For the industry to sustain the present trajectory of growth, there is a dire need for the industry?technical institutions convergence to bridge the skill gap between the available talent and knowledge pool and its employability. This was stated by VS Kokje, governor of Himachal Pradesh, while delivering the inaugural address at the seminar on Industry?Technical Education Convergence, being organised by the Himachal Pradesh State Council of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at the Institute of Engineering and Emerging Technologies at Baddi. Continuous interaction between the faculty and the captains of the industry, curriculum tailor made to suit to the needs of the industry, post employment training and continued skill enhancement could provide a solution to this dire need of the skilled manpower, said Kokje.
Speakin on the present situation in Himachal Pradesh, Kokje said, “The quality of higher and technical education has a direct impact on the industrial development and hence socio-economic advancement of the state. In the face of international competitiveness, the industry expects the workforce to have skills keeping abreast with the latest developments in a situation where academia is facing hardship in bridging the gap, as there are no platforms available wherein they can discuss the needs of the industry.”
Complimenting CII for taking the initiative, Kokje urged the industry bodies to play the role of a catalyst to enhance the employability of the available manpower for all kinds of jobs . With the growing competitiveness we can no longer afford to ignore the whole issue of skill development at all levels, he reinforced.
Rajender Guleria, Chairman, CII Himachal Pradesh State Council, addressing the inaugural session said, “With the vast growth of the economy, it is very important to properly align the growth drivers in order to sustain the high rate of economic development. Our urban oriented growth has for long concentrated mostly on the relationship between general education and employment with very little attention paid to the relationship between vocational / technical education and the employment. As a result the gap between the skills available and the skills required has kept on increasing adding to the already acute problem of unemployment”. Guleria suggested mechanism for frequent interaction between Industry and Academic Institutions, Better Industry – Academic Interaction, More and more tie ups with the industry as the solution driven recommendations in view of the Nasscom’s recent Survey which indicates only 25% of technical and 10-15% of general graduates are employable in India.