One of the biggest challenges faced by the employment market in India is the widening gap between urgent demand and the availability of requisite skill sets. The India Skills Report 2022 states that only 48.7 per cent of the total youth population in the country is employable. This percentage cannot possibly bring cheer to the IT sector where there is an ever-growing requirement for employees adept in rapidly advancing technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and robotics. The lack of future forward skills affects the overall productivity of organizations and to counter this, many companies across India are now conducting programs to upskill and reskill their employees. To address this paucity of employable talent in India, Visionet launched their free skilling program, ‘Unnati for India’ in May 2020, with the aim to provide employment to over 1,00,000 youth over a period of 5 years. Mr. Alok Bansal, MD Visionet Systems India and Global Head of BFSI Business share more insights on the same.
- What are the biggest challenges an organization faces due to a lack of critical skills in an employee?
Critical skills needed by employees in organizations include but are not limited to the ability to communicate with clarity, demonstrate leadership, negotiate successfully with clients, network effectively, show management efficiency, decode sales/marketing strategies, and think innovatively. The criticality of a particular skill also depends on the role of the employee within the organization. One of the biggest challenges organizations face is the lack of an effective communication system. Communication gaps can affect the level of trust and efficiency in any company, so a culture of open exchange of opinions and ideas must be encouraged. Inefficient interpersonal skills can not only impact how team members and managers communicate with each other but can also give a wrong impression to clients. A corporate culture that fosters interpersonal engagement and inspires motivation is more productive. Also regular upskilling and reskilling are important so that employees can keep up with rapid technological advancements unfolding around them.
2. How important are skilling programs in shaping an organization and its employees?
According to a 2019 report published in The International Journal of Business and Management Research, 90% of employees who were part of a survey, conceded that training and development programs had improved their job performance. With the rapid advancement in technology, it is imperative for the employees to get upskilled and reskilled regularly or they will not be able to meet the challenges thrown by the fast-evolving technological landscape. Upskilling also improves the productivity of the company, saves costs, reduces employee turnover and boosts the morale of the workforce as it feels more confident and empowered. When employees feel they are being invested in, they also invest more energy in doing their best and this creates a corporate culture of positive give and take. Skilling also creates better leaders and independent thinkers who need less supervision. Regular management training modules, apprenticeships, and mentoring programs as well as sessions to enhance soft skills, emotional intelligence and resilience are today becoming increasingly popular.
3. Do you see a scarcity of skilled workforce in the IT sector?
The Indian IT sector is undergoing tremendous change today, especially with the growth of new-age technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), Machine Learning, and robotics. The demand for IT professionals is high, not just in the BFSI or technology-centric sectors but also in areas like education, manufacturing, health, and many more. Around 15 lakh engineering students graduate each year but are all of them skilled enough to get employment in highly demanding and competitive work environments? This skill gap is what concerns me the most.
A 2019 NASSCOM study pointed out that only 2.3 lakh students succeed in getting core engineering jobs. Due to the shortage of digital talent, the Indian IT sector is witnessing a high attrition rate of about 25%. Even though massive hiring is happening in the IT field, employers are finding it difficult to fill all the gaps due to the lack of relevant skills.
As per the CII’s Decoding Job report 2022, one of the main reasons for this gap is the lack of efficient collaboration between the industry and educational institutions. Colleges must invest more in courses that provide knowledge in disruptive technologies and fields like cyber security. More industry exposure should also be given to students and we must provide them with opportunities to participate in live projects. Technical education must also be made accessible and affordable. IT firms today are increasingly hiring digitally proficient gig or contingent workers and thus reskilling and upskilling have become imperative for job aspirants as well as seasoned employees.
4. What are the points to keep in mind to plan a skills training program in an organization?
To begin with, the organization must identify the areas where there is a skill gap and find out whether their current employees need to be reskilled or upskilled or whether a new product or innovation within the company demands an updated skill set. Depending on the answers to these questions, there can be group training activities, hands-on training, and instructor-led training programs. Leaders must ensure that training plans are goal-oriented, tailored to specific requirements, and on par with the latest modules. Inviting experts with vast industry experience to offer insights and mentoring can also go a long way in inspiring the workforce to come out of their comfort zones. An evaluation program is important at the end of the training and it is always beneficial to collect feedback from employees as well so that there can be clarity about how successful the training was.
5. What is Visionet Systems’ purpose behind its free skilling program ‘Unnati for India’?
We started ‘Unnati for India’ in May 2020 and it is open to undergraduates and graduates from all streams. The initiative aims to create an employable workforce of around 1,00,000 youth over a period of 5 years and is mainly focused on improving employability in IT and Business Process Management (BPM) as well as other technology driven sectors. Through this program, we also coordinate with the government, NGOs and social groups to design and spearhead various training programmes. The 45-day skill-based program is free of cost and after a post training assessment by Visionet, aspirants also receive a certificate. Post training, these students are equipped to work in different areas like data processing, data handling and typing, transaction processing basics of banking and financial services, information security and data governance in the ITeS industry. By the end of the tenure of 5 years, we hope to create a larger employable workforce in the country and help contribute to the national economy at large.
