Realigning the vocational education landscape

We are obsessed with university degrees. Many graduates are struggling to get jobs while vocational education is far from needed

First, we should dispel some of the myths about vocational education.

Myth 1: Skilling creates jobs

Jobs get created due to economic activity. When a sector is booming, it will recruit people even without prior skilling. But when businesses are not doing well, they will not recruit even if there are highly skilled people available.

Myth 2: Skilling is for job-roles like plumbers, carpenters, etc

Skills are needed for all jobs. Even now, businesses are skilling workforce.

Myth 3: Vocational education is ‘non-aspirational’

One of the most sought after qualifications, chartered accountancy, is actually vocational education. Young aspirants do ‘article-ship’ on the job, under the guidance of experienced CAs, while the institute provides the curriculum, examinations and certification.

Myth 4: Skilling is the responsibility of the government

The government has the responsibility to create jobs. It also has a regulatory role to ensure quality of education. However, the government cannot ensure success of skilling.

Any business is viable when there is a customer, who is ready to pay for the product. In case of skilling, the institute is the producer, the student is the input that is transformed into a product, and industry is the customer (in skilling, students also have their own aspirations). Therefore, industry’s role in skilling is of paramount importance.

In recent years, customers prefer and pay for premium products. But what about workmanship? Let’s take sanitary fittings—high-end hotels and residential projects install top brands. But how they are fitted? We have gotten used to the quality of workmanship available and are not demanding enough. Once there is a trendsetter, minimum acceptable standards will move up.

Myth 5: Why should businesses spend money on skilling when there is no dearth of applicants?

There is no dearth of unskilled people. But businesses should compute cost of poor skilling, covering actual costs, cost of rework, rejections, delays, training, mistakes and opportunity costs. It will be evident that it is worth investing in skilling—not as CSR, but as an imperative for business success.

Swiss system of vocational and higher education

In 1986, a Swiss Franc was equal to Rs 7.5 or $0.57. Today, a Swiss Franc is equal to R70 or $0.9. Swiss industry is still globally competitive because of, in their own words, vocational education, quality and innovation.

In Switzerland, they realised that everyone need not be a doctor or a scientist. All citizens go through free primary education (9th grade). Students aspiring to go for university education have to clear a national examination. Nearly 20% clear this and go on to become scientists, doctors, etc. Since only 20% of the students pursue university education, the best of facilities, faculty (many Nobel laureates) and research projects are available to them. The remaining go to vocational schools—an accountant, a salesperson, a nurse, a baker or a farmer. In the Swiss system, it is possible to switch between vocational and higher education at any stage.

Vocational and higher education in India

We are obsessed with university degrees. Many graduates are struggling to get jobs while vocational education is far from needed. There are even calls for introducing B.Voc and setting up of a skills university. Now, considering our negative perceptions on skills, we must coin new designations—occupational courses and academic courses.

New stream of IT education

At the World Skills in Sao Paolo in 2015, nearly 60 countries participated. There were 5 skills under IT and India had no contestant from the industry. This is because the maximum age is 23 years and most of our IT professionals are past this age. It is a colossal national waste that IT companies recruit engineers from the top colleges and then train them in their campuses afresh. We are setting up more IITs, investing in best of equipment, and faculty is highly qualified, but the output is not helping the engineering industry. On the other hand, those going to colleges with poor infrastructure and not so accomplished faculty are working in engineering.

IT industry is free to pick up the best students, but after 10th grade, and train them in a dual-track vocational training. Institutes do not need big investment, students can start earning earlier and the companies can gain through apprenticeship. Nasscom must advertise that 5 years from now, they will recruit over 70% of their requirements only from vocational education and training.

Reorganising the institutes

We should consider reorganising our institutions:

* Convert the best of institutes in terms of infrastructure to institutes of higher learning and move the best of the faculty to them. These should become comparable to the best in the world and should not have student intake more than 30% of total students.

* Convert as many institutes with poor infrastructure (only buildings) as needed, to institutes for occupational courses in IT (with new investments in IT infrastructure).

* Convert the rest to institutes for occupational courses, continuing education and Recognition of Prior Learning.

In early 1990s, companies like Sundram Fasteners led the ISO 9000 movement. Later companies like Mahindra led the implementation of Lean & TPM. Today, these have become minimum norms. We need similar champions for skilling who will raise the minimum acceptable skill levels.

The author is former MD, Burckhardt Compression India. He was a member of CII National Council on Skills Development and a board member of the Swiss-Indian Chamber of Commerce

Source | Financial Express | 17 August 2016

Regards

Pralhad Jadhav

Senior Manager @ Library

Khaitan & Co

Blog | http://pralhad-fyilibrarian.blogspot.in/

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