Chennai: India is the largest producer of engineers. However, as per a McKinsey report, only 6 per cent of the engineering graduates get hired.
Due to the widening skill gap and the prevailing economic uncertainty, there is a need to make sure young people are skilled and ready for a volatile, changing economy.
As per the Global Learner Survey by Pearson India, 85 per cent of Indian learners think that secondary education should teach skills that will be useful in the workplace.
In an interview with News Today, Pearson India vice-president (sales and Marketing) Ramananda S G shares his views on inculcating skills and make students job ready and much more.
How important is teaching job skills at the secondary education level?
With the changing global scenario with regard to education and jobs we are witnessing, an undeniable demand is there for new skills and skilled workforce across sectors and industries. India being a young and developing country has a dividend to train the massive youth population to not only make them employable but also help them acquire skills of future.
What is the present scenario of graduates getting hired?
The present-day youth in the age group of 15 to 24 years worldwide have witnessed the second significant global crisis within a decade. They entered their youth when there was a financial crisis and are exiting it now with the life-altering experience of the Covid-19 pandemic. Indeed, they will encounter severe challenges in education, economic prospects and mental well-being in the time to come. As of now only about 5 per cent of the workforce in India has marketable skills, as compared to approximately 60 per cent in other countries.
How has digital formats affected education and practical life skills?
The education sector continues to feel the impact of the pandemic and it is given that some roll-over effect in terms of delayed exams, sessions and delayed admissions will continue to affect 2021. Blended solutions comprising of mix between offline/ online are considered quite effective here, however complete shift to online will further be developed gradually and adopted by learner ecosystem across different segments of learning.