For long, our country has grappled with the need to make its youth population aware of their own skills and talent. The advice from parents, friends, teachers etc. is well meaning but may not be entirely suited to the needs of an individual. In this Skill Talk, Rachit Jain, CEO, Youth4Work, explains how the platform caters to the needs of job aspirants in identifying, evaluating and assessing their core talent and matching it with aspirational jobs.
Everyone is unique, every individual has his/her own skills and talent, which cannot be shown on a Resume or be acquired by a general degree. If people can identify their own skills vis-à-vis a rapidly changing market and move towards their ‘true calling’ then they will find inner satisfaction and happiness. Happy Youth, Prosperous Nation!
Youth4work provides a unique platform whereby upcoming youth in schools and colleges and even school drop-outs can become self-aware of their skills and talent. They can, from the confines of their own home, self-assess themselves on various practice tests and discover their ‘inner calling’. No one to watch over their shoulder, no one to comment on low marks and no one to judge them on their performance -it will be their own ‘private secret’ to find how they are placed with others in the region and across India on various tests on soft-skills, core skills, examinations, job placements etc.
It is a platform where one can discover oneself and try various fields of interest and find what is best. Not only that, Youth4 work also provides reliable and updated information on which training courses would suit an individual to improve his/her talent and job opportunities posted by employers in a particular sector of choice. The platform offers an opportunity to stay connected for a lifetime. In the modern day world, one has to constantly skill, re-skill and upskill oneself all the time to stay relevant to employers.
How it all started – from concept to execution
Every youth wants a career where his/her skills and passion play a major role in earning a decent livelihood. It doesn’t matter whether the youth is a school dropout or pursuing school/college education or in his/her first job.They all need self-discovery and direction. The employers are also looking for the right skilled person for the right job profile. Youth4work brings together the youth and potential employers so that expectations meet requirements. The platform attempts to answer the distinct questions which people have depending on which ‘lens’ they are wearing e.g. student, college, employer etc.
Ask a school dropout
- So what if you couldn’t complete your education in a college?You have a burning desire to do something and make a decent living.
- How do you find out what you are good at? After all, you have seen success stories emerge in your neighbourhood? How can you also become a success story.
- Everyone discourages you that without a degree you can’t do much in life.Who should you go to for advice and direction?
- What if someone provides you a platform to explore areas of opportunity for yourself on a mobile? How convenient?
Ask a 10+2 student in school
- Are you afraid of letting your family down if you don’t score in the high nineties in Board exams?
- Your parents and friends say that career options are engineering, medical, chartered accountant, IAS or going abroad. What if you are not interested in any of these.
- Why do you feel stressed when there are so many opportunities out there. Is there a reliable place where you can find a direction for yourself.
- You think you have certain skills but you have never been able to confirm for yourself? How do you go about it?
- If you had all the information in your area of interest, then maybe you can convince your parents to support you?
Ask a youth in college
- Do you know what you want to do in life? What excites you?
- Do you have talent? What is that talent and how do you measure with your peer group without feeling nervous?
- Who would you like to advise you on your potential? Won’t you like to make your own choice rather than being judged by some other?
- If provided a platform, will you really like to test yourself and find your area of interest?
- What are the options to build your career in a field of your choice.
Ask an employee in his/her first job
- If you had known about the skills the job demands then wouldn’t it be easy for you to train yourself before joining the company?
- What should you do to get the job role you want in the company or another one which your friends are working for?
- Does all your education come into good use for the skills your employer wants from you?
- How do you constantly train yourself to stay ahead of the pack?
Ask an employer
- Why is it that you have to go through so many CVs before making a shortlist?
- Won’t it be great if you could find the right skilled person for the job in your company?
- Why do you need to have so much of wait time before a new recruit becomes productive?
- Don’t you feel that you are spending too much in basic training which the recruit should have anyway while getting a degree/diploma?
If you train the new recruit what guarantee is there that the person may be poached by competition.
Youth4work’s platform provides a tool whereby once can discover one’s talent, find direction to remove mismatch of skills, constantly upgrade one’s skills and make it easier for the employer to find you for the right opportunity. It is your ‘best friend forever!
