Linking education to careers

Updated on: Monday, January 11, 2010

For India to become economically, politically, and socially developed, reforming the education sector is critical. In order to do so, the government must assume the responsibility for providing and financing education, especially basic education. In corroboration, a recent study titled ‘Effective Education for Employment (EEE)' by Edexcel stated that there is a huge mismatch between what is being taught in schools, colleges and universities and the knowledge and skills that organisations are looking for in recruits. Even students felt that their education lacked relevance to the jobs they were hoping to apply for.

Recently, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal called for significant reforms in the education system in order to address these issues.

It is important for the government to explore diverse ways of providing educational services. In most developed and developing countries, it is the Chambers of Commerce that lead from the front and represents employers and businesses.

The complexity of this challenge calls for a bold and timely response — a solution that can allow us to leapfrog costly stages in the development and expansion of our education system, while still enabling institutions to incorporate 21 {+s} {+t} century skills into a demanding curricula. If such a system could be guided by a comprehensive roadmap of curricular and assessment reform, new teacher recruitment and training strategies, leadership development, and the integration of collaborative technologies, we will be able to address some of the challenges we face.

The end goal here is the systemic improvement of the quality and accessibility of education to everyone. The main rationale for developing public-private partnerships (PPP) in education is to maximise the potential for expanding equitable access to schooling and improving education outcomes, especially for marginalised groups. Following a PPP model, especially when it comes to higher education, can bring multiple benefits.

To begin with, the challenges that institutes face have a direct impact on corporations and the future of their business. Sustainability for the private sector depends on the innovation and expertise of its employees. Hence its priority will be the recruitment/retention of top talent.

Finally, we know that although today's global, Internet-based economy provides numerous opportunities not available before, there is still a critical need for universal access to quality education and visionary leadership. And PPPs, when implemented correctly, can increase efficiency and choice as well as expand access to education services, particularly for households that tend to be poorly served by traditional delivery methods.

IT majors such as Infosys, Wipro, Cisco and Autodesk have been leading the way in building sustained programmes to impart the desired skills at the college level. For example, Dr. Reddy's Foundation's Livelihood Advancement Business School (LABS) works towards assimilating its students into the competitive job market.

Linking education to careers

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