Building a sustainable skilling ecosystem

June 17, 2013 8:19 am

Indian manufacturing sector is facing a huge gap in quantity and quality of manpower available for hiring. GP Chandra Kumar, CEO, SkillSonics explains how to reduce the gap through the government and private industrial training institutes (ITIs) as well as polytechnics in a fast-track mode”
India’s education system has evolved considerably from the historic “guru-shishya” tradition to the current organised, knowledge-based exam-oriented education system. Although, we might be able to list the pros and cons of both the systems, there is one stark reality that we need to address the gap between market needs and output from the current education system. In India, the link between education and jobs is broken. This link needs to be re-established with the concerted, immediate efforts of all stakeholders looking at advancing and maintaining India’s growth projections.
The Indian manufacturing sector is growing at a rapid pace with current turnover exceeding $150 billion with CAGR of 5-8 per cent. The industry is facing a huge gap in quantity and quality of manpower available for hiring both at entry level and for existing technicians. The current capacity for vocational training (entry-level candidates) through government and private industrial training institutes (ITIs) and polytechnics is around 3 million per annum. Various studies have projected the need for skilled technicians at entry level. For this sector alone, the need would be around 40 million by the year 2022, which we need to gear up to in a fast-track mode.
The courseware, infrastructure and teaching methods adopted at many ITIs and polytechnics are out of tune with industry requirements for entry-level technicians. Many of the courses offered are not relevant and current to the industry as there is no feedback loop to incorporate the latest developments in the labour market into the curriculum offered. According to the World Economic Forum, only about 25 per cent of candidates are employable by industry.

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