Be Skilled Be Relevant Contest: 10 Best Entries

Bhupendra Kumar Singh, Asst. Manager – Operations, Laurus Edutech Life Skills Pvt. Ltd

In India, we have an education model which is focused on academics only and lays very less emphasis on job skills and overall development of an individual. Recent reports revealed that more than one lakh engineering students who graduated in 2015 are not employable. The realization on the importance of skill development, especially for students who are scanning the job market, is expected to bridge the gap between education and employment.

Taking into consideration the current education and job scenario, appropriate job-related skills complement a formal degree in any discipline, and increases career opportunities. The job industry too expects the prospective workforce to come prepared with specialized skills.

Talent is innate, but skills are acquired. Skill training focuses on identifying, training and nurturing talent, in any desired field. The social emphasis on scholastic achievement leaves little room for appreciating the diversity of talent that could make a qualitative difference to the potential of the skilled workforce.

Only a confident and competent workforce can drive the economy successfully and meet the international standards of quality performance and this can be done through skilling only.

Fezeena Khadi, Ph.D. Associate Professor, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Kerala

Being skilled is one of the best ways to hone your competency wherever you seek opportunities- be it a job or an educational programme. So, what exactly do you mean by being skilled? Often a labourer is considered to be skilled if he has the relevant qualification and eligibility to do a technical job at hand. But, on a broader aspect, this could include your soft skills, your skill to smile at others and build interpersonal relationships, to impress upon people, to identify a problem or an opportunity, to take decisions timely, to sharpen the skills you already possess, to acquire the attitude to learn new skills, so on and so forth. This is how you become relevant in a community, your presence would be much sought after in the industry and the academia.

Often, most of these skills are not included in your elementary education, especially in a country like India, where people lament about population explosion on one side and boast of the highest magnitude of ‘young talents’ on the other side. It is high time India included this as a prime academic concern so that the country witnesses a more promising, relevant and talented entrepreneur, professional, government servant etc. in the next generation.

A video by Jeevan U from ASAP, Kerala on the occasion of World Youth Skills Day 2017.