Importance of Vocational Training and Skill Development in the Field of Higher Education

The recruiting manager now has a lot of concerns due to the lack of qualified prospects. What do you think about the state of higher education currently in India and the biggest shortcomings you notice in this area?

Higher education in India has traditional been theoretical learning in classrooms with limited or no emphasis on practical knowledge or application. This shortcoming has impacted the job-seeking population of our country leading to an increase in educated unemployed who lack job skills. The skill gap is stark between industrial demands and job seekers. Not only are employers seeking people with technical skills, but the pre-requisite also includes soft skills like communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving approach, along with other imperatives like leadership, teamwork, and emotional intelligence.

It is inevitably the responsibility of universities and institutes to invest time and resources in training, reskilling and upskilling that ensure opportunities to future-proof careers and make individuals indispensable assets to companies. Most universities are yet to realize importance of skilling, upskilling and practical learning.

However, it is heartening to increasingly see universities coming up with Apprenticeship degrees- customized degree course offered by a university in partnership with an Industry for a specific job role to train the apprentice with theory and practical aspects of the job role. It comprises of regular teaching curriculum for academics blended with on-the-job training under the able mentorship of master trainers, craftsmen, or supervisors of the relevant industry. Degree-linked apprenticeships are designed to provide numerous advantages such as earning while learning, learning by doing, learning with flexibility, learning with modularity, and learning by signalling value. These programs increase access to education for socially disadvantaged youth by enabling them to contribute to the family income even as they learn.

Tasks that cannot be automated have become increasingly important for their development as more organisations automate their process. What do you think about the industry's growing emphasis on soft skills in light of this?

Soft skills are essential for success in today more than ever. One of the main reasons behind this is the rapid changes in the business environment in India. The parameters of success have been redefined with people prowess playing a significant part along with innovative products/ services and processes. With automation replacing human led processes, there is a renewed emphasis on quality of manpower to manage the critical non-automatable processes. Soft skills in this scenario become a decisive factor in manpower hiring.

However, the education system in India is yet to recalibrate the curriculum to lay emphasis on “soft skills” that increase the employability quotient of the students. The need for soft skills education in India is critical to bridge the industry requirement and also create a more competitive and adaptable workforce in India.

Learning management systems are being used by businesses to assess employee performance and provide them with the appropriate training. What, in your opinion, is the best strategy to guarantee staff training?

Learning management systems (LMS) can be an effective tool for businesses to assess employee performance and provide them with appropriate training. However, for the LMS to be effective, it is important to implement a comprehensive training strategy that considers the organizations and its employees' specific needs. One effective strategy to guarantee staff training is to conduct a needs assessment to identify the specific skills and knowledge that employees need to perform their jobs effectively. This assessment can be used to develop a customized training plan that addresses the organization's and its employees' specific needs.

Another important aspect of the training strategy todesign tailored programs that take learning styles and preferences of the employees into consideration while providing an interactive platform e-learning, instructor-led training, on-the-job training. In a diverse country like India,it will definitely helpful to create training material in regional languages as well for certain job and demographic profiles. Additionally, effective training will need to be supplemented with ongoing support and post training follow-up sessions like scheduling regular check-ins to assess progress, providingrefresher support, offeringadvanced modules and also providing professional development opportunities.

The use of online learning systems has increased over the past several years. What do you think about these platforms' online certification programmes and their effect on raising students' employability?

Online certification programs offered by various platforms can be a valuable tool for individuals looking to acquire new skills and improve their employability. These programs provide a flexible and convenient way for students to learn new skills to learn at their own pace and schedule. It is however important for students to research the program and the institution offering the course to ensure that the course is recognised by industry and future employers.

While developing AISECT Learn, besides providing in-demand, industry-ready skills across various disciplines, curated from recognised world class we also designed it to offer dedicated soft skills training and placement support, preparing one not just for jobs, but for an entire career universities. The platform also offers varied certified courses in key languages that are aligned to the New Education Policy (NEP).

How is this field going to evolve further? What will be the value of vocational education and skill development in higher education?

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recognizes the importance of vocational education with education to help students in acquire employable skills as required by the industries and to improve the quality of education. NEP gives special emphasis on integration and mainstreaming of skills with formal education broadened to the concept of skills, which comprises technical training, vocational skills, transferrable skills, digital skills, and other prerequisites of employment and livelihood.

The future of vocational education would also see a lot of training going digital, with the onset of micro credentials especially. Byte sized content would be consumed to a greater extent in near future. Also, the training delivery in vernacular languages would be increasing to a great extent.  A lot of new media technology like AR/ VR would also be utilized heavily in vocational education. The trainers would also be required to continuously upskill themselves in their domains.