How To Improve Employability Of Students

Hi,

With the recent hyper-activated cycle of recession and globalization, many organizations in various industries have expressed concerns over the employability of students graduating from our hundreds of colleges, with the exception of a very few elite institutes. While many colleges are implementing programs on personality development and soft skills, there still seems to be something lacking that prevents meeting the industry's expectations.

I pose this question to the forum: What is it that our institutes need to do additionally in order to improve the employability of students? Any suggestions?

Follow me on Twitter: Prizmatk

Dear Prizmatk,

Here, there are two things. You had given a contract to the institutes, agencies, or trainers to conduct training on personality development. Now, you should ask these institutes, agencies, or trainers why the personality of the students did not develop even after the training. Was there any mismatch between the training and the industry requirements?

Secondly, you mentioned that "a lot of organizations in various industries have expressed concerns over the employability of students." Call some of the heads of the organizations and let them explain on what counts the students fail to meet the expectations of the industry. Record these conversations and start showing the videos during the training sessions. Let the students conduct these interviews. Facilitate an interface between the industry and students.

Encourage students to organize seminars on their own. These seminars should focus on "what is success?" and "why successful people are successful?" Each week, have a group of students give a presentation on these topics.

Form student groups and send them to the industry for research on why freshers fail to meet industry expectations and what improvements need to be made among students. Each group should present their findings to the others.

Invite alumni (those who graduated around five years ago) to share the challenges they faced after graduation. They can provide insights on what current students can do to be industry-ready.

Finally, what matters is an individual's vision. To a certain extent, it is inborn. One who wants to grow will do so without needing prodding!

Ok...

Dinesh V Divekar

"Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance."

Dear Prizmatk,

Please note that it is highly impossible to meet demands/expectations pertaining to respective industries due to various associated factors. Even the expectations of freshers cannot be met because they haven't planned their careers accordingly. The perception of employers and employees differs to a large extent. Technology is advancing every day, so skills need to be upgraded. I strongly recommend "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Steven Covey to be included in the curriculum designed for undergraduates.

Most freshers lack a risk-taking tendency, and their mindsets are frozen with certain expectations. To help students enhance their probability ratio of getting employed, there must be synchronization between employers and employees. Personality development and soft skills alone cannot help students pursue their careers.

Students need to study market trends, industry demands, and acquaint themselves with relevant skills and knowledge to kickstart their careers. The education system needs to be fine-tuned, and core specialization courses (as per industry practices/requirements) must be introduced rather than a generic curriculum. A degree may not help a fresher fetch a job, but relevant/specialized skills may support them in getting into respective organizations, where they may be further trained to deliver their best.

For example, an XYZ organization is looking for freshers who can pursue their career in the XYZ domain. The employer is willing to train them so they can take up complete responsibility, thus meeting the demands of employers and the respective industry. The question arises: How many freshers are willing to accept this as a challenge?

Simultaneously, how many organizations are willing to take the risk of hiring freshers and training them to meet their requirements?

1) Map the future with the present and act accordingly.

2) Institutions must tie up with those companies where there is a scope for freshers to pursue their careers.

3) Additional courses proportional to employer norms must be taught to students to support them in qualifying and clearing the interview process.

4) Sometimes, students need to spend a little money to acquaint themselves with relevant skills rather than depending on the curriculum taught by universities, which may not be on par with industry processes.

With profound regards,

Hi,

With the recent hyper-activated cycle of recession and globalization, many organizations in various industries have expressed concerns about the employability of students graduating from our hundreds of colleges, with a few exceptions to elite institutes.

Although many colleges are conducting programs on personality development and soft skills, there is still something lacking due to which industry expectations are not being met.

I pose this question to the forum:

WHAT IS IT THAT OUR INSTITUTES NEED TO DO ADDITIONALLY TO IMPROVE THE EMPLOYABILITY OF STUDENTS???

ANY SUGGESTIONS???

Follow me on Twitter: Prizmatk