Varsities stress on soft skills

Updated on: Wednesday, February 08, 2012

What do you think is the problem with students as various studies state that only 25 per cent are employable?

A: The reason is because the present-day industry employers, unlike the early days when they usually recruited individuals and imparted training after they joined their industry, so they gain experience for that particular job, require employees to be industry-ready with communication and soft skills.

Even though they are successful in academics, as they are not strong in communication skills, the students miss the bus.

Now, the industry captains have starter informing the universities that they cannot recruit students without communication skills.

So, universities have started focusing the curriculum on providing soft skills to make the students employable, by utilising the services of service providers as today’s teachers might not be in a position to impart soft skills.

Even though we teach them soft skills so that they get placed in one or the other company, we also try to develop their entrepreneurial skills so that if they do not get placed, they will become job providers.

Do you think instead of conducting after-class training for soft skills why not we have a preparatory course even before they join college?

A: I think in one way it will be better. When we approach students in the third year for soft skills training, they ask whether we can give an assurance that we will get a job as they need to shell out some money for the training.

Suppose, as you suggested, we have a preparatory course before the regular college sessions, it will be like the orientation course we do now. It will be of great help to the students as it will become mandatory for them to attend the course. I think all universities should start this preparatory course as we will have uniformity across the state.

What are the new initiatives of Annamalai University?

A: We have started imparting soft skills for all professional courses like MBA, and tie up with industry for research - mainly for exchange of researchers and ideas.

We have 50 departments and all these departments have joined hands with their related industry for society-oriented research.

We have approached industries like the thermal power plant near Chidambaram where the university has a tie-up. In fact, one of the private industries near us has been marketing our product.

We are concentrating on marine biology, pharmacy and ornamental fish culture as we have proved the technology in that field and we are trying to make it available for self-help groups in our vicinity.

Varsities stress on soft skills

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