Proposal to the Task Force On Improving Employability of our

Graduate Students

Objectives

To engage with all the stakeholders proactively to improve employability of our College Graduates and provide Industry with a productive and trained workforce

By providing bridge courses & skill development programs based on Industry feedback

And monitor the progress using metrics and data on ‘Quality of Output’ and ‘Number of Placements’ to help the decision makers both in the Government and the Colleges

We should promote Micro Finance for students to take these courses. Anything for “free” is not appreciated and quality deteriorates

There are 2 million students graduating every year

Less than 5% get jobs as there is a mismatch between the curriculum and what is required by the industry

Assess universities & colleges for quality of education, methods, resources and results

Benchmark them and select 100 colleges that can be targeted for intervention in 1st phase

Assess students and train them to be employable – focusing equally on communication and domain skills

We could call it ‘Corporate Readiness Programs’ & ‘Creating E Vocations’

Way Forward

Short-term Action itemsDuration: Effective immediately

The Model

– Identification of students across a wider area in tier 2 cities and tier 2 colleges in tier 1 cities

– Student capability scientifically assessed BEFORE recruitment for the 160 hour focused training

– Students join the corporate certified in the detailed concepts and ready to hit production sooner

– Detailed assessment on student with capabilities and development needs available at joining

World-class Talent

Transformation process

Survey Colleges/Universities to identify best in class training grounds

Fully customized training content endorsed by the Industry with periodic assessment

e-learning tools with individual assessment & reporting to be run with facilitators & Trainers

Create a veritable trainer’s academy with Trained Trainers

Provide Bridge courses on

• Spoken & Written English for Business

• Computer Literacy

• BPO Skill Programs• Insurance & Finance• Human Resources• Asset Management

• Job-Oriented Courses• Accounting & Finance• Hospitality & Tourism• Retail & Logistics

Details

Leverage the Private sector to provide these courses

Develop a partnership model to utilize the Government Institutions Infrastructure

Evening Classes (when classrooms are free) Certified Teachers to assist

Identify nodal centers to conduct Courses (geographically) These nodal Colleges should have infrastructure like Internet

Connectivity, Computer lab etc.

Target courses right through for 1st, 2nd and 3rd year students

This will ensure that the learning is more effective and complete

Details

1st YearSelf Awareness (20 hrs)

Occupations explorationEnglish speaking foundation (40 hrs)

2nd yearComputer literacy level 1 (40 hrs)

Spoken English intermediate (40 hrs)

3rd yearLife Skills & Interviewing skills

Problem solving skillsThinking & Analytical Skills (30 hrs)Computer literacy level 2 (40 hrs)Spoken English Advanced (40 hrs)

Placements

Initiate regular meetings between Industry, Government and AcademiaTo provide feedback on suitability of course content,

effectiveness of the program & industry readiness of the students like The IT Workforce Development (ITWD) Program

Encourage & provide incentive to College Management to take ownership of this aspectCurrently, the focus is on Exams/pass percentage

Leverage technology and offer blended learning options

Implementation

Implementation

Designate a placement officer in each College who is in touch with Industry on an on-going basis.

Ensure that students are able to pass the NAC test facilitated by NASSCOM for entry to the BPO industry.

MeasurementOutcomes vs Inputs

Currently colleges display statistics on staff positions filled etc. All related to input metrics

Insist on metrics on results/output. Document and display pass as well as placement statistics course wise/Year wise/Semester wise

Certify FacultyFaculty training to be done periodically on course

contentFaculty to be trained on use of modern teaching

tools & pedagogy & certified

Medium Term Plan

Duration: > than 3 months and < than 1 year.

Upgrade infrastructure with: Computer Laboratory Teaching Aids

Train the Teachers to leverage new technology aids.

Strengthen Placement Departments Use Edusat to reach out to colleges

other than Engineering. Invite Industry Leaders to participate

actively and engage with the Task Force.

Long Term Goals

Duration: > than 1 Year

Wow! Not too long!!

Closely working with Academic bodies like MHRD, AICTE and UGC to review Syllabus e.g.: BA and B.Sc Courses.

Adding new courses @ Government Colleges. E.g.: Bio-Technology, BCA(Computer Applications)

Provide specialization for different Graduate Programs like Tourism, Insurance, etc.

Provide Internship Credits as a part of the Graduate course (as in Engineering)

Framework that provide incentives and rewards for educators, students, and parents to work together to help students reach high standards.

Focus on Outcomes

• Visibility for the Government to monitor students in different Institutions at each semester, so that– Students are given Incentives or Rewards

• Colleges and Faculty are Incentivized or Rewarded

• Upgrade Faculty by providing Level based Training Programs.

Benefits To Students

• Career Awareness/ Planning Workshops

• Training from 100 to 300 hours spread over 3 years focussed on Employability skills.

• Co- curricular activities to enhance Communication and Soft skills

• Campus Placement

• Industry related Projects

Benefits To Faculty/Institution

• Training for 3-5 Faculty members from each college

• Training by Experts from Industry /academia

• Refresher programs for trained Faculty

• Performance based incentives based on Output quality

Benefits To Industry

• Access to trained & Productive candidates

• Reduced costs w.r.t on-boarding

• Reduced timeline to get the workforce productive

• Reduced recruitment costs

Thank You