 23 04:10:25 2009
The observation could not have come at a more opportune time.It is time every big industrial corporate opens ITIs imparting hands-on training in their own machines.Besides fulfilling their own skilled manpower requirements, the students will have better employability anywhere.


India's Lack of Abilit\y to train its youth
Hu Manly,Educator and Planner | Wed Dec 23 03:02:32 2009
India does not normally elect men with an education background or with any work experience.Therefore all those appointed to responsible roles in its education ministry do not select persons with a work history of success in the fields of expertise,they need to train others with. Israel had a similar problem with its untrained,Muslim and Durvish youth and, hired my family company to rebuild its education ministry,They then,became the most productive nation in the world and now exceed Germany by 25% and China by 15% When your PM hires my family company, International-Planners.com to advise, them how to train its indigent youth and buy the proper equipment it needs to have to advance its housing and road building sectors,according to our master plan for India,then India will be able to move out of being a vassel state of directed by Germany and France.Young workers all tell us,they cannot get to work,even though there are jobs,because,the rapid transit, does not come near to their barrio homes. Others tell us,even though they have the skills for the job,they cannot get it, unless,they provide the employer with, a female relative,sex slave or heroin for the white employers. It will not be difficult for us to solve Indias problems,if we are not forced to work for French and Belgium overlords.

  Re: India's Lack of Abilit\y to train its youth
Ramji Raghavan - Education specialist | Wed Dec 23 03:45:52 2009
The problem of un trained youth is a problem across industries and services.While the big deals take place at the board rooms the business floor and shop floors are being filled with un trained or under trained work force. Be it skilled manpower jobs in the industrial arena or the banking and allied services arena, one can experience with pain the lack of basic knowledge and skill. What needs to be done quickly is to invest in education to get the youth already employed to get themselves equiped with the minimum standards atleast if not superlative. This can be done by companies actively joining hands with government agencies and private institutions to offer training and education as part of the job. Incentivise those who clear the requisite training. Simultaneously Educational institutions have to come out with courses and training which will make its graduates employable. This can be achived by roping in companies to provide practical training, co-partnering the programes and also introducing new courses in partnership with renowned institutions not only from india but also from other countries.

  Re: India's Lack of Abilit\y to train its youth
V.NARAYANAN | Wed Dec 23 09:15:27 2009
The grass roots of the problem of Unemployability lies in the way India has shaped itself in the last 50 - 60 years. The whole society is so much preoccupied with some trend once in every 20years. for example 1960-80 it was government jobs that occupied priority, 1980-2000 production companies/industrial jobs and now for the last 10-15 years in IT. There needs to be a balance situation. It is high time people understand that work(job) and education are two different things. Education in the right profession/vocation should be encouraged at all levels. Youngsters need to be professionaly guided by successful professional while they are still incubating in the hands of academecians. There needs to be a healthy coordination between industrial houses and educational institutions to prepare the youth for their future roles in any spectrum... leave alone manufacturing. At the basic levels Industrial houses should start or encourage facilitators to train, mould and prepare the youth to make them Job ready. I, personaly in this direction, am talking to few leading companies to enter JVs with educational institutions for this purpose Accomplished people who are interested in action (rather than just suggesting) can get in touch with me at narayanrengan@rediffmail.com. we shall make a strong contribution ourselves instead of waiting and looking up to Government to do something about it


 
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