The Indian youth is unemployable as per a leading publication’s report a few days back.
The report may be a bit too late considering the age of the gap. The gap in terms of the education received in the professional colleges as compared to the knowledge needed by the youth to start working on any company project has widened into a big chasm. This chasm devours a lot of the enthusiastic youth who are full of life, positivity and energy to work hard. Companies also are hapless to find no fresher seems to be fitting their simple requirements.
Add to this the lack of communication skills and the finesse’ needed by many young freshers after they somehow manage to get hired.
Why is it that our existing curriculum in all professional educational institutes still are teaching what is redundant? Why is it that institutes do not realize the importance of training and teaching what is relevant to the current employment needs? Why is it that the emphasis on presenting oneself, on writing good write ups, on giving good presentations on various etiquette arenas not included in the curriculum?
Once upon a time, a BA or an MA could earn one a great job. Soon, BE became the dream of every household as it was high paying and more prestigious. Families started pushing their children into BE courses not bothering to know their abilities or passion. Bachelors of engineering were the demand and the supply of the 70’s and the 80’s in India.
Come 90’s and the MBA became a fad. Uh Oh! BE/ BCom/ MSc was no more good enough in the market where youth were entering the employment market with an added stamp of excellence. Soon, the country saw the mushrooming of MBA institutes offering diplomas by the hundreds. And what the hell! MBA or no MBA, the quality of the candidates seemed to remain unchanged and unimpressive!
In the race of making quick bucks, the institutes forgot to deliver what is suppose to be delivered to the MBA candidates. God only knows what is being taught in most of these schools, from where the door to door sales men and women seem to be produced, with quality as good or as bad as the ones who used to be 12th pass or a BA/ BCom in the olden days! It’s heartening to see the poor communication, the lack of confidence and the sad attire of these aspirants who ones enrolled into MBA colleges to come out polished. Today they are still unaware of why they wanted to do MBA or BE or whatever for that matter.
This gap today has led to the birth of a new training industry which is like another burden on the already burdened youth and their families who have been paying out of their gut, for the degree, post graduate courses in the hope of a high paying salary one day.
We seem to be not understanding what is the real problem and keep on fixing the newer problems with one or more future problematic solutions.
When will we understand that enough is enough!
The problem does not get solved by creating another training industry in the already existing long train of qualifications with nowhere close to the real solution. Yes today this new industry seems to be the solution and a quick fix to the existing gap with respect to the lack of training needed by the companies or the lack of finesse expected out of these youth. But another 5-8 years down the line, the same trend of everyone coming out of one or the other finishing schools or training academy will be looking into your face. Then will start another stressful journey to prove yourself better by looking to acquire another diploma! Till you finally complete this unwanted journey of diplomas and courses, you would have reached your middle age, leaving you with half the time and half the energy to the work you intended to give your best!
So is there a solution to this mad rush!
In my view we need to take a halt and review what we are doing, what our children are doing and what they really ought to be doing! No need to be part of that chain which is lengthy, expensive and still unsure of the results. Step aside and take a breather from your current scenario to assess the situation you and you children are into. Talk to experts, to your kids and most importantly, listen to your heart for once.
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