Of the 150 corporates surveyed, 75% stated that there was a skill gap in their workforce, revealed India Skill Report 2022 by Wheebox, an online remote proctored testing firm. The survey further revealed that in the information technology, engineering and manufacturing industry, 80% of employers identify skill deficit as a problem. “The challenge is that skill based knowledge demand in industry is increasing with time. However the time required to train and upskill is limited,” Dilip Chenoy, former secretary general, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI) told FE Education Online. He stressed that firstly India should create its skilled workforce, only after which the country can plan to retain the same.
India is projected to face a shortfall of about 14-19 lakh technical professionals by 2026, data from the Nasscom-Zinnov Report 2022, report revealed. For industry experts the lack of skills and certification programmes is one of the biggest reasons behind the shortfall. “Institutions should leverage the available content through free online platforms such as Study Webs of Active–Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM), to jumpstart courses in institutions to address the challenge of the digital gap,” Kirti Seth, chief executive officer (CEO), Sector Skill Council, National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), said.
Furthermore, experts opined that the skills needed to reinforce industrial revolution 4.0 majorly includes soft and technical skills, artificial intelligence and machine learning oriented knowledge and data and business analytics. “The Indian education system in majority is very old fashioned. We need to bring cognitive skill, growth mindset, cultural intelligence and digital literacy, influence here to create innovators and entrepreneurs in the country,” Manish Malhotra, chairman, MD, Digital Commonwealth, founder, Australian Technical and Management College (ATMC) Education Group, noted.
Interestingly, the Wheebox report revealed that the most employable score in academics has been Bachelor of Technology graduates with 55.1%, followed by MBA graduates with 55.09% and Bachelors of Arts with 44.2%. “In terms of non-STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) students, digital fluency is the need of the hour, which includes basic technical skills such as user interface and user experience (UI/UX), knowledge of digital tools,” Seth explained.
Industries are understood to believe that the government has a crucial role in revitalising the skill and training ecosystem in the country. This can be done by industry-academia collaborations, they opined. “In addition, a strong regulatory mechanism is equally important to avoid monopoly from private players,” Kanagaratnam Baskaran, pro-vice chancellor, International Research Partnership, Deakin University opined.
