Interface - download.microsoft.com · While India is certainly making progress with its...

InterfaceIssue 15 | July - Oct 2010 The Information Quarterly from Microsoft

Pg 10 PersPectiveOvercoming India’s skills development challenges

Pg 14 One-On-OneInterview with Dilip Chenoy

Pg 22 sPOtlightVocational Education and Training

Pg 4

Committed to India

EMPLOYABILITYPROJECT JYOTI has trained over290,000 people

through 1,385 Learning Centres across India

PROJECT KSHAMTA, a training initiative by

the Indian Armyand Microsoft, has

trained 1,347 armymaster trainers in its

first phase

InterfaceIssue 15 | July - Oct 2010 The Information Quarterly from Microsoft

Pg 10 PersPectiveOvercoming India’s skills development challenges

Pg 14 One-On-OneInterview with Dilip Chenoy

Pg 22 sPOtlightVocational Education and Training

Pg 4

Committed to India

EMPLOYABILITYPROJECT JYOTI has trained over290,000 people

through 1,385 Learning Centres across India

PROJECT KSHAMTA, a training initiative by

the Indian Armyand Microsoft, has

trained 1,347 armymaster trainers in its

first phase

Editorial 2 Chairman’s 3 message

In Focus 4Helping India build a 21st century workforce

Perspective 10Overcoming India’s education and training challenges

Contents (click on each section to read more)

Case Studies 262 case studies showcase Microsoft’s work in the area of talent creation

Q&A 29Shilpi Kapoor“Technology can help remove the barriers that people with disabilities are facing.”

News 34

Global Outlook 35

Microsoft Interface | July-October 2010 1

One-on-One 14Dilip ChenoyCEO and Managing Director, National Skill DevelopmentCorporation

Tech Trends 16Addressing the complete lifecycle of IT training

Spotlight 22Vocational Education and TrainingThe key toEmployability

Committed to India

EDUCATIONPROJECT SHIKSHA

has trained 512,000+teachers

in IT skills andimpacted more than25 million students

DREAMSPARK,a free software give

away program forstudents, has registered

3.5 million downloads in the last year alone

Editorial 2 Chairman’s 3 message

In Focus 4Helping India build a 21st century workforce

Perspective 10Overcoming India’s education and training challenges

Contents (click on each section to read more)

Case Studies 262 case studies showcase Microsoft’s work in the area of talent creation

Q&A 29Shilpi Kapoor“Technology can help remove the barriers that people with disabilities are facing.”

News 34

Global Outlook 35

Microsoft Interface | July-October 2010 1

One-on-One 14Dilip ChenoyCEO and Managing Director, National Skill DevelopmentCorporation

Tech Trends 16Addressing the complete lifecycle of IT training

Spotlight 22Vocational Education and TrainingThe key toEmployability

Committed to India

EDUCATIONPROJECT SHIKSHA

has trained 512,000+teachers

in IT skills andimpacted more than25 million students

DREAMSPARK,a free software give

away program forstudents, has registered

3.5 million downloads in the last year alone

Microsoft Interface | July-October 20102 Microsoft Interface | July-October 2010 3

Dear friends,

It is being widely acknowledged by nations across the world, that skilled manpower is a critical fuel that

will power their current and future growth. The paucity of this vital resource is causing most developed

and emerging nations to draw up strategies that enable them to plug their talent shortages. Whether it is

China—which is keenly pursuing English education as the means of integrating into the global economy—

or Brazil, which is providing computer skills to its people using the platform of vocational training—nations

are focusing on building relevant, employable manpower that can catalyze their economic and social

growth and give them a global edge.

India too is part of this talent development wave. The importance of rightly skilled people has been

underlined by the success of the country’s IT-BPO industry, which is now globally recognized because of

its IT specialists, software programmers and architects.

Furthermore, a strong focus on the sciences and mathematics and

disciplines such as engineering, have resulted in this significant

competitive advantage for the country. India’s strengths in the

area of computer learning—provided by global technology majors

and Indian IT education leaders, have given the country a huge

headstart.

While India is certainly making progress with its “people-driven”

focus, a fact that we need to be alert to, is that competition is

slowly catching up. In order to sustain its global advantage, and

emerge even stronger in the 21st century knowledge society, India needs to further build on its people

power in myriad industry sectors. We need millions of additional rightly skilled Indians, who can meet the

requirements of hirers in the country as well as overseas.

India’s huge pool of people in the working age group can give us a unique advantage over the ageing

Western and emerging economies. However, for this to happen, people must be equipped with skills that

India and other nations require. This potent pool of human resources must transform into India’s key asset,

which can be harnessed across industry sectors, filling positions from the grassroot to higher levels.

The right kind of primary, secondary and higher education, coupled with relevant vocational training,

can help India leverage its “demographic dividend,” and sustain its momentum and pre-eminence on the

world stage. Greater reforms are needed in the area of education and there is a requirement for many

more people with international-level certifications and qualifications, who can serve as our base of global

talent. Academia, the government and industry have to combine their strengths to actually craft and

implement the strategies that will build this manpower pool.

India indeed, has the potential to build a workforce that can facilitate balanced, inclusive growth in the

country and address the skills gaps faced by the world.

Ravi VenkatesanChairman, Microsoft India

Building skills to serve India and the world

We are all aware that skills development is a priority for our country. Employment and employability continue to be domains where greater attention is required by industry, academia and governments

alike. As long as we can bridge the gap between what organizations expect and the skills people come equipped with as they emerge out of the educational system, India can meet and exceed its larger human resource goals. The greater the number of “employable” people in India, the higher the potential of the country to bridge its rural-urban, social, gender and digital divides and move towards more equitable growth. Keeping in mind the importance of this talent pool to the progress of India, Interface decided to devote this issue to skills development. Our aim was to take a detailed look at India’s skills requirements across industry sectors and gain insights on the kind of manpower shortfalls each of these verticals is facing. Based on these assessments, and the results derived from multiple market studies, we have looked at the solutions that these segments require. In this issue, we also explore the important role that technology can play in the mammoth task of talent creation in India. The importance of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the realm of education has also been highlighted as the key strategy for India going forward. The government alone cannot take on the Herculean task of building a manpower pool of over 500 million technicians by 2022. It will take a collaborative effort between government agencies, the private sector and academia to make India’s dream of being the ‘skills capital of the world’ a reality.

We have also mapped some of the solutions that Microsoft is offering in the skills development arena with the human resource requirements in different areas. The company offers end-to-end training solutions, in tandem with its partners, that touch every aspect of the skill development value chain.

Interface takes an indepth view of all these issues, and attempts to make some recommendations regarding the resolution of the country’s skills development conundrum.

Gauri AroraEditor

Editorial Chairman’s Message

The government alone cannot take on the Herculean task of building a manpower

pool of over 500 million technicians

by 2022. It will take a collaborative effort

between government agencies, the private

sector and academia to make India’s dream of being the ‘skills capital of the world’ a reality.

Microsoft Interface | July-October 2010 32 Microsoft Interface | July-October 2010


Dear friends,

It is being widely acknowledged by nations across the world, that skilled manpower is a critical fuel that

will power their current and future growth. The paucity of this vital resource is causing most developed

and emerging nations to draw up strategies that enable them to plug their talent shortages. Whether it is

China—which is keenly pursuing English education as the means of integrating into the global economy—

or Brazil, which is providing computer skills to its people using the platform of vocational training—nations

are focusing on building relevant, employable manpower that can catalyze their economic and social

growth and give them a global edge.

India too is part of this talent development wave. The importance of rightly skilled people has been

underlined by the success of the country’s IT-BPO industry, which is now globally recognized because of

its IT specialists, software programmers and architects.

Furthermore, a strong focus on the sciences and mathematics and

disciplines such as engineering, have resulted in this significant

competitive advantage for the country. India’s strengths in the

area of computer learning—provided by global technology majors

and Indian IT education leaders, have given the country a huge

headstart.

While India is certainly making progress with its “people-driven”

focus, a fact that we need to be alert to, is that competition is

slowly catching up. In order to sustain its global advantage, and

emerge even stronger in the 21st century knowledge society, India needs to further build on its people

power in myriad industry sectors. We need millions of additional rightly skilled Indians, who can meet the

requirements of hirers in the country as well as overseas.

India’s huge pool of people in the working age group can give us a unique advantage over the ageing

Western and emerging economies. However, for this to happen, people must be equipped with skills that

India and other nations require. This potent pool of human resources must transform into India’s key asset,

which can be harnessed across industry sectors, filling positions from the grassroot to higher levels.

The right kind of primary, secondary and higher education, coupled with relevant vocational training,

can help India leverage its “demographic dividend,” and sustain its momentum and pre-eminence on the

world stage. Greater reforms are needed in the area of education and there is a requirement for many

more people with international-level certifications and qualifications, who can serve as our base of global

talent. Academia, the government and industry have to combine their strengths to actually craft and

implement the strategies that will build this manpower pool.

India indeed, has the potential to build a workforce that can facilitate balanced, inclusive growth in the

country and address the skills gaps faced by the world.

Ravi VenkatesanChairman, Microsoft India

Building skills to serve India and the world

We are all aware that skills development is a priority for our country. Employment and employability continue to be domains where greater attention is required by industry, academia and governments

alike. As long as we can bridge the gap between what organizations expect and the skills people come equipped with as they emerge out of the educational system, India can meet and exceed its larger human resource goals. The greater the number of “employable” people in India, the higher the potential of the country to bridge its rural-urban, social, gender and digital divides and move towards more equitable growth. Keeping in mind the importance of this talent pool to the progress of India, Interface decided to devote this issue to skills development. Our aim was to take a detailed look at India’s skills requirements across industry sectors and gain insights on the kind of manpower shortfalls each of these verticals is facing. Based on these assessments, and the results derived from multiple market studies, we have looked at the solutions that these segments require. In this issue, we also explore the important role that technology can play in the mammoth task of talent creation in India. The importance of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the realm of education has also been highlighted as the key strategy for India going forward. The government alone cannot take on the Herculean task of building a manpower pool of over 500 million technicians by 2022. It will take a collaborative effort between government agencies, the private sector and academia to make India’s dream of being the ‘skills capital of the world’ a reality.

We have also mapped some of the solutions that Microsoft is offering in the skills development arena with the human resource requirements in different areas. The company offers end-to-end training solutions, in tandem with its partners, that touch every aspect of the skill development value chain.

Interface takes an indepth view of all these issues, and attempts to make some recommendations regarding the resolution of the country’s skills development conundrum.

Gauri AroraEditor

Editorial Chairman’s Message

The government alone cannot take on the Herculean task of building a manpower

pool of over 500 million technicians

by 2022. It will take a collaborative effort

between government agencies, the private

sector and academia to make India’s dream of being the ‘skills capital of the world’ a reality.

Microsoft Interface | July-October 2010 32 Microsoft Interface | July-October 2010


Unlike the ageing economies of the West, India has an

intrinsic edge. The advantage is of its young population, which can help transform the nation

into a major skills powerhouse for the

world. The median age of Indian

youth in year 2000 was less than 24, compared to 38 for

Europe, 30 for China and 41 for Japan. Analysts today are talking at length about this “demographic dividend,” where, by 2020, a large chunk of India’s population and labor force will be in the age group of 15-29 years. What this translates

into is a huge number of people in the “working age group.”In fact, the unprecedented opportunity for skills development arises from this unique window of 25-years called the demographic dividend. It consists of three key demographic trends that are fortuitously coinciding at a time when the economy is expected to grow at over nine percent. These are:

• A declining birth rate, which means that fewer people will be joining the workforce in the coming years, as compared to earlier and a working person will have fewer dependents, including children and parents.• A slight improvement in life expectancy (pegged at around 63/64 years), which implies an ageing population surviving fewer years after superannuation than other countries. • More women joining the workforce, leading to further lowering of the dependency ratio (ratio of

independent

to working age population) • Finally, the baby boomers

generation crossing the age of 20, leading to a demographic bulge in the age bracket of 15-29 years. A combination of all these trends will result in India having the world’s youngest workforce, with the median age well below that of China and other OECD nations. This will give India a comparative cost advantage over other countries for another 25-30 years. By that time, the demographic bulge in the country would have also reached the age of superannuation and India will also be joining the league of ageing economies.

The ageing trend meanwhile, in the rest of the world, is expected to create a global-level skilled manpower shortage of around 56.5 million by 2020, even as India has a manpower surplus of around 47 million. In a rapidly globalizing world, that is truly interconnected and interdependent, where national boundaries are yielding to cross-border outsourcing, India can emerge as a global reservoir of this person power.

This silver lining may however have a lurking cloud. While India

has positioned itself strongly in the global markets, there are certain areas that require greater attention by the country’s key stakeholders including industry, government and academia. Among the key concerns facing the nation today is the issue of employment and employability, which could blunt India’s global edge in the future.

Currently, India is facing a significant skills gap, with demand for employable, and industry-ready people, far outstripping the supply. It is an accepted fact that countries with rightly skilled manpower are able to match the pace of globalization and technological change, as skills and knowledge are the driving forces of economic development and inclusive growth. With India rapidly transforming into a “knowledge society,” it is becoming imperative for the country to build a vast pool of human resources that is equipped with 21st century expertize, that spurs economic advancement.

While in the old economy, India required shop floor or manual skills (which still continue to be in short supply), in the emerging digital age, the country will need professional, conceptual, managerial, operational,

behavioural, interpersonal and inter-domain skills, in addition to vocational skills.

Understanding the employment scenario and hiring opportunitiesMany studies have been conducted to ascertain the existing skills gap in India. In a June 2009 report, India’s leading market research firm IMRB has examined the country’s employability scenario and attempted to gain an understanding of the skill sets required by different industry verticals.

the iMrB study indicates the following • The total employment figures for urban India stand at 67 million

• Around 28 million people are employed by the country’s services sector• Recruitment in services is pegged at

5.4 million• The balance services potential is

4.8 million• While sectors such as facilities management (FM) and security, leasing, hire/purchase, travel,

tourism and logistics, and organized retail typically employ undergraduates, the telecom, media and entertainment, BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance), hospitality/pharma and healthcare verticals are employing graduates and above. The pharmaceutical and healthcare verticals, in fact are dominated by specialist employees.

• In terms of the available talent pool, of the 308 million urban population in India, there are 88 million people in the 18-30 years age group. While seven million people are unemployed, 23 million are employed and 17 million are students. Together, these account for a potential employee base of 47 million people.• Undergraduates typically come from

helPing india Build a 21st centurywOrkfOrce

In the 21st century knowledge economy, the biggest and most prized asset for any country is going to be its talent, its knowledge workers. With rightly skilled people in the working age group in short supply the world over, countries that can build this manpower are the ones that will stay ahead and gain a competitive leap globally. Providentially for India, the country has a major advantage in this domain.

In-Focus In-Focus

BraZil Primary Education 95%Higher Education 24%

france Primary Education 99%Higher Education 56%

gerMany Primary Education 98%Higher Education 48%

uk Primary Education 99%Higher Education 59%

india Primary Education 99%Higher Education 11%

JaPan Primary Education 100%Higher Education 55%

russia Primary Education 92%Higher Education 71%

china Primary Education 95%Higher Education 20%

canadaPrimary Education 99%Higher Education 63%

usa Primary Education 92%Higher Education 82%

Gross Enrolment Ratio Comparison


Unlike the ageing economies of the West, India has an

intrinsic edge. The advantage is of its young population, which can help transform the nation

into a major skills powerhouse for the

world. The median age of Indian

youth in year 2000 was less than 24, compared to 38 for

Europe, 30 for China and 41 for Japan. Analysts today are talking at length about this “demographic dividend,” where, by 2020, a large chunk of India’s population and labor force will be in the age group of 15-29 years. What this translates

into is a huge number of people in the “working age group.”In fact, the unprecedented opportunity for skills development arises from this unique window of 25-years called the demographic dividend. It consists of three key demographic trends that are fortuitously coinciding at a time when the economy is expected to grow at over nine percent. These are:

• A declining birth rate, which means that fewer people will be joining the workforce in the coming years, as compared to earlier and a working person will have fewer dependents, including children and parents.• A slight improvement in life expectancy (pegged at around 63/64 years), which implies an ageing population surviving fewer years after superannuation than other countries. • More women joining the workforce, leading to further lowering of the dependency ratio (ratio of

independent

to working age population) • Finally, the baby boomers

generation crossing the age of 20, leading to a demographic bulge in the age bracket of 15-29 years. A combination of all these trends will result in India having the world’s youngest workforce, with the median age well below that of China and other OECD nations. This will give India a comparative cost advantage over other countries for another 25-30 years. By that time, the demographic bulge in the country would have also reached the age of superannuation and India will also be joining the league of ageing economies.

The ageing trend meanwhile, in the rest of the world, is expected to create a global-level skilled manpower shortage of around 56.5 million by 2020, even as India has a manpower surplus of around 47 million. In a rapidly globalizing world, that is truly interconnected and interdependent, where national boundaries are yielding to cross-border outsourcing, India can emerge as a global reservoir of this person power.

This silver lining may however have a lurking cloud. While India

has positioned itself strongly in the global markets, there are certain areas that require greater attention by the country’s key stakeholders including industry, government and academia. Among the key concerns facing the nation today is the issue of employment and employability, which could blunt India’s global edge in the future.

Currently, India is facing a significant skills gap, with demand for employable, and industry-ready people, far outstripping the supply. It is an accepted fact that countries with rightly skilled manpower are able to match the pace of globalization and technological change, as skills and knowledge are the driving forces of economic development and inclusive growth. With India rapidly transforming into a “knowledge society,” it is becoming imperative for the country to build a vast pool of human resources that is equipped with 21st century expertize, that spurs economic advancement.

While in the old economy, India required shop floor or manual skills (which still continue to be in short supply), in the emerging digital age, the country will need professional, conceptual, managerial, operational,

behavioural, interpersonal and inter-domain skills, in addition to vocational skills.

Understanding the employment scenario and hiring opportunitiesMany studies have been conducted to ascertain the existing skills gap in India. In a June 2009 report, India’s leading market research firm IMRB has examined the country’s employability scenario and attempted to gain an understanding of the skill sets required by different industry verticals.

the iMrB study indicates the following • The total employment figures for urban India stand at 67 million

• Around 28 million people are employed by the country’s services sector• Recruitment in services is pegged at

5.4 million• The balance services potential is

4.8 million• While sectors such as facilities management (FM) and security, leasing, hire/purchase, travel,

tourism and logistics, and organized retail typically employ undergraduates, the telecom, media and entertainment, BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance), hospitality/pharma and healthcare verticals are employing graduates and above. The pharmaceutical and healthcare verticals, in fact are dominated by specialist employees.

• In terms of the available talent pool, of the 308 million urban population in India, there are 88 million people in the 18-30 years age group. While seven million people are unemployed, 23 million are employed and 17 million are students. Together, these account for a potential employee base of 47 million people.• Undergraduates typically come from

helPing india Build a 21st centurywOrkfOrce

In the 21st century knowledge economy, the biggest and most prized asset for any country is going to be its talent, its knowledge workers. With rightly skilled people in the working age group in short supply the world over, countries that can build this manpower are the ones that will stay ahead and gain a competitive leap globally. Providentially for India, the country has a major advantage in this domain.

In-Focus In-Focus

BraZil Primary Education 95%Higher Education 24%

france Primary Education 99%Higher Education 56%

gerMany Primary Education 98%Higher Education 48%

uk Primary Education 99%Higher Education 59%

india Primary Education 99%Higher Education 11%

JaPan Primary Education 100%Higher Education 55%

russia Primary Education 92%Higher Education 71%

china Primary Education 95%Higher Education 20%

canadaPrimary Education 99%Higher Education 63%

usa Primary Education 92%Higher Education 82%

Gross Enrolment Ratio Comparison


backward families, and face higher challenges in English communication They also have lower exposure to technology devices, especially PCs.• Graduates on the other hand face fewer challenges in the area of basic computer skills and English communication.

Over the next three years, a significant hiring opportunity is going to be thrown up by the services sector that is expected to employ around 5.4 million people. A high growth potential, scaling salaries, and the prospect of faster career growth, are drawing both undergraduates and graduates in urban India to the services segment. Facilities Management and Security (1.1 million), Pharma, Healthcare and Hospitality (0.7 million) and Banking, IBs, stock broking and Insurance (1.3 million), are expected to emerge as the key hiring verticals over the next three years.

Provided they are equipped with the necessary hard and soft skills to add value to the workplace, both graduates and undergraduates are expected to fill these recruitment numbers. Since graduate level learners are better at English communication and computers, it is the undergraduate segment that will need extra grooming and training (especially in English and computers), so that they can gain

employment in various industries. Undergraduates in urban India have a major chance to make it in several verticals that have expansion plans. Take the Retail vertical for instance, which according to IMRB research, will recruit around 5.5 lakh undergraduates (including sales/marketing, billing counter, inventory/delivery and customer services executives) over the next three years. Since Retail is going to be on a high growth path, with international and Indian players pumping huge investments into the sector, it will also remain a major destination for career seekers.

The Logistics industry too is expected to hire over 5.2 lakh undergraduates over the next three years, for inventory/delivery, sales/marketing, and billing functions, among others. Significant hiring will also be undertaken by the Facilities Management and Security services industry, which is expected to employ 10.2 lakh undergraduates for housekeeping, security, front desk/receptionist type of work.

The BFSI vertical is not expected to hire too many undergraduates, preferring instead people with higher English communication and IT skill sets. Undergraduates will be mainly hired within this segment by stock brokers, microfinancers and sales and collection agents.

Clearly, when it comes to undergraduate recruitments going forward, it is sectors such as organized Retail and Logistics, Travel and Tourism that will hire the largest numbers.

Skill development challenges confronting IndiaAt first glance it would appear that the country has the potential to fill these emerging job positions over the next three years. The reality however is different, as is indicated by industry analysts who point to India’s lack of preparedness within the skills realm. Research by McKinsey & Co. indicates that only around 25 percent of engineering graduates coming out of the country’s specialized colleges are job ready, while a mere ten percent of graduates from various disciplines are employable. The situation gets worse when we come down to the undergraduate levels, where, the skills gaps are even more acute.

India’s skills shortages are the result of the significant challenges the country is facing in the areas of primary, secondary, tertiary and vocational education. Even though investment in education has been rising over the years, thanks to the private sector participating in India’s education system, the country is still facing the following difficulties:

• Around 9 million children arenot enrolled in schools.

• Only 15 percent of Indianstudents reach high school, while around seven percent graduate.

• Approximately 40 percent ofstudents, most girls, drop out by secondary school.

• According to The Economist, halfof 10-year-old rural children

cannot read at a basic level, over 60 percent are unable to do division and half drop out of school by age 14.

• Only one in ten young peoplehas access to tertiary, or higher education in India. This figure was extremely low as compared to Western nations such as the US, Canada and Australia, where over 80 percent of people within the 17-24 years age group are accessing higher education. Even countries in the South Asian region such as the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and China have a higher percentage of youth joining the higher education system.

• 25 percent of teaching positionsnation-wide are vacant.

• 57 percent of college professorslack either a Master’s or Ph.D degree.

• India’s key degree-grantingengineering colleges and polytechnics are facing a shortage of faculty and quality output.

(Source Wikipedia and other research)

A poor student-teacher ratio, absentee teachers, inadequate infrastructure in terms of drinking water and toilet facilities, and inflexible, outdated curriculum focused on rote learning rather than problem solving, has ensured that

students stay out of primary and secondary schools. At the tertiary level too, the concerns are similar and related to faculty shortages, lack of infrastructural facilities, tools/kits, and a curriculum which is more theoretical, rather than “practical or job oriented,” and therefore low on the employability quotient. This is leading to an oversupply of workers in some areas and shortages in others. The quality of manpower coming out of the tertiary system is also not up to the mark on account of a weak testing and accreditation system. Since the deliverables are not precisely defined, there is no attempt to evaluate outcomes and track placements.

However, it is in the area of vocational education that India is truly lagging behind. Barely one in five job seekers in India have ever had any sort of vocational training, and do not possess even the most rudimentary skill sets that make them relevant to different industry segments such as Manufacturing, Retail, Logistics, etc. Inadequate vocational training has resulted in shortfalls in the area of numbers, quality of manpower and skill types.

What needs to be doneIf India has to capitalize on its demographic advantage, fulfil its own needs for skills, and emerge as

the global hub for specialized talent, the nation will have to focus on skills development.

This sentiment was reiterated by none other than India’s Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, when he addressed the country’s army commanders recently. “Given our young demographic profile, we will have to ensure access to good quality education and health services to all. We have put in place a National Skill Development Mission to empower our youth, which will yield positive results,” he said. The XIth Five Year Plan (2007-12) itself has set ambitious goals of skills development. It aims to create the fuel, the necessary human expertize to power the economic advancement of India, that will ultimately lead to inclusive growth. The XIth Plan estimates that the country has the capacity to create around 500 million certified technicians and vocationally skilled workers by 2022—predominantly undergraduates. These people will form part of the overall pool of 700 million globally employable professionals, that will also include around 200 million university graduates.

In-Focus In-Focus

91%98%

84%96%

47%

82%

read

Undergraduate

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

Graduate

write sPeak

engl

ish

engl

ish

engl

ish

engl

ish

engl

ish

engl

ish

read english newspapers

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%english news on

tv/radiospeak english in social

gatherings

watch english entertainment channels

87%

49%

79%

35%

64%

52%

74%

51%


backward families, and face higher challenges in English communication They also have lower exposure to technology devices, especially PCs.• Graduates on the other hand face fewer challenges in the area of basic computer skills and English communication.

Over the next three years, a significant hiring opportunity is going to be thrown up by the services sector that is expected to employ around 5.4 million people. A high growth potential, scaling salaries, and the prospect of faster career growth, are drawing both undergraduates and graduates in urban India to the services segment. Facilities Management and Security (1.1 million), Pharma, Healthcare and Hospitality (0.7 million) and Banking, IBs, stock broking and Insurance (1.3 million), are expected to emerge as the key hiring verticals over the next three years.

Provided they are equipped with the necessary hard and soft skills to add value to the workplace, both graduates and undergraduates are expected to fill these recruitment numbers. Since graduate level learners are better at English communication and computers, it is the undergraduate segment that will need extra grooming and training (especially in English and computers), so that they can gain

employment in various industries. Undergraduates in urban India have a major chance to make it in several verticals that have expansion plans. Take the Retail vertical for instance, which according to IMRB research, will recruit around 5.5 lakh undergraduates (including sales/marketing, billing counter, inventory/delivery and customer services executives) over the next three years. Since Retail is going to be on a high growth path, with international and Indian players pumping huge investments into the sector, it will also remain a major destination for career seekers.

The Logistics industry too is expected to hire over 5.2 lakh undergraduates over the next three years, for inventory/delivery, sales/marketing, and billing functions, among others. Significant hiring will also be undertaken by the Facilities Management and Security services industry, which is expected to employ 10.2 lakh undergraduates for housekeeping, security, front desk/receptionist type of work.

The BFSI vertical is not expected to hire too many undergraduates, preferring instead people with higher English communication and IT skill sets. Undergraduates will be mainly hired within this segment by stock brokers, microfinancers and sales and collection agents.

Clearly, when it comes to undergraduate recruitments going forward, it is sectors such as organized Retail and Logistics, Travel and Tourism that will hire the largest numbers.

Skill development challenges confronting IndiaAt first glance it would appear that the country has the potential to fill these emerging job positions over the next three years. The reality however is different, as is indicated by industry analysts who point to India’s lack of preparedness within the skills realm. Research by McKinsey & Co. indicates that only around 25 percent of engineering graduates coming out of the country’s specialized colleges are job ready, while a mere ten percent of graduates from various disciplines are employable. The situation gets worse when we come down to the undergraduate levels, where, the skills gaps are even more acute.

India’s skills shortages are the result of the significant challenges the country is facing in the areas of primary, secondary, tertiary and vocational education. Even though investment in education has been rising over the years, thanks to the private sector participating in India’s education system, the country is still facing the following difficulties:

• Around 9 million children arenot enrolled in schools.

• Only 15 percent of Indianstudents reach high school, while around seven percent graduate.

• Approximately 40 percent ofstudents, most girls, drop out by secondary school.

• According to The Economist, halfof 10-year-old rural children

cannot read at a basic level, over 60 percent are unable to do division and half drop out of school by age 14.

• Only one in ten young peoplehas access to tertiary, or higher education in India. This figure was extremely low as compared to Western nations such as the US, Canada and Australia, where over 80 percent of people within the 17-24 years age group are accessing higher education. Even countries in the South Asian region such as the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and China have a higher percentage of youth joining the higher education system.

• 25 percent of teaching positionsnation-wide are vacant.

• 57 percent of college professorslack either a Master’s or Ph.D degree.

• India’s key degree-grantingengineering colleges and polytechnics are facing a shortage of faculty and quality output.

(Source Wikipedia and other research)

A poor student-teacher ratio, absentee teachers, inadequate infrastructure in terms of drinking water and toilet facilities, and inflexible, outdated curriculum focused on rote learning rather than problem solving, has ensured that

students stay out of primary and secondary schools. At the tertiary level too, the concerns are similar and related to faculty shortages, lack of infrastructural facilities, tools/kits, and a curriculum which is more theoretical, rather than “practical or job oriented,” and therefore low on the employability quotient. This is leading to an oversupply of workers in some areas and shortages in others. The quality of manpower coming out of the tertiary system is also not up to the mark on account of a weak testing and accreditation system. Since the deliverables are not precisely defined, there is no attempt to evaluate outcomes and track placements.

However, it is in the area of vocational education that India is truly lagging behind. Barely one in five job seekers in India have ever had any sort of vocational training, and do not possess even the most rudimentary skill sets that make them relevant to different industry segments such as Manufacturing, Retail, Logistics, etc. Inadequate vocational training has resulted in shortfalls in the area of numbers, quality of manpower and skill types.

What needs to be doneIf India has to capitalize on its demographic advantage, fulfil its own needs for skills, and emerge as

the global hub for specialized talent, the nation will have to focus on skills development.

This sentiment was reiterated by none other than India’s Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, when he addressed the country’s army commanders recently. “Given our young demographic profile, we will have to ensure access to good quality education and health services to all. We have put in place a National Skill Development Mission to empower our youth, which will yield positive results,” he said. The XIth Five Year Plan (2007-12) itself has set ambitious goals of skills development. It aims to create the fuel, the necessary human expertize to power the economic advancement of India, that will ultimately lead to inclusive growth. The XIth Plan estimates that the country has the capacity to create around 500 million certified technicians and vocationally skilled workers by 2022—predominantly undergraduates. These people will form part of the overall pool of 700 million globally employable professionals, that will also include around 200 million university graduates.

In-Focus In-Focus

91%98%

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write sPeak

engl

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engl

ish

engl

ish

engl

ish

engl

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read english newspapers

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tv/radiospeak english in social

gatherings

watch english entertainment channels

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In the XIth Five Year Plan therefore, the thrust is on creating a pool of skilled personnel in appropriate numbers and with the adequate, necessary skills, required by the industry, trade and service sectors. In the XIth Plan, the gross budgetary support to education has been raised to 19 percent, up from 7.68 percent in the 10th Plan. The actual outlays have jumped five-fold, and now stand at Rs. 2,75,000 crore.

The technology pieceA large element of India’s skills development strategy, will rest on Information Technology (IT), where computers will play a crucial role in helping the country address its skills development and educational infrastructure challenges. The power of technology, including computers, mobiles and other devices, can be harnessed to take learning to students, no matter where they are, without actually having them in physical schools or other institutions.

IT can be used to train teachers and help them address a larger body of learners through e-learning and classroom instruction. In places where teachers are not available at all, technology-led e-learning can come to the rescue, enabling students to get trained on their own, using just smart devices, in a self-paced manner.

At the same time, technology can bring back the fun into learning, drawing students into classrooms and staunching the school dropout rates. Computer-assisted learning at the school level, which uses global standard content, is already enabling teachers to make learning more hands-on and interesting. It is allowing them to teach complex concepts in simpler, more engaging ways.

Increasingly, computers are also being used to train India’s artisans and agricultural community. They are being used by farmers to understand cultivation trends, by fishermen to know about weather conditions, and textile weavers to learn about design preferences in the international markets.

IT is in fact transforming the lives of ordinary people, including the economically, socially and physically challenged, who are being enabled to join the mainstream. Using technology, the Madhubani painters of Bihar’s Mithila region are reviving and popularizing their art. IT software and special devices are helping the blind to read and the hearing impaired to communicate with the world. However, most importantly, technology is helping these segments earn their livelihood.

While IT can emerge as a major enabler of skills development,

IT literacy itself is a significant challenge for India. Currently, the undergraduate segment, which will form the bulk of the future workforce of the country, is lacking in computer skills. Low computer awareness, a fallout of poor English communication skills, is further lowering the employability quotient of undergraduates in India.

The fact is that computer skills are a given in any industry environment. Basic IT knowledge is needed by virtually everyone entering the job market. Equipping the country’s Gen Next with computer skills, where they can easily work on popular office applications, can help them become productive and job ready from day one. Such training can be delivered over the Internet to vocational institutions, that can in turn provide it to their learners.

Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are the way to goTransforming the skills landscape in India however, is not an easy task. The country will have to address the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of its skills shortages before it can leverage its “demographic dividend,” and not let it degenerate into a “demographic nightmare.”

And clearly, the government alone cannot accomplish this huge task. It has to be supported in its ambitious skills development endeavors by the private sector, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and academia, that must contribute in equal measure. Close collaboration between industry, academia and the government can usher in relevant educational reforms that can gear up the system for developing rightly skilled manpower going forward.

The industry must advise academia about the kinds of skills it requires and in what numbers. In partnership with the industry, academia must redesign the curriculum, at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. One of the things that the curriculum will need to create is new age “soft skills” alongside hard skills. What this means is more focus on English communication and computer literacy. The curriculum itself will have to be changed to cater to the emerging needs of basic education, advanced learning and vocational training.

At the same time, industry practitioners can also be used as “teachers,” particularly in the area of higher education, so that students get a direct feel of what is required of them in a real working environment and 21st century workplace.

Furthermore, industry can also support faculty development by interacting freely with the teachers, providing them with exposure to the world of work and acquainting them with on-the-horizon business and technology trends. At the same time, industry itself must promote life-long, or continuous learning on its own turf so that apart from high quality manpower at the entry levels, it can also build a strong middle-layer of managers and professionals who are abreast with new global developments and equipped with the latest industry skills.

All of this is already happening in some form or the other, with several Indian organizations taking the lead in skill development by working with government agencies, academia and NGOs to further this cause. A

number of IT companies, known for their proactive talent development initiatives, are contributing significantly to areas such as training and certification. Companies such as Microsoft, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, NIIT, and a host of ICT majors are participating in curriculum reform, teacher and faculty training, as well as vocational training. Skills are being imparted by Microsoft for instance, in English communication and computers, in order to build India’s undergraduate (currently unemployable) workforce, into a skilled, job-ready talent pool.

Industry and academia are now working together to come up with mechanisms that ensure the quality of manpower. The right examinations, certifications, affiliations and accreditations, as well as apprenticeship programs by industry are being put into place so that people can be exposed to real work environments and be assessed for their skills and competencies.

The government, meanwhile, is focusing on creating the necessary legislative environment that allows the influx of global institutions, international best practices and methodologies in the area of education. Recognising the importance of education in the task of skill building, the government has already upped its allocations for vocational and higher-end learning in the XI Plan. One is already seeing a growing convergence between school education, skill development efforts of the government and between government and private initiatives.

In-Focus In-Focus

100%

75%

50%

25%

0%

64%

24%

91%

52%

PC Users PC Owners

undergrad

graduate

Tapping into the global manpower opportunityWithout a doubt, a significant opportunity awaits India, if it is able to meet its skill development objectives and create industry-ready manpower, not just for its own escalating requirements, but also that of the rest of the world.

Leveraging an Integrated Skills Framework, that is supported by all the various central and state-level skills development initiatives, India can build a spectrum of expertize, beginning with vocational skills at the bottom of the pyramid, followed by professional skills and finally, the narrow band of executive skills, at the top end of the pyramid. While

vocational literacy will be provided at the school level, the professional skills will be inculcated in learners in colleges. As for executive skills, they will be part of a continuous learning and upskilling approach that both private and public sector organizations will follow.

Clearly, by addressing India’s employment and employability challenges on a priority basis, the country can not only step up its own economic progress, it can also lend a helping hand to nations reeling shortages of skilled, new age human resources.

Own a Mobile

100%

75%

50%

25%

0%

89%99%


In the XIth Five Year Plan therefore, the thrust is on creating a pool of skilled personnel in appropriate numbers and with the adequate, necessary skills, required by the industry, trade and service sectors. In the XIth Plan, the gross budgetary support to education has been raised to 19 percent, up from 7.68 percent in the 10th Plan. The actual outlays have jumped five-fold, and now stand at Rs. 2,75,000 crore.

The technology pieceA large element of India’s skills development strategy, will rest on Information Technology (IT), where computers will play a crucial role in helping the country address its skills development and educational infrastructure challenges. The power of technology, including computers, mobiles and other devices, can be harnessed to take learning to students, no matter where they are, without actually having them in physical schools or other institutions.

IT can be used to train teachers and help them address a larger body of learners through e-learning and classroom instruction. In places where teachers are not available at all, technology-led e-learning can come to the rescue, enabling students to get trained on their own, using just smart devices, in a self-paced manner.

At the same time, technology can bring back the fun into learning, drawing students into classrooms and staunching the school dropout rates. Computer-assisted learning at the school level, which uses global standard content, is already enabling teachers to make learning more hands-on and interesting. It is allowing them to teach complex concepts in simpler, more engaging ways.

Increasingly, computers are also being used to train India’s artisans and agricultural community. They are being used by farmers to understand cultivation trends, by fishermen to know about weather conditions, and textile weavers to learn about design preferences in the international markets.

IT is in fact transforming the lives of ordinary people, including the economically, socially and physically challenged, who are being enabled to join the mainstream. Using technology, the Madhubani painters of Bihar’s Mithila region are reviving and popularizing their art. IT software and special devices are helping the blind to read and the hearing impaired to communicate with the world. However, most importantly, technology is helping these segments earn their livelihood.

While IT can emerge as a major enabler of skills development,

IT literacy itself is a significant challenge for India. Currently, the undergraduate segment, which will form the bulk of the future workforce of the country, is lacking in computer skills. Low computer awareness, a fallout of poor English communication skills, is further lowering the employability quotient of undergraduates in India.

The fact is that computer skills are a given in any industry environment. Basic IT knowledge is needed by virtually everyone entering the job market. Equipping the country’s Gen Next with computer skills, where they can easily work on popular office applications, can help them become productive and job ready from day one. Such training can be delivered over the Internet to vocational institutions, that can in turn provide it to their learners.

Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are the way to goTransforming the skills landscape in India however, is not an easy task. The country will have to address the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of its skills shortages before it can leverage its “demographic dividend,” and not let it degenerate into a “demographic nightmare.”

And clearly, the government alone cannot accomplish this huge task. It has to be supported in its ambitious skills development endeavors by the private sector, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and academia, that must contribute in equal measure. Close collaboration between industry, academia and the government can usher in relevant educational reforms that can gear up the system for developing rightly skilled manpower going forward.

The industry must advise academia about the kinds of skills it requires and in what numbers. In partnership with the industry, academia must redesign the curriculum, at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. One of the things that the curriculum will need to create is new age “soft skills” alongside hard skills. What this means is more focus on English communication and computer literacy. The curriculum itself will have to be changed to cater to the emerging needs of basic education, advanced learning and vocational training.

At the same time, industry practitioners can also be used as “teachers,” particularly in the area of higher education, so that students get a direct feel of what is required of them in a real working environment and 21st century workplace.

Furthermore, industry can also support faculty development by interacting freely with the teachers, providing them with exposure to the world of work and acquainting them with on-the-horizon business and technology trends. At the same time, industry itself must promote life-long, or continuous learning on its own turf so that apart from high quality manpower at the entry levels, it can also build a strong middle-layer of managers and professionals who are abreast with new global developments and equipped with the latest industry skills.

All of this is already happening in some form or the other, with several Indian organizations taking the lead in skill development by working with government agencies, academia and NGOs to further this cause. A

number of IT companies, known for their proactive talent development initiatives, are contributing significantly to areas such as training and certification. Companies such as Microsoft, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, NIIT, and a host of ICT majors are participating in curriculum reform, teacher and faculty training, as well as vocational training. Skills are being imparted by Microsoft for instance, in English communication and computers, in order to build India’s undergraduate (currently unemployable) workforce, into a skilled, job-ready talent pool.

Industry and academia are now working together to come up with mechanisms that ensure the quality of manpower. The right examinations, certifications, affiliations and accreditations, as well as apprenticeship programs by industry are being put into place so that people can be exposed to real work environments and be assessed for their skills and competencies.

The government, meanwhile, is focusing on creating the necessary legislative environment that allows the influx of global institutions, international best practices and methodologies in the area of education. Recognising the importance of education in the task of skill building, the government has already upped its allocations for vocational and higher-end learning in the XI Plan. One is already seeing a growing convergence between school education, skill development efforts of the government and between government and private initiatives.

In-Focus In-Focus

100%

75%

50%

25%

0%

64%

24%

91%

52%

PC Users PC Owners

undergrad

graduate

Tapping into the global manpower opportunityWithout a doubt, a significant opportunity awaits India, if it is able to meet its skill development objectives and create industry-ready manpower, not just for its own escalating requirements, but also that of the rest of the world.

Leveraging an Integrated Skills Framework, that is supported by all the various central and state-level skills development initiatives, India can build a spectrum of expertize, beginning with vocational skills at the bottom of the pyramid, followed by professional skills and finally, the narrow band of executive skills, at the top end of the pyramid. While

vocational literacy will be provided at the school level, the professional skills will be inculcated in learners in colleges. As for executive skills, they will be part of a continuous learning and upskilling approach that both private and public sector organizations will follow.

Clearly, by addressing India’s employment and employability challenges on a priority basis, the country can not only step up its own economic progress, it can also lend a helping hand to nations reeling shortages of skilled, new age human resources.

Own a Mobile

100%

75%

50%

25%

0%

89%99%


L. Balasubramanian heads NIIT’s strategic initiatives for Skills Development in multiple domains, with a thrust on employability. In his

earlier role as President of School Learning Solutions, Mr. Balasubramanian helped the division grow into an important part of NIIT’s global business. He has over 30 years of experience in the IT industry. At NIIT since 1988, Mr. Balasubramanian has successfully led key assignments in the Software and Education space for the company.

India, alongside China, is ranked among the high growth, emerging economies of the world today. As a country that has weathered the recent global economic storm well, India has a good chance of emerging as a major economic powerhouse by the year 2050. Provided the country’s services sector, which has been a significant growth catalyst over the last decade, can sustain its momentum, India can indeed distinguish itself on the global map. The country’s credentials in the area of IT-BPO in fact are already established. The world acknowledges India today as a nation of “software developers” and “outsourcers.” The IT-BPO sector, the poster boy of our success within the

services arena, is being sought by global organizations for its expertize, cost competitiveness and domain strengths. Based on these recent successes in certain service segments, Indian industry leadership has been endeavoring to craft a vision for the country as it turns 75 in the year 2022. The Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), a leading chamber of commerce in India, has embarked on a mission to facilitate the country’s transformation into an economically strong, technologically vital and morally sound global leader at age 75! The mission has been inspired by the late Prof. C.K.Prahalad, renowned management guru, and Paul and Ruth McCracken, Distinguished

University Professors of Strategy, the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.

India’s exploding domestic marketAccording to the vision, several initiatives are required not just to fulfil India’s globalization aspirations, but also to meet the demands of its ebullient, high-potential, domestic market. The domestic market, has remained robust despite the global economic recession and suddenly erupted into action, compelling various industries to focus on the vast untapped business opportunities it offers.

Apart from services, the manufacturing sector too is witnessing a turnaround. Industrial growth in India has seen a rise in the last few years, heralding greater growth in the future. In fact, the country, based on its immense cost advantages, has the potential to emerge as a manufacturing hub of the world, in niche segments. Another positive that is placing India in a stronger position vis-à-vis other nations is its “demographic dividend,” or the excess number of people it has and will have in the working age group. It is expected that by 2020, the country will havearound 47 million young people, as compared to other countries with ageing populations. As all other major industrialized countries, including China will not have these numbers, India’s “demographic dividend” can help the country plug the global workplace demand-supply gap.

The environment today While all signs point to a robust, economically strong India by 2020,

it is being acknowledged that some pro-active intervention is required to redress the concerns currently facing the country. As of now, several inequalities exist between the people of India, and experts are pointing to urban-rural, emerging-traditional, have-have-nots, gender and digital divides, which are leading to imbalanced growth.

The shortage of skilled manpower is a key impediment in the

country’s development path, and needs immediate attention. According to recent research, nearly 12 million working people are required by different industry verticals in the country every year.

The existing numbers however, are far from adequate, with India’s education and vocational training system churning out no more than 3-4 million workers, and leaving a yawning gap between demand and supply. No matter what the industry segment, whether Manufacturing, Healthcare, Hospitality, Chemical or Pharmaceuticals, it is facing a paucity of skilled workers and professionals. Perhaps, it is the IT-BPO industry, which survives on the strength of its skilled people, that has been able to intervene and to some extent, take the HR development conundrum by the horns. Apart from the numbers, quality is also an issue. The industry believes that the graduates coming out of the education system (both

technical and non-technical) are not “job ready.” The “quality” of this manpower does not match up with the skills required by employers. Companies such as Nokia and Motorola, who have established their units in Chennai, have taken on thousands of freshers from the nearby towns and villages and put them through rigorous induction programs, as they have been unable to find people with the required skills. These technology majors are helping to address the

skills shortage among entry-level workers by tapping unskilled youth for job positions and devising a customized induction program for ensuring the quality of their skills

Manpower and skills imbalanceAmong the many issues confronting India in the area of manpower is the one related to churn across industries. While certain sectors have an excess of

OVERCOMING INDIA’S SKIllS DEVElOPMENT CHAllENGES

According to recent research, nearly 12 million working people are required by different industry verticals in the country every year.

By L. Balasubramanian, President Skill Building Solutions, NIIT Ltd.

Perspective Perspective


L. Balasubramanian heads NIIT’s strategic initiatives for Skills Development in multiple domains, with a thrust on employability. In his

earlier role as President of School Learning Solutions, Mr. Balasubramanian helped the division grow into an important part of NIIT’s global business. He has over 30 years of experience in the IT industry. At NIIT since 1988, Mr. Balasubramanian has successfully led key assignments in the Software and Education space for the company.

India, alongside China, is ranked among the high growth, emerging economies of the world today. As a country that has weathered the recent global economic storm well, India has a good chance of emerging as a major economic powerhouse by the year 2050. Provided the country’s services sector, which has been a significant growth catalyst over the last decade, can sustain its momentum, India can indeed distinguish itself on the global map. The country’s credentials in the area of IT-BPO in fact are already established. The world acknowledges India today as a nation of “software developers” and “outsourcers.” The IT-BPO sector, the poster boy of our success within the

services arena, is being sought by global organizations for its expertize, cost competitiveness and domain strengths. Based on these recent successes in certain service segments, Indian industry leadership has been endeavoring to craft a vision for the country as it turns 75 in the year 2022. The Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), a leading chamber of commerce in India, has embarked on a mission to facilitate the country’s transformation into an economically strong, technologically vital and morally sound global leader at age 75! The mission has been inspired by the late Prof. C.K.Prahalad, renowned management guru, and Paul and Ruth McCracken, Distinguished

University Professors of Strategy, the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.

India’s exploding domestic marketAccording to the vision, several initiatives are required not just to fulfil India’s globalization aspirations, but also to meet the demands of its ebullient, high-potential, domestic market. The domestic market, has remained robust despite the global economic recession and suddenly erupted into action, compelling various industries to focus on the vast untapped business opportunities it offers.

Apart from services, the manufacturing sector too is witnessing a turnaround. Industrial growth in India has seen a rise in the last few years, heralding greater growth in the future. In fact, the country, based on its immense cost advantages, has the potential to emerge as a manufacturing hub of the world, in niche segments. Another positive that is placing India in a stronger position vis-à-vis other nations is its “demographic dividend,” or the excess number of people it has and will have in the working age group. It is expected that by 2020, the country will havearound 47 million young people, as compared to other countries with ageing populations. As all other major industrialized countries, including China will not have these numbers, India’s “demographic dividend” can help the country plug the global workplace demand-supply gap.

The environment today While all signs point to a robust, economically strong India by 2020,

it is being acknowledged that some pro-active intervention is required to redress the concerns currently facing the country. As of now, several inequalities exist between the people of India, and experts are pointing to urban-rural, emerging-traditional, have-have-nots, gender and digital divides, which are leading to imbalanced growth.

The shortage of skilled manpower is a key impediment in the

country’s development path, and needs immediate attention. According to recent research, nearly 12 million working people are required by different industry verticals in the country every year.

The existing numbers however, are far from adequate, with India’s education and vocational training system churning out no more than 3-4 million workers, and leaving a yawning gap between demand and supply. No matter what the industry segment, whether Manufacturing, Healthcare, Hospitality, Chemical or Pharmaceuticals, it is facing a paucity of skilled workers and professionals. Perhaps, it is the IT-BPO industry, which survives on the strength of its skilled people, that has been able to intervene and to some extent, take the HR development conundrum by the horns. Apart from the numbers, quality is also an issue. The industry believes that the graduates coming out of the education system (both

technical and non-technical) are not “job ready.” The “quality” of this manpower does not match up with the skills required by employers. Companies such as Nokia and Motorola, who have established their units in Chennai, have taken on thousands of freshers from the nearby towns and villages and put them through rigorous induction programs, as they have been unable to find people with the required skills. These technology majors are helping to address the

skills shortage among entry-level workers by tapping unskilled youth for job positions and devising a customized induction program for ensuring the quality of their skills

Manpower and skills imbalanceAmong the many issues confronting India in the area of manpower is the one related to churn across industries. While certain sectors have an excess of

OVERCOMING INDIA’S SKIllS DEVElOPMENT CHAllENGES

According to recent research, nearly 12 million working people are required by different industry verticals in the country every year.

By L. Balasubramanian, President Skill Building Solutions, NIIT Ltd.



people, others are completely starved of relevant manpower. This shift is the result of labor migration from villages to urban areas, and one region of the country to another. As construction workers move from Bihar and Rajasthan to the Southern part of the country, these states are experiencing a shortage of these skilled workers. Take the instance of agriculture. Over the last decade or so, there has been a move away from this traditional bastion, with people opting to do unskilled manual work, instead of farming. This is creating a need for people who can work in the country’s hinterland.

Providing the right “employability skills”The country’s modern day human resources need to do more than just read, write or excel at math. Rather there is a requirement for knowledge workers who are technically literate (IT savvy), creative, effective communicators, thinkers and team players.

At the school level, almost 80 percent of students drop out of the system before their 12 years of education are complete. If we look at a ten year horizon, the cumulative drop outs of the schools system can run into tens of millions! There are at least 1100

trades where skill sets have to be built, if

India has to create a future-proof workforce. However, the

country’s vocational education and training are simply not geared up for addressing this kind of requirement. Today, it barely addresses 100 trades through vocational training. It is this gap that has led to a major paucity of what can be described as the “blue collar worker,” the link between the formal education system and industry.

A time for interventions The need of the hour then is for

all the stakeholders in the Indian ecosystem—the government, industry, and academia—to come together to find solutions to the country’s skill development challenges.

Together, the different stakeholders must give a thrust to each one of the 1,100 trades existing in India to expand the pool of these blue collared workers. Mass-scale vocational education and training (VET) initiatives are required at different levels, beginning with schools, so that both city-bred and rural youth can be imparted special “real-life” skills. The country’s government and private schools, ITIs, Polytechnics and vocational

institutions can jointly impart

training to youngsters that prepares

them for gainful employment

across different trades and industry

verticals.

India’s technical and non-technical

colleges and institutions of

advanced studies, meanwhile, have

to equip students for the workplace

and make them proficient enough

to build careers within their

respective realms of specialization.

Among the skills that learners

need at this level is technology

literacy, as students entering the

21st century work sphere need to

access, manage, analyze, integrate,

evaluate and create information

in a variety of forms and media.

Certifications and assessments are

also critical at this level to ensure

that students are truly prepared to

do the job.

Finally, India needs skills at the

highest level, where people with

advanced capabilities can be

harnessed by organizations for

their specialized functions. At this

rung of the skills ladder, we need

process and domain experts (in

areas such as Banking, Finance

and Insurance, Healthcare,

Retail, Telecom, Manufacturing,

Hospitality, among others), IT

specialists (with cross platform

knowledge in SAP, Oracle, .Net,

etc.), and people with customer

facing skills (expertize in client

interactions,sales and marketing,

customer service, etc.).

The government’s plansIn order to catalyze skill develop-

ment, the XIth Plan of the govern-ment of India launched a national “Skill Development Mission (SDM),” that is matched by budgetary sup-port from the Planning Commis-

sion until 2022. The SDM, with its emphasis on 20 high growth em-ployment sectors, is an agglomera-tion of programs and appropriate structures that will enhance training opportunities of new entrants to the labor force with surpluses to cater to the skills shortages in other ageing economies.

The Mission encompasses the efforts of several ministries of the central government, state govern-ments and the activity of the pri-vate arm. In order to ensure their coordinated national-level action, the government has set up institu-tions such as the National Council on Skill Development, chaired by the Prime Minister himself, the Na-tional Skill Development Coordina-tion Board and the National Skill Development Corporation/Trust, a non-profit company under the aegis of the Ministry of Finance, to promote skill development in the private sector.

Facing the challenges Achieving India’s vision of inclusive growth based on skill development and employment generation will need a concerted effort by all the stakeholders. A big challenge will be to reach out to the rural and informal sectors and draw them into the country’s skill development umbrella. At the same time, since there is considerable skills migra-tion taking place (as people move out of their villages, and even urban workers relocate to other cit-ies and townships), it is becoming important to “re-skill” some of the people in these segments to fill the shortfall, on a “just-in-time” basis.

Using technology to achieve skill development goalsInterestingly, technology can be used as the glue to bring together the different stakeholders and di-verse industry segments to resolve India’s skills development chal-lenges. An online skills exchange or portal, for instance, can help the country accurately assess the manpower gaps across industry sectors, match demand and supply

and forecast future workforce re-quirements. It can provide national employment information and link skilled people to where the jobs are available.

At the same time, Information Technology can help people assess their own competency levels for specific job roles and determine the directions they want to take in their careers. Both employers and employees can access portals containing such information to pick the best talent and make relevant career choices, respectively. Technology such as laptops, smartboards, etc. can be used not only to deliver learning, but

also help trainers and teachers to enhance their personal productivity. So much new tech is now available, including mobile phones and smart devices, which can be harnessed to make available mobile-based learning programs, evidence-based training, (where training videos can be placed on the Internet, through popular sites such as YouTube, etc.), inexpensively and quickly. With technology it is possible to innovate and break the “classroom barrier.” At the same time, high-

tech can enable India to scale its training and education efforts while lowering costs.

Clearly, technology has the answer to India’s skill development challenges. It has the power to help people re-engineer themselves and become future ready. Provided India can leverage technology to its advantage, the country can indeed meet and exceed its human resource targets and emerge as the skills hub of the world.

The government has set up institutions such as the National Council on Skill Development, chaired by the Prime Minister himself.

Students entering the 21st century work sphere need to access, manage, analyze, integrate, evaluate and create information in a variety of forms and media.



people, others are completely starved of relevant manpower. This shift is the result of labor migration from villages to urban areas, and one region of the country to another. As construction workers move from Bihar and Rajasthan to the Southern part of the country, these states are experiencing a shortage of these skilled workers. Take the instance of agriculture. Over the last decade or so, there has been a move away from this traditional bastion, with people opting to do unskilled manual work, instead of farming. This is creating a need for people who can work in the country’s hinterland.

Providing the right “employability skills”The country’s modern day human resources need to do more than just read, write or excel at math. Rather there is a requirement for knowledge workers who are technically literate (IT savvy), creative, effective communicators, thinkers and team players.

At the school level, almost 80 percent of students drop out of the system before their 12 years of education are complete. If we look at a ten year horizon, the cumulative drop outs of the schools system can run into tens of millions! There are at least 1100

trades where skill sets have to be built, if

India has to create a future-proof workforce. However, the

country’s vocational education and training are simply not geared up for addressing this kind of requirement. Today, it barely addresses 100 trades through vocational training. It is this gap that has led to a major paucity of what can be described as the “blue collar worker,” the link between the formal education system and industry.

A time for interventions The need of the hour then is for

all the stakeholders in the Indian ecosystem—the government, industry, and academia—to come together to find solutions to the country’s skill development challenges.

Together, the different stakeholders must give a thrust to each one of the 1,100 trades existing in India to expand the pool of these blue collared workers. Mass-scale vocational education and training (VET) initiatives are required at different levels, beginning with schools, so that both city-bred and rural youth can be imparted special “real-life” skills. The country’s government and private schools, ITIs, Polytechnics and vocational

institutions can jointly impart

training to youngsters that prepares

them for gainful employment

across different trades and industry

verticals.

India’s technical and non-technical

colleges and institutions of

advanced studies, meanwhile, have

to equip students for the workplace

and make them proficient enough

to build careers within their

respective realms of specialization.

Among the skills that learners

need at this level is technology

literacy, as students entering the

21st century work sphere need to

access, manage, analyze, integrate,

evaluate and create information

in a variety of forms and media.

Certifications and assessments are

also critical at this level to ensure

that students are truly prepared to

do the job.

Finally, India needs skills at the

highest level, where people with

advanced capabilities can be

harnessed by organizations for

their specialized functions. At this

rung of the skills ladder, we need

process and domain experts (in

areas such as Banking, Finance

and Insurance, Healthcare,

Retail, Telecom, Manufacturing,

Hospitality, among others), IT

specialists (with cross platform

knowledge in SAP, Oracle, .Net,

etc.), and people with customer

facing skills (expertize in client

interactions,sales and marketing,

customer service, etc.).

The government’s plansIn order to catalyze skill develop-

ment, the XIth Plan of the govern-ment of India launched a national “Skill Development Mission (SDM),” that is matched by budgetary sup-port from the Planning Commis-

sion until 2022. The SDM, with its emphasis on 20 high growth em-ployment sectors, is an agglomera-tion of programs and appropriate structures that will enhance training opportunities of new entrants to the labor force with surpluses to cater to the skills shortages in other ageing economies.

The Mission encompasses the efforts of several ministries of the central government, state govern-ments and the activity of the pri-vate arm. In order to ensure their coordinated national-level action, the government has set up institu-tions such as the National Council on Skill Development, chaired by the Prime Minister himself, the Na-tional Skill Development Coordina-tion Board and the National Skill Development Corporation/Trust, a non-profit company under the aegis of the Ministry of Finance, to promote skill development in the private sector.

Facing the challenges Achieving India’s vision of inclusive growth based on skill development and employment generation will need a concerted effort by all the stakeholders. A big challenge will be to reach out to the rural and informal sectors and draw them into the country’s skill development umbrella. At the same time, since there is considerable skills migra-tion taking place (as people move out of their villages, and even urban workers relocate to other cit-ies and townships), it is becoming important to “re-skill” some of the people in these segments to fill the shortfall, on a “just-in-time” basis.

Using technology to achieve skill development goalsInterestingly, technology can be used as the glue to bring together the different stakeholders and di-verse industry segments to resolve India’s skills development chal-lenges. An online skills exchange or portal, for instance, can help the country accurately assess the manpower gaps across industry sectors, match demand and supply

and forecast future workforce re-quirements. It can provide national employment information and link skilled people to where the jobs are available.

At the same time, Information Technology can help people assess their own competency levels for specific job roles and determine the directions they want to take in their careers. Both employers and employees can access portals containing such information to pick the best talent and make relevant career choices, respectively. Technology such as laptops, smartboards, etc. can be used not only to deliver learning, but

also help trainers and teachers to enhance their personal productivity. So much new tech is now available, including mobile phones and smart devices, which can be harnessed to make available mobile-based learning programs, evidence-based training, (where training videos can be placed on the Internet, through popular sites such as YouTube, etc.), inexpensively and quickly. With technology it is possible to innovate and break the “classroom barrier.” At the same time, high-

tech can enable India to scale its training and education efforts while lowering costs.

Clearly, technology has the answer to India’s skill development challenges. It has the power to help people re-engineer themselves and become future ready. Provided India can leverage technology to its advantage, the country can indeed meet and exceed its human resource targets and emerge as the skills hub of the world.

The government has set up institutions such as the National Council on Skill Development, chaired by the Prime Minister himself.

Students entering the 21st century work sphere need to access, manage, analyze, integrate, evaluate and create information in a variety of forms and media.



why is skill development being touted as one

of the biggest challenges and also one of the

biggest opportunities for india?

India has one of the youngest populations in

the world with a median age of 25 years. It has

been projected that the country will have the

world’s largest working population by 2030.

With the Indian economy on an overdrive,

fuelled by the services sector, the demand

for a skilled workforce is expected to increase

manifold in the days ahead. With a plethora

of new jobs likely to be created, particularly in

the services arena which includes IT-BPO, retail

and healthcare, there will be a tremendous

need for employable people, going forward.

Consequently, the availability of skilled persons

could emerge as one of the biggest challenges

and skill development one of the biggest

opportunities for the country.

how is the government planning to achieve its

mission of skilling 500 million indians by 2022?

Skill development is one of the priorities of the

government. Already, 17 ministries are engaged

in training initiatives that aim to raise the skill

sets of youth in different trades. The current

efforts are directed at enhancing coordination,

setting up new capacity and also improving

quality. The Prime Minister chairs the National

Skill Development Council. The National Skill

Development Coordination Board, chaired

by the Deputy Chairman of the Planning

Commission, is leading efforts to promote

coordination among the various ministries in

the area of skill development. The Government

has also set up the National Skill Development

Corporation (NSDC) in collaboration with the

private sector to get the latter involved in the

task of skilling the nation. The NSDC’s mandate

is to train 150 million of the 500 million target

set by the government, by 2022. The NSDC

intends to achieve its goal by encouraging

both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations

to embark on skilling measures by providing

them with funds for this purpose. The existing

government schemes are expected to create the

balance 350 million employable youth by 2022.

what and how did the nsdc come into

being? what is its mandate and structure?

The formation of the National Skill Development

Corporation was announced in the 2008-09

Budget speech of the Finance Minister, Pranab

Mukherjee. The government holds 49 percent

equity in the NSDC, with the balance 51 percent

being held by different industry bodies and

chambers of commerce. The NSDC is chaired

by former Murugappa Group chairman, M.V.

Subbiah, and its board of directors includes

nominees from the government and private

sector. The government has provided Rs. 1,000

crore to serve as the initial corpus for the NSDC.

The NSDC is mandated to set up sector skills

councils that would be led by industry to set

competency standards, create assessment

and certification procedures and linkages with

industry that would ensure that both the quantity

and quality of skilled persons are in accordance

with industry requirements.

what is the importance of Public Private

Partnerships in the skill development space,

especially in the indian context?

The enormity of the challenge being faced by the

country in the skill development arena can only

be overcome if both the government and private

sector work hand-in-hand. The current system in

place has both capacity and quality constraints.

Government alone cannot address the needs

of the large number of people that need to be

skilled. Hence, it is imperative that the private

sector works in partnership with government

to supplement efforts in a manner that enable

the country to quickly multiply the existing skill

development capacity, capability and also quality.

Industry has to provide leadership in setting up

skill development centers, putting together world-

class standards and curriculum and ensuring that

global best practices are brought to this sector.

nsdc is expected to help build about 30 percent

of the skilled manpower (of the 500 million) by

2022. how do you plan to achieve this?

NSDC has three roles, the first to create large-

scale sustainable training organizations. These

would be organizations that could train upwards

of one million people in 10 years. The second

is to fund organizations to set up or expand

training initiatives either in a sector or across

sectors. The third is to set up an ecosystem

that leads to skills development becoming a

sustainable venture as well as a program that

meets industry needs. This includes setting up

and supporting sector skills councils.

what are the kind of projects that the nsdc

is supporting?

The NSDC has so far supported a variety

of projects. The first three projects focus on

developing skills of persons in the lower end of

the pyramid. They are skilling persons for entry-

level jobs, by providing training modules that

are affordable, as well as accessible. One of the

projects is in the insurgency-affected region,

another is in a Special Economic Zone and the

third is the first of its kind venture to train one

million persons over 10 years in tier two and

three cities. These are all new models and have

never been attempted at this scale and size

before. NSDC has also funded an entity that

would train persons in skills for the agricultural

and rural sectors.

You support ‘for profit’ as well as ‘not-for-

profit’ organizations? What are the roles of

both types of organizations?

The NSDC’s mandate is to engage with

the private sector for skill development

initiatives. The non-government enterprises

with whom the NSDC engages could be

commercial enterprises (essentially for profit

concerns whose intention is to make profits

for distribution of dividends, etc.), or non-

commercial, non-government owned entities

(not-for-profit organizations). The structure

of the organization and the intent to make a

surplus and what the surplus would be used

for, determines the type of funding and support

that NSDC provides to it. Both organizations

might in some cases be serving the same set of

persons with different intent and the funding

for both might be different.

what are the verticals that nsdc is focusing

on for its skills development initiatives? Of

these, which are most progressive in terms of

manpower development?

In line with NSDC’s mandate, the Corporation

focuses on skill development in 21 sectors,

which include automobiles, the building

and construction industry, banking, financial

programs for IT skill development, the time has

now come for the next practice, wherein IT has

to be embedded in the curricula and training

programs of different industry sectors.

where and what do you see as the role of it

companies like Microsoft?

IT companies such as Microsoft can play a

leading role in helping skill development

initiatives in India. They can help create products

and services that skill people in India; provide a

set of services that build an IT ecosystem for skill

development and quickly scale skill development,

assessment and certification efforts; develop and

make available tools that enable the creation

of a number of e-learning modules or learning

systems; and establish leadership as a model by

providing leadership in skills councils, enabling

employees to participate as trainers or assessors,

supporting the development of a lifelong learning

process and assisting training organizations in

terms of placements by providing placement fees

for first day first hour ready workers.

One-On-One One-On-One

DIlIP CHENOY CEO and Managing Director, National Skill Development Corporation

In this issue, Interface speaks to Dilip

Chenoy, CEO and Managing Director

of the National Skill Development

Corporation (NSDC). The NSDC is a

Public Private Partnership mandated

to create, fund, enable and incentivize

skill development and upgrade training

capacity in India. Its objective is to skill

150 million people in India by 2022, by

fostering private sector investment and

initiatives in training and skill development

in 20 high growth sectors and the

unorganized sector.

services and insurance, chemicals and

pharmaceuticals, electronics and IT hardware,

food processing, gems and jewellery,

healthcare, IT-BPO, real estate, retail and

transportation and logistics. All segments are

equally committed to manpower development.

The top three in terms of numbers are the

automobile, construction and textiles sectors.

The segments that are currently engaged in skill

development in a large way are automobile,

banking, construction, retail, IT-BPO, and

textiles. Specialized niches in terms of soft skills,

IT skills, English skills, and accounting skills

have also emerged.

what is your vision of integrating vocational

skills into mainstream education?

The integration of vocational and mainstream

education in India is a must. The entire

education framework needs to provide for

lifelong learning and also mobility from

one stream to another for those who wish

to do so. Currently, this is only possible in

very select areas and in an extremely limited

manner. There are global examples where

this framework has been achieved and we will

need to do this in India as well. In addition,

skill development has to be integrated into the

career path of every individual. Government

and industry jointly need to build in systems

and procedures to enable this.

what is the role of it in the overall skill

development space beyond the it sector itself?

Information technology can play a prominent

role in skills training and helping in the process

of promoting inclusive growth. The use of IT is

imperative to achieve scale in skill development

initiatives and to meet the ambitious goals set

by the Prime Minister’s National Council for

Skill Development. The NSDC has identified

skills that can be taught through the e-learning

mode. It is our strong belief that IT will

increasingly be used for certification and

assessment. IT can also be the backbone

for the National Vocational Qualification

Framework and used as a tool for capturing

credit information, and allowing verification of

certificates and transfer of credits. While the IT

industry has led the process of private sector

involvement in skill development by providing

“The NSDC’s mandate is to train 150 million of the 500 million target set by the Government, by 2022.”

More specifically, it can:

• Create a set of competency-based IT skill

development modules that could be used

either as standalone, or as part of other skill

development programs. These could be made

available to organizations such as the NSDC

to provide to its various partners.

• Forge partnerships with other agencies that

provide complementary skills to IT and

develop programs that can enhance the

employability of persons. It can link such

partnerships with the NSDC.

• Help NSDC to set up an IT backbone for the

skills space.

• Provide support for training the trainers, and

also develop a large group of assessors. It can

work with NASSCOM to set up the IT-BPO

sector skill council under NSDC.

• Partner with training organizations to set up

a large-scale skill development program, to

skill around 10-15 million persons over ten

years in association with NSDC, that would

demonstrate the first four suggestions.

Organizations such as Microsoft can clearly

demonstrate qualities of thought leadership,

management, innovation, and execution in the

skills space. There is no better time than NOW

to do so.


why is skill development being touted as one

of the biggest challenges and also one of the

biggest opportunities for india?

India has one of the youngest populations in

the world with a median age of 25 years. It has

been projected that the country will have the

world’s largest working population by 2030.

With the Indian economy on an overdrive,

fuelled by the services sector, the demand

for a skilled workforce is expected to increase

manifold in the days ahead. With a plethora

of new jobs likely to be created, particularly in

the services arena which includes IT-BPO, retail

and healthcare, there will be a tremendous

need for employable people, going forward.

Consequently, the availability of skilled persons

could emerge as one of the biggest challenges

and skill development one of the biggest

opportunities for the country.

how is the government planning to achieve its

mission of skilling 500 million indians by 2022?

Skill development is one of the priorities of the

government. Already, 17 ministries are engaged

in training initiatives that aim to raise the skill

sets of youth in different trades. The current

efforts are directed at enhancing coordination,

setting up new capacity and also improving

quality. The Prime Minister chairs the National

Skill Development Council. The National Skill

Development Coordination Board, chaired

by the Deputy Chairman of the Planning

Commission, is leading efforts to promote

coordination among the various ministries in

the area of skill development. The Government

has also set up the National Skill Development

Corporation (NSDC) in collaboration with the

private sector to get the latter involved in the

task of skilling the nation. The NSDC’s mandate

is to train 150 million of the 500 million target

set by the government, by 2022. The NSDC

intends to achieve its goal by encouraging

both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations

to embark on skilling measures by providing

them with funds for this purpose. The existing

government schemes are expected to create the

balance 350 million employable youth by 2022.

what and how did the nsdc come into

being? what is its mandate and structure?

The formation of the National Skill Development

Corporation was announced in the 2008-09

Budget speech of the Finance Minister, Pranab

Mukherjee. The government holds 49 percent

equity in the NSDC, with the balance 51 percent

being held by different industry bodies and

chambers of commerce. The NSDC is chaired

by former Murugappa Group chairman, M.V.

Subbiah, and its board of directors includes

nominees from the government and private

sector. The government has provided Rs. 1,000

crore to serve as the initial corpus for the NSDC.

The NSDC is mandated to set up sector skills

councils that would be led by industry to set

competency standards, create assessment

and certification procedures and linkages with

industry that would ensure that both the quantity

and quality of skilled persons are in accordance

with industry requirements.

what is the importance of Public Private

Partnerships in the skill development space,

especially in the indian context?

The enormity of the challenge being faced by the

country in the skill development arena can only

be overcome if both the government and private

sector work hand-in-hand. The current system in

place has both capacity and quality constraints.

Government alone cannot address the needs

of the large number of people that need to be

skilled. Hence, it is imperative that the private

sector works in partnership with government

to supplement efforts in a manner that enable

the country to quickly multiply the existing skill

development capacity, capability and also quality.

Industry has to provide leadership in setting up

skill development centers, putting together world-

class standards and curriculum and ensuring that

global best practices are brought to this sector.

nsdc is expected to help build about 30 percent

of the skilled manpower (of the 500 million) by

2022. how do you plan to achieve this?

NSDC has three roles, the first to create large-

scale sustainable training organizations. These

would be organizations that could train upwards

of one million people in 10 years. The second

is to fund organizations to set up or expand

training initiatives either in a sector or across

sectors. The third is to set up an ecosystem

that leads to skills development becoming a

sustainable venture as well as a program that

meets industry needs. This includes setting up

and supporting sector skills councils.

what are the kind of projects that the nsdc

is supporting?

The NSDC has so far supported a variety

of projects. The first three projects focus on

developing skills of persons in the lower end of

the pyramid. They are skilling persons for entry-

level jobs, by providing training modules that

are affordable, as well as accessible. One of the

projects is in the insurgency-affected region,

another is in a Special Economic Zone and the

third is the first of its kind venture to train one

million persons over 10 years in tier two and

three cities. These are all new models and have

never been attempted at this scale and size

before. NSDC has also funded an entity that

would train persons in skills for the agricultural

and rural sectors.

You support ‘for profit’ as well as ‘not-for-

profit’ organizations? What are the roles of

both types of organizations?

The NSDC’s mandate is to engage with

the private sector for skill development

initiatives. The non-government enterprises

with whom the NSDC engages could be

commercial enterprises (essentially for profit

concerns whose intention is to make profits

for distribution of dividends, etc.), or non-

commercial, non-government owned entities

(not-for-profit organizations). The structure

of the organization and the intent to make a

surplus and what the surplus would be used

for, determines the type of funding and support

that NSDC provides to it. Both organizations

might in some cases be serving the same set of

persons with different intent and the funding

for both might be different.

what are the verticals that nsdc is focusing

on for its skills development initiatives? Of

these, which are most progressive in terms of

manpower development?

In line with NSDC’s mandate, the Corporation

focuses on skill development in 21 sectors,

which include automobiles, the building

and construction industry, banking, financial

programs for IT skill development, the time has

now come for the next practice, wherein IT has

to be embedded in the curricula and training

programs of different industry sectors.

where and what do you see as the role of it

companies like Microsoft?

IT companies such as Microsoft can play a

leading role in helping skill development

initiatives in India. They can help create products

and services that skill people in India; provide a

set of services that build an IT ecosystem for skill

development and quickly scale skill development,

assessment and certification efforts; develop and

make available tools that enable the creation

of a number of e-learning modules or learning

systems; and establish leadership as a model by

providing leadership in skills councils, enabling

employees to participate as trainers or assessors,

supporting the development of a lifelong learning

process and assisting training organizations in

terms of placements by providing placement fees

for first day first hour ready workers.

One-On-One One-On-One

DIlIP CHENOY CEO and Managing Director, National Skill Development Corporation

In this issue, Interface speaks to Dilip

Chenoy, CEO and Managing Director

of the National Skill Development

Corporation (NSDC). The NSDC is a

Public Private Partnership mandated

to create, fund, enable and incentivize

skill development and upgrade training

capacity in India. Its objective is to skill

150 million people in India by 2022, by

fostering private sector investment and

initiatives in training and skill development

in 20 high growth sectors and the

unorganized sector.

services and insurance, chemicals and

pharmaceuticals, electronics and IT hardware,

food processing, gems and jewellery,

healthcare, IT-BPO, real estate, retail and

transportation and logistics. All segments are

equally committed to manpower development.

The top three in terms of numbers are the

automobile, construction and textiles sectors.

The segments that are currently engaged in skill

development in a large way are automobile,

banking, construction, retail, IT-BPO, and

textiles. Specialized niches in terms of soft skills,

IT skills, English skills, and accounting skills

have also emerged.

what is your vision of integrating vocational

skills into mainstream education?

The integration of vocational and mainstream

education in India is a must. The entire

education framework needs to provide for

lifelong learning and also mobility from

one stream to another for those who wish

to do so. Currently, this is only possible in

very select areas and in an extremely limited

manner. There are global examples where

this framework has been achieved and we will

need to do this in India as well. In addition,

skill development has to be integrated into the

career path of every individual. Government

and industry jointly need to build in systems

and procedures to enable this.

what is the role of it in the overall skill

development space beyond the it sector itself?

Information technology can play a prominent

role in skills training and helping in the process

of promoting inclusive growth. The use of IT is

imperative to achieve scale in skill development

initiatives and to meet the ambitious goals set

by the Prime Minister’s National Council for

Skill Development. The NSDC has identified

skills that can be taught through the e-learning

mode. It is our strong belief that IT will

increasingly be used for certification and

assessment. IT can also be the backbone

for the National Vocational Qualification

Framework and used as a tool for capturing

credit information, and allowing verification of

certificates and transfer of credits. While the IT

industry has led the process of private sector

involvement in skill development by providing

“The NSDC’s mandate is to train 150 million of the 500 million target set by the Government, by 2022.”

More specifically, it can:

• Create a set of competency-based IT skill

development modules that could be used

either as standalone, or as part of other skill

development programs. These could be made

available to organizations such as the NSDC

to provide to its various partners.

• Forge partnerships with other agencies that

provide complementary skills to IT and

develop programs that can enhance the

employability of persons. It can link such

partnerships with the NSDC.

• Help NSDC to set up an IT backbone for the

skills space.

• Provide support for training the trainers, and

also develop a large group of assessors. It can

work with NASSCOM to set up the IT-BPO

sector skill council under NSDC.

• Partner with training organizations to set up

a large-scale skill development program, to

skill around 10-15 million persons over ten

years in association with NSDC, that would

demonstrate the first four suggestions.

Organizations such as Microsoft can clearly

demonstrate qualities of thought leadership,

management, innovation, and execution in the

skills space. There is no better time than NOW

to do so.


As a company that has been present in India for over two decades, Microsoft has kept its ear to the ground to understand the country’s vast, complex and diverse marketplace, the key trends shaping it, and the challenges it is facing. Based on these insights, and recognizing that technology has the power to deal with, and address, the needs of all sectors of the Indian economy, Microsoft has been offering solutions that directly target these areas. In the last few years, issues related to education and employment have become particularly significant in India, with the government, industry and

academia focused on how the education system

can be improved through reforms at all levels. Our view is that education is the single most

important

investment in the future of individuals, communities, nations and the

world that is vital to sustainable social and economic success. It is also a fundamental human right. At the same time, we also understand that for the education system to succeed, it must create learners who are equipped with “employability” skills that make them relevant to the new world of work.

Addressing the complete learning spectrum through focused training and certificationWith its various projects and initiatives in the education and skill development domain, Microsoft is providing solutions that address a range of learners, and span the entire spectrum of skills requirements. Microsoft’s commercial training, provided through partners, is impacting multiple spheres of Indian society. It is transforming the lives of high school and college students, including dropouts and career aspirants, teachers, women, soldiers, small businesses and even people with disabilities. For people at the grassroot levels,

Microsoft offers learners a foundation Digital Literacy

Certification Program. For the next level of “beginners,” including students who have completed their education up to Class X and are part of the semi-urban and rural landscape, there is MS Office training. Microsoft is also empowering women and others looking for first level employment in various organizations. While providing basic digital literacy and English-speaking skills, Microsoft is also engaging with the next level of learners namely IT career aspirants, to equip them with vital “industry skills” that hirers want. The company is targeting students of polytechnics, science graduates, engineering students, as well as working adults in technology firms at the initial levels who want to move up the ladder. These are people who require IT experience and want to become either programmers and developers (analysts, coders, etc.), or simple IT professionals such as desktop technicians, initial level deployment people, server administrators, and network administrators, among others. These are the jobs they

can now look at, owing to the vocational

training as well as advanced career programs provided by Microsoft.

At the next stage are the specialized jobs, of software architects and domain experts that Microsoft supports through its

skills development efforts. The company provides

training, curriculum and certification for learners keen on reaching

the top rung of the IT skills ladder software

architects. In this way, Microsoft offers

a complete lifecycle of training, from the digital literacy level to the

architect level, covering

an entire

spectrum of

competency building programs. Around 200,000 people are

trained by Microsoft in India every

year, with the company providing the content, curriculum, certifications

and training platforms, and the

partners delivering these to learners. The company additionally assists with the methodology, training specifications and on how participants can learn on Microsoft technology “the right way.” Nearly 175,000 individuals are certified annually, in what is clearly the country’s largest global-level, skills

endorsement initiative.

Finally, Microsoft provides e-learning solutions to enterprises. Organizations can purchase these solutions from Microsoft, buy a certification and have the program delivered internally. This is based on Microsoft’s model worldwide, where the company is focused on upskilling and continuous learning within organizations. Present at all the levels of the training and learning cycle, Microsoft and its partners are helping India create the skills that are becoming imperative for its overall growth that touches all sections of society. Tapping the Unlimited Potential of Indian youth through skill developmentThe company has also unveiled several key initiatives that are helping India build rightly skilled professionals and narrowing the employability gap that the country is currently facing. Microsoft rolled out an important project in India in 2007. This was part of a global endeavor aimed at bringing economic and social opportunity to the world’s five billion people not yet touched by the benefits of technology.Called Unlimited Potential (UP), the inclusive growth strategy was launched with the objective of spurring the use of technology, training and partnerships to transform education, foster local innovation and enable jobs and opportunities to sustain a continuous cycle of social and economic growth. Unlimited Potential has been greatly relevant for India, a country with over one

billion people, yet just 100 million with access to technology. When rolling out Unlimited Potential on India’s shores, Microsoft announced that the effort would draw on the substantial resources and business expertize of the company as well as its partners. The company stated that it would work with its partners to create relevant training opportunities and innovative tools for people that were underserved by technology. As part of its Unlimited Potential commitment, Microsoft India has introduced several employability and workforce development programs. These are aimed at supporting organizations imparting IT skills to individuals to prepare them for success in the 21st century workplace. The view has been that if India’s education is transformed and the employability skills of youth improved, the country can achieve balanced, inclusive and all-round growth. A primary pillar of Unlimited Potential, is Microsoft’s Partners in Learning (PiL) initiative, where the company partners with governments and schools to integrate technology into daily teaching, learning and research. In June, 2008, Microsoft announced a renewed commitment to the education sector in India with the launch of Partners in Learning 2.0 and an investment of USD 20 million. As part of this program, Microsoft is aiming to create innovative teachers, by providing educators with tools, forums, and resources that build communities of practice, support collaboration

By providing training and certifications, that range across the learning pyramid from the bottom to the top, Microsoft is helping India build skills vital for its economic and social development.

Addressing the complete Lifecycle of IT Training

Tech Trends Tech Trends

Microsoft Interface | July-September 2010 17 16 Microsoft Interface | July-September 2010

TeCH

tren

ds


As a company that has been present in India for over two decades, Microsoft has kept its ear to the ground to understand the country’s vast, complex and diverse marketplace, the key trends shaping it, and the challenges it is facing. Based on these insights, and recognizing that technology has the power to deal with, and address, the needs of all sectors of the Indian economy, Microsoft has been offering solutions that directly target these areas. In the last few years, issues related to education and employment have become particularly significant in India, with the government, industry and

academia focused on how the education system

can be improved through reforms at all levels. Our view is that education is the single most

important

investment in the future of individuals, communities, nations and the

world that is vital to sustainable social and economic success. It is also a fundamental human right. At the same time, we also understand that for the education system to succeed, it must create learners who are equipped with “employability” skills that make them relevant to the new world of work.

Addressing the complete learning spectrum through focused training and certificationWith its various projects and initiatives in the education and skill development domain, Microsoft is providing solutions that address a range of learners, and span the entire spectrum of skills requirements. Microsoft’s commercial training, provided through partners, is impacting multiple spheres of Indian society. It is transforming the lives of high school and college students, including dropouts and career aspirants, teachers, women, soldiers, small businesses and even people with disabilities. For people at the grassroot levels,

Microsoft offers learners a foundation Digital Literacy

Certification Program. For the next level of “beginners,” including students who have completed their education up to Class X and are part of the semi-urban and rural landscape, there is MS Office training. Microsoft is also empowering women and others looking for first level employment in various organizations. While providing basic digital literacy and English-speaking skills, Microsoft is also engaging with the next level of learners namely IT career aspirants, to equip them with vital “industry skills” that hirers want. The company is targeting students of polytechnics, science graduates, engineering students, as well as working adults in technology firms at the initial levels who want to move up the ladder. These are people who require IT experience and want to become either programmers and developers (analysts, coders, etc.), or simple IT professionals such as desktop technicians, initial level deployment people, server administrators, and network administrators, among others. These are the jobs they

can now look at, owing to the vocational

training as well as advanced career programs provided by Microsoft.

At the next stage are the specialized jobs, of software architects and domain experts that Microsoft supports through its

skills development efforts. The company provides

training, curriculum and certification for learners keen on reaching

the top rung of the IT skills ladder software

architects. In this way, Microsoft offers

a complete lifecycle of training, from the digital literacy level to the

architect level, covering

an entire

spectrum of

competency building programs. Around 200,000 people are

trained by Microsoft in India every

year, with the company providing the content, curriculum, certifications

and training platforms, and the

partners delivering these to learners. The company additionally assists with the methodology, training specifications and on how participants can learn on Microsoft technology “the right way.” Nearly 175,000 individuals are certified annually, in what is clearly the country’s largest global-level, skills

endorsement initiative.

Finally, Microsoft provides e-learning solutions to enterprises. Organizations can purchase these solutions from Microsoft, buy a certification and have the program delivered internally. This is based on Microsoft’s model worldwide, where the company is focused on upskilling and continuous learning within organizations. Present at all the levels of the training and learning cycle, Microsoft and its partners are helping India create the skills that are becoming imperative for its overall growth that touches all sections of society. Tapping the Unlimited Potential of Indian youth through skill developmentThe company has also unveiled several key initiatives that are helping India build rightly skilled professionals and narrowing the employability gap that the country is currently facing. Microsoft rolled out an important project in India in 2007. This was part of a global endeavor aimed at bringing economic and social opportunity to the world’s five billion people not yet touched by the benefits of technology.Called Unlimited Potential (UP), the inclusive growth strategy was launched with the objective of spurring the use of technology, training and partnerships to transform education, foster local innovation and enable jobs and opportunities to sustain a continuous cycle of social and economic growth. Unlimited Potential has been greatly relevant for India, a country with over one

billion people, yet just 100 million with access to technology. When rolling out Unlimited Potential on India’s shores, Microsoft announced that the effort would draw on the substantial resources and business expertize of the company as well as its partners. The company stated that it would work with its partners to create relevant training opportunities and innovative tools for people that were underserved by technology. As part of its Unlimited Potential commitment, Microsoft India has introduced several employability and workforce development programs. These are aimed at supporting organizations imparting IT skills to individuals to prepare them for success in the 21st century workplace. The view has been that if India’s education is transformed and the employability skills of youth improved, the country can achieve balanced, inclusive and all-round growth. A primary pillar of Unlimited Potential, is Microsoft’s Partners in Learning (PiL) initiative, where the company partners with governments and schools to integrate technology into daily teaching, learning and research. In June, 2008, Microsoft announced a renewed commitment to the education sector in India with the launch of Partners in Learning 2.0 and an investment of USD 20 million. As part of this program, Microsoft is aiming to create innovative teachers, by providing educators with tools, forums, and resources that build communities of practice, support collaboration

By providing training and certifications, that range across the learning pyramid from the bottom to the top, Microsoft is helping India build skills vital for its economic and social development.

Addressing the complete Lifecycle of IT Training



TeCH

tren

ds


and access to quality content. The idea is to accelerate IT literacy and enhance the classroom environment among government schools across the country. It is encouraging them to integrate ICT into teaching and learning in a meaningful way, as well as connect with the global teaching community by sharing their ideas with peers around the world. The objective of the program is also to empower students to use ICT in their school work and learning. Additionally, it is providing schools, governments and partners with resources, expertize and technology blueprints that help prepare students for life and work.

PROJECT SHIKSHA:In India, the first phase of PiL is Project Shiksha, an outreach initiative, launched keeping in mind the fact that a large percentage of the country’s teachers were not IT literate. Shiksha, focused on accelerating IT

literacy among government school teachers and students, has virtually changed the face of education in the country. By offering quality content, partnerships, training and relevant, affordable access to technology, Microsoft is enabling

teachers to scale their skills and gear up for the 21st century classroom. Begun in December, 2003, the project has so far skilled more than 5,12,000 government school teachers in IT, impacting more than 20 million students across the country. A few teachers, after undergoing training have also gone beyond the classroom and impacted the community, reaching out to 15 million citizens. The objective of the initiative is to provide educators with tools, forums and resources that build communities of practice, support collaboration and access to quality content, and encourage them to integrate ICT into teaching and learning in a meaningful way. They can also connect with the global teaching community and share their ideas with peers across the world. Microsoft India has partnered with 12 state governments (including the governments in

Maharashtra, Uttaranchal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Bihar, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh) to set up 14 Shiksha academies and operate close to 100 DIETS to offer a

spectrum of education resources.Under Shiksha, students are also empowered to use ICT in their schoolwork and learning. In order to help build innovative schools, Microsoft is providing these institutions with resources, training expertize and technology blueprints that help better prepare students for life and work.

Enabling opportunitiesApart from education, Microsoft is also helping people from all walks of life and social strata to acquire valuable new skills using the right tools and partnerships, find work, as well as run and grow their businesses. Microsoft is doing this by creating economic opportunities for individuals by connecting skilled people to jobs and gearing them up technologically to manage their workplace and business operations in a competitive environment. Microsoft is partnering with governments, non-government organizations

(NGOs), local businesses and academic institutions to offer technology that can foster entrepreneurship and support job creation. The result is the following programs:

PROJECT JYOTI:Microsoft launched Project Jyoti in August 2004, that is using IT to address the needs of the underserved including unemployed youth from urban slums, marginalized women, victims of human trafficking, farmers, fishermen, and other members of rural communities, self-help groups and rural kiosk entrepreneurs. Microsoft was quick to recognize that the majority of India’s citizens, especially the underserved communities, were not enjoying the benefits of technology. In order to address this challenge, Microsoft unveiled Project Jyoti, which aims to bring into the mainstream citizens on the periphery. By equipping them with IT literacy, Microsoft is enabling them to participate in the emerging digital society and improve their lives. Microsoft is leveraging its partnerships with leading NGOs in India to deliver IT skills training or basic computer literacy to its target audience.

Under Project Jyoti, Microsoft is creating sustainable opportunities in India’s hinterland by setting up Community Technology Learning Centers (CTLC) in collaboration with NGO partners. Till date, Microsoft has made grants

amounting to Rs. 47 crore that have impacted 20 states and Union Territories. More than 1,300 CTLCs have been set up across India and 290,000 people trained in IT skills based on the Unlimited Potential curriculum, which in turn has benefited more than 40 million people directly or indirectly. Owing to this training, people have been able to bag IT-related jobs, become entrepreneurs and generate incomes. For instance, IT skills training imparted to youth and entrepreneurs has enabled them to set up rural IT kiosks. The “chikankari” embroidery weavers in the state of Uttar Pradesh have been able to use Computer Aided Design software to improve their designs. Farmers, trained in IT skills are now able to find information on market prices to get a better value for their produce. Fishermen are accessing timely weather information and data on the location of fish using satellite connectivity at some CTLCs.

PROJECT VIKAS:India’s Small and Medium Enterprise segment, despite its huge size, is lagging behind large enterprises in terms of IT deployment. Low awareness about IT, low affordability levels

and lack of IT solutions fitted to its needs have been preventing SME companies from embracing IT. Under Project Vikas, Microsoft, in partnership with the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC), Government of India, has rolled out a five-year action plan for Indian SMEs to help them deal with their pain points. Involving an investment of USD 15 million, the project has been helping these companies enhance their global competitiveness through IT usage and relevant skills development. The project has expanded opportunities in the areas of job creation, market access, knowledge networks and enablement of supply chain linkages in the cluster ecosystem. Through an engagement with local ITIs and polytechnic training institutes, Microsoft has also worked towards the creation of human capital and developing skills locally for serving geographical requirements.

Launched in 2007, Project Vikas has provided tailor made solutions such as ERP and CRM to help clusters and local manufacturers in different verticals overcome their pain points. These have been typically related to transparency




and access to quality content. The idea is to accelerate IT literacy and enhance the classroom environment among government schools across the country. It is encouraging them to integrate ICT into teaching and learning in a meaningful way, as well as connect with the global teaching community by sharing their ideas with peers around the world. The objective of the program is also to empower students to use ICT in their school work and learning. Additionally, it is providing schools, governments and partners with resources, expertize and technology blueprints that help prepare students for life and work.

PROJECT SHIKSHA:In India, the first phase of PiL is Project Shiksha, an outreach initiative, launched keeping in mind the fact that a large percentage of the country’s teachers were not IT literate. Shiksha, focused on accelerating IT

literacy among government school teachers and students, has virtually changed the face of education in the country. By offering quality content, partnerships, training and relevant, affordable access to technology, Microsoft is enabling

teachers to scale their skills and gear up for the 21st century classroom. Begun in December, 2003, the project has so far skilled more than 5,12,000 government school teachers in IT, impacting more than 20 million students across the country. A few teachers, after undergoing training have also gone beyond the classroom and impacted the community, reaching out to 15 million citizens. The objective of the initiative is to provide educators with tools, forums and resources that build communities of practice, support collaboration and access to quality content, and encourage them to integrate ICT into teaching and learning in a meaningful way. They can also connect with the global teaching community and share their ideas with peers across the world. Microsoft India has partnered with 12 state governments (including the governments in

Maharashtra, Uttaranchal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Bihar, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh) to set up 14 Shiksha academies and operate close to 100 DIETS to offer a

spectrum of education resources.Under Shiksha, students are also empowered to use ICT in their schoolwork and learning. In order to help build innovative schools, Microsoft is providing these institutions with resources, training expertize and technology blueprints that help better prepare students for life and work.

Enabling opportunitiesApart from education, Microsoft is also helping people from all walks of life and social strata to acquire valuable new skills using the right tools and partnerships, find work, as well as run and grow their businesses. Microsoft is doing this by creating economic opportunities for individuals by connecting skilled people to jobs and gearing them up technologically to manage their workplace and business operations in a competitive environment. Microsoft is partnering with governments, non-government organizations

(NGOs), local businesses and academic institutions to offer technology that can foster entrepreneurship and support job creation. The result is the following programs:

PROJECT JYOTI:Microsoft launched Project Jyoti in August 2004, that is using IT to address the needs of the underserved including unemployed youth from urban slums, marginalized women, victims of human trafficking, farmers, fishermen, and other members of rural communities, self-help groups and rural kiosk entrepreneurs. Microsoft was quick to recognize that the majority of India’s citizens, especially the underserved communities, were not enjoying the benefits of technology. In order to address this challenge, Microsoft unveiled Project Jyoti, which aims to bring into the mainstream citizens on the periphery. By equipping them with IT literacy, Microsoft is enabling them to participate in the emerging digital society and improve their lives. Microsoft is leveraging its partnerships with leading NGOs in India to deliver IT skills training or basic computer literacy to its target audience.

Under Project Jyoti, Microsoft is creating sustainable opportunities in India’s hinterland by setting up Community Technology Learning Centers (CTLC) in collaboration with NGO partners. Till date, Microsoft has made grants

amounting to Rs. 47 crore that have impacted 20 states and Union Territories. More than 1,300 CTLCs have been set up across India and 290,000 people trained in IT skills based on the Unlimited Potential curriculum, which in turn has benefited more than 40 million people directly or indirectly. Owing to this training, people have been able to bag IT-related jobs, become entrepreneurs and generate incomes. For instance, IT skills training imparted to youth and entrepreneurs has enabled them to set up rural IT kiosks. The “chikankari” embroidery weavers in the state of Uttar Pradesh have been able to use Computer Aided Design software to improve their designs. Farmers, trained in IT skills are now able to find information on market prices to get a better value for their produce. Fishermen are accessing timely weather information and data on the location of fish using satellite connectivity at some CTLCs.

PROJECT VIKAS:India’s Small and Medium Enterprise segment, despite its huge size, is lagging behind large enterprises in terms of IT deployment. Low awareness about IT, low affordability levels

and lack of IT solutions fitted to its needs have been preventing SME companies from embracing IT. Under Project Vikas, Microsoft, in partnership with the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC), Government of India, has rolled out a five-year action plan for Indian SMEs to help them deal with their pain points. Involving an investment of USD 15 million, the project has been helping these companies enhance their global competitiveness through IT usage and relevant skills development. The project has expanded opportunities in the areas of job creation, market access, knowledge networks and enablement of supply chain linkages in the cluster ecosystem. Through an engagement with local ITIs and polytechnic training institutes, Microsoft has also worked towards the creation of human capital and developing skills locally for serving geographical requirements.

Launched in 2007, Project Vikas has provided tailor made solutions such as ERP and CRM to help clusters and local manufacturers in different verticals overcome their pain points. These have been typically related to transparency




in processes and flexibility for complex structures. Microsoft has been working with several partners to offer manufacturers an opportunity to consume all these IT applications off the Cloud, and pay only for what they use, rather than maintaining all their computing needs on-premise. First introduced in Tirupur in 2008, the project has now expanded to Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Pune, Surat, Agra and Jamshedpur across major micro vertical industries such as textiles, hosiery, pharmaceuticals, auto components, gems and jewelry, leather and footwear.

PROJECT ROzGAR: Employment continues to be a significant challenge for India today. While there is a vast pool of people in the working age group, most of them do not possess relevant vocational skills, that can even get them entry level jobs. As part of Project Rozgar, Microsoft is supporting the Government in addressing the issue of unemployment in India. The initiative is aimed at enhancing the capability of the youth in India to get successfully employed by

helping them hone up their real life vocational skills.

Today, while there are 40 million unemployed youth in India, there are not enough jobs in the market to absorb them. As part of Rozgar people are being trained in three areas—IT, simple spoken English and interview handling—through a 110-hour program. While IT training takes up 30 hours, English and interview handling skills training is assigned 80 hours. Microsoft is using its Digital Literacy Program, available in seven Indian languages to impart training in IT skills. For English and interview handling skills, a program developed by the British Council is being used. The e-learning content development process for this initiative is being managed by Microsoft and the mode of delivery for this entire training is computer based training led by teacher intervention. The last mile employment agency link is an important offering under Rozgar. Microsoft has entered into a tie-up with India’s largest employment agency, TeamLease, which will map job opportunities for the candidates based on their

online

assessment scores and individual capabilities and help them face interviews confidently. In its first phase, Project Rozgar is being rolled out in Madhya Pradesh through a tie-up between the State Government and Microsoft. The company is training teachers, who are in turn skilling the students. Around 13 schools with 13 teachers each, have trained 300 students. This initiative will be upscaled this year to a multi-state program that touches over 20,000 students in each state where it is deployed.

PROJECT KSHAMTA: The life of Indian jawans virtually comes to a standstill once they retire from the forces at the age of 35, after barely 15-18 years of service in the forces. At 35, the jawans are still very much in the

“working age group,” and capable of contributing to

the economy. However, most find it very difficult to get jobs in the civilian world, as they are not either conversant with

computers, or the English language. Microsoft and the Indian Army signed an MoU in December,

2009 to roll out Project Kshamta, an employability enhancement program, especially designed to help soldiers improve their chances of finding gainful employment post retirement. The idea is to create a better trained, disciplined workforce for society. “Kshamta” meaning “Capability,” is spread over 110-hours, with 30 hours of training provided on Microsoft’s Digital Literacy Skills, and 80 hours of spoken English training. The program has been implemented in partnership with IndiaCan, a joint venture between Educomp Solutions and Pearson Education. The mode of delivery for this program has involved both instructor led sessions and e-based modules. The Microsoft IT Academy:India still faces a paucity of talent that’s globally certified on cutting-edge IT platforms and geared up to plug the skills shortfalls in India as well as various regions worldwide. Not many people in the country have undergone IT training that equips them with international accreditations and certifications, shaping them into global talent. In order to help Indian industry meet this challenge, Microsoft has launched its global IT solution, the IT Academy. The program connects students, instructors, institutions and communities through a life-long learning model of technology skills development.

Delivered by Microsoft’s partners such as NIIT, Aptech, New Horizons, among others, the IT Academy makes available cutting-edge IT courses for Microsoft

anytime, anywhere IT training for students,

instructor and staff. Microsoft’s E-Learning

portfolio provides more than 300

multimedia courses including simulations,

games, and videos to help students and

instructors improve their skills. It also

includes Microsoft’s E-Reference Books

Library, which allows learners to search

through more than 500 technology books

published by Microsoft Press.

• Microsoft’s Official Academic Course

(MOAC), which provides a curriculum

for semester-based and quarter-based

courses. Supplements include an instructor

resource center, teaching notes, virtual

labs, assessments, and sample syllabi.

• Special pricing for official Microsoft

Learning Products including courseware,

seminars, workshops and clinics as well as

the company’s certification exams.

In this way, the Microsoft IT Academy Program helps students graduate with IT skills they require to get a leg up in their careers. It is creating a skilled pool of people, with relevant technology training, that can be immediately hired by employers. Finally, it is connecting students and teachers to Microsoft for lifelong personal and professional skills development.


Microsoft’s Learning Solutions

it career aspirants

Beginners, Women and Citizens looking for entry-level jobs

Microsoft’s e-learningsolution/IT Academy

Microsoft’sDigital LiteracyProgrammeGrassroot level citizens, Rural citizens

technologies in Indian schools and colleges, that are members of the program. The IT Academy enables these institutions to train and certify students in Microsoft technologies and platforms. 300 such IT Academy Programs are already in operation across India. Their objective is to introduce manpower certifications in India that are in use globally, in order to create a highly skilled base of human resources that conform to international standards and benchmarks.

When institutions become members of the Microsoft IT Academy (either at the Essential Level, where they offer training in Microsoft Office and the Advanced Level, where they provide certification in Microsoft technologies), they get the following benefits:

• Courses for students keen on acquiring

proficiency in everyday business

applications and those pursuing a career

in IT.

• Programs for faculty and staff for their

professional development.

• Instant recognition and credibility of the

Microsoft brand.

• Comprehensive curriculum, software and

resources for students and instructors

to equip them with basic technology

proficiency (Microsoft’s Digital

Literacy Curriculum) and

advanced IT education to

earn MS certifications

in applications

development and

support systems

administrations,

etc.

• A variety of

supporting

tools and on-

line learning

resources, for

Microsoft Interface | July-September 2010 21

enterprises


in processes and flexibility for complex structures. Microsoft has been working with several partners to offer manufacturers an opportunity to consume all these IT applications off the Cloud, and pay only for what they use, rather than maintaining all their computing needs on-premise. First introduced in Tirupur in 2008, the project has now expanded to Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Pune, Surat, Agra and Jamshedpur across major micro vertical industries such as textiles, hosiery, pharmaceuticals, auto components, gems and jewelry, leather and footwear.

PROJECT ROzGAR: Employment continues to be a significant challenge for India today. While there is a vast pool of people in the working age group, most of them do not possess relevant vocational skills, that can even get them entry level jobs. As part of Project Rozgar, Microsoft is supporting the Government in addressing the issue of unemployment in India. The initiative is aimed at enhancing the capability of the youth in India to get successfully employed by

helping them hone up their real life vocational skills.

Today, while there are 40 million unemployed youth in India, there are not enough jobs in the market to absorb them. As part of Rozgar people are being trained in three areas—IT, simple spoken English and interview handling—through a 110-hour program. While IT training takes up 30 hours, English and interview handling skills training is assigned 80 hours. Microsoft is using its Digital Literacy Program, available in seven Indian languages to impart training in IT skills. For English and interview handling skills, a program developed by the British Council is being used. The e-learning content development process for this initiative is being managed by Microsoft and the mode of delivery for this entire training is computer based training led by teacher intervention. The last mile employment agency link is an important offering under Rozgar. Microsoft has entered into a tie-up with India’s largest employment agency, TeamLease, which will map job opportunities for the candidates based on their

online

assessment scores and individual capabilities and help them face interviews confidently. In its first phase, Project Rozgar is being rolled out in Madhya Pradesh through a tie-up between the State Government and Microsoft. The company is training teachers, who are in turn skilling the students. Around 13 schools with 13 teachers each, have trained 300 students. This initiative will be upscaled this year to a multi-state program that touches over 20,000 students in each state where it is deployed.

PROJECT KSHAMTA: The life of Indian jawans virtually comes to a standstill once they retire from the forces at the age of 35, after barely 15-18 years of service in the forces. At 35, the jawans are still very much in the

“working age group,” and capable of contributing to

the economy. However, most find it very difficult to get jobs in the civilian world, as they are not either conversant with

computers, or the English language. Microsoft and the Indian Army signed an MoU in December,

2009 to roll out Project Kshamta, an employability enhancement program, especially designed to help soldiers improve their chances of finding gainful employment post retirement. The idea is to create a better trained, disciplined workforce for society. “Kshamta” meaning “Capability,” is spread over 110-hours, with 30 hours of training provided on Microsoft’s Digital Literacy Skills, and 80 hours of spoken English training. The program has been implemented in partnership with IndiaCan, a joint venture between Educomp Solutions and Pearson Education. The mode of delivery for this program has involved both instructor led sessions and e-based modules. The Microsoft IT Academy:India still faces a paucity of talent that’s globally certified on cutting-edge IT platforms and geared up to plug the skills shortfalls in India as well as various regions worldwide. Not many people in the country have undergone IT training that equips them with international accreditations and certifications, shaping them into global talent. In order to help Indian industry meet this challenge, Microsoft has launched its global IT solution, the IT Academy. The program connects students, instructors, institutions and communities through a life-long learning model of technology skills development.

Delivered by Microsoft’s partners such as NIIT, Aptech, New Horizons, among others, the IT Academy makes available cutting-edge IT courses for Microsoft

anytime, anywhere IT training for students,

instructor and staff. Microsoft’s E-Learning

portfolio provides more than 300

multimedia courses including simulations,

games, and videos to help students and

instructors improve their skills. It also

includes Microsoft’s E-Reference Books

Library, which allows learners to search

through more than 500 technology books

published by Microsoft Press.

• Microsoft’s Official Academic Course

(MOAC), which provides a curriculum

for semester-based and quarter-based

courses. Supplements include an instructor

resource center, teaching notes, virtual

labs, assessments, and sample syllabi.

• Special pricing for official Microsoft

Learning Products including courseware,

seminars, workshops and clinics as well as

the company’s certification exams.

In this way, the Microsoft IT Academy Program helps students graduate with IT skills they require to get a leg up in their careers. It is creating a skilled pool of people, with relevant technology training, that can be immediately hired by employers. Finally, it is connecting students and teachers to Microsoft for lifelong personal and professional skills development.


Microsoft’s Learning Solutions

it career aspirants

Beginners, Women and Citizens looking for entry-level jobs

Microsoft’s e-learningsolution/IT Academy

Microsoft’sDigital LiteracyProgrammeGrassroot level citizens, Rural citizens

technologies in Indian schools and colleges, that are members of the program. The IT Academy enables these institutions to train and certify students in Microsoft technologies and platforms. 300 such IT Academy Programs are already in operation across India. Their objective is to introduce manpower certifications in India that are in use globally, in order to create a highly skilled base of human resources that conform to international standards and benchmarks.

When institutions become members of the Microsoft IT Academy (either at the Essential Level, where they offer training in Microsoft Office and the Advanced Level, where they provide certification in Microsoft technologies), they get the following benefits:

• Courses for students keen on acquiring

proficiency in everyday business

applications and those pursuing a career

in IT.

• Programs for faculty and staff for their

professional development.

• Instant recognition and credibility of the

Microsoft brand.

• Comprehensive curriculum, software and

resources for students and instructors

to equip them with basic technology

proficiency (Microsoft’s Digital

Literacy Curriculum) and

advanced IT education to

earn MS certifications

in applications

development and

support systems

administrations,

etc.

• A variety of

supporting

tools and on-

line learning

resources, for

Microsoft Interface | July-September 2010 21

enterprises


Vocational Education and Training (VET) is a concept that is as old as the hills. It has been around from the time when parents taught their children to hunt, sow seeds, harvest crops, fish and weave. The children internalized these skills naturally, by watching and practicing what they saw. Today, the need of the hour is to rejuvenate this old form of learning, and use it to create skills that are in sync with the needs of the 21st century. Such learning

in fact, lies at the core of economic growth and development. VET has to be dynamic and changeable, responding quickly to the requirements of the rapidly evolving labor markets.

There is no hard and fast rule regarding VET. While a number of countries offer vocational training through their schools and colleges, others provide it at the level of the workplace. Some of the key

issues related to VET are migration, inclusion, and boundaries between VET, general education and work.

To begin with, VET must serve the economy, which is why it is important to get the VET system just right. A workforce that does not possess relevant skills will not be globally competitive. It is important that vocational training be imparted in the skills that are required by organizations, delivered by trainers

with appropriate competencies and assessed by relevant testing methods. Vocational training must be tuned to what the industry wants in terms of skill sets.

Increasingly, the boundary between VET and general education is blurring. It is becoming clear that primary, secondary and higher education needs to be geared for the workplace. That is, it must build skills that can improve the

employability quotient of learners. Typically, this training must be more “practical” than theoretical, and more focused on “learning by doing.” The goal of course is to create skills that are preferred by employers and include the ability to work in teams, creativity, innovation, and communication.

Since migration (within, and across countries) is becoming a fact of life, VET systems should also factor in this trend and ensure a smooth transition for migrants from the school and college to the labor market. It should address the needs of people with a migration background and deliver to them skills they can use in their adopted country or particular region of a country.

One of most important objectives of VET however, is to build an inclusive society—one where disadvantaged sections, including people with learning difficulties and disabilities, are skilled and absorbed into the mainstream. Special vocational training programs are therefore required for physically and mentally challenged people so that they can be prepared for the real world of work and contribute actively to the new age office.

VET in IndiaIn India too vocational training has been part of the national ethos. From times long past, the country has seen an explosion of trades and crafts, which have been passed down the generations like precious legacy. Weavers have taught their children how to create exquisite cloth, goldsmiths have passed on their skills of jewellery making to their progeny, leather goods makers have trained their apprentices in

the art of making accessories out of hide and fishermen have taught their ilk to seek out nourishment from the deep waters. Vocational training is part of India’s rich tradition and culture and the country has benefited enormously from it.

Unfortunately, vocational training has not achieved very high relevance or stature in India, and in the existing scenario, is touching a very miniscule bunch of learners in the country. Research quoted in India’s XIth Five Year Plan document indicates that among the persons in the 15-29 years age group, only around two percent receive formal vocational training, while another eight percent go through the non-formal vocational process. The signs are clear. Few persons actually enter the work domain with any kind of vocational skills. This proportion of trained youth in fact, is one of the lowest in the world. The corresponding figures for industrialized countries are much higher, touching between 60-90 percent of the young workforce in the 20-24 years age group. China, Australia, Korea and Germany have done a lot of work in the vocational space. While nearly 67 percent of school students in Germany pursue vocational training, in China, over 50 percent opt for vocational training after class VIII. The students who are not performing academically well in these nations, are automatically directed into the vocational channel.

One of the challenges facing vocational training in India is the long duration of the courses offered to students. The country typically provides two-to-three-year programs, which are not attractive

The key to Employability

Vocational Education and Training:

SpotlightSpotlightSpotlight


Vocational Education and Training (VET) is a concept that is as old as the hills. It has been around from the time when parents taught their children to hunt, sow seeds, harvest crops, fish and weave. The children internalized these skills naturally, by watching and practicing what they saw. Today, the need of the hour is to rejuvenate this old form of learning, and use it to create skills that are in sync with the needs of the 21st century. Such learning

in fact, lies at the core of economic growth and development. VET has to be dynamic and changeable, responding quickly to the requirements of the rapidly evolving labor markets.

There is no hard and fast rule regarding VET. While a number of countries offer vocational training through their schools and colleges, others provide it at the level of the workplace. Some of the key

issues related to VET are migration, inclusion, and boundaries between VET, general education and work.

To begin with, VET must serve the economy, which is why it is important to get the VET system just right. A workforce that does not possess relevant skills will not be globally competitive. It is important that vocational training be imparted in the skills that are required by organizations, delivered by trainers

with appropriate competencies and assessed by relevant testing methods. Vocational training must be tuned to what the industry wants in terms of skill sets.

Increasingly, the boundary between VET and general education is blurring. It is becoming clear that primary, secondary and higher education needs to be geared for the workplace. That is, it must build skills that can improve the

employability quotient of learners. Typically, this training must be more “practical” than theoretical, and more focused on “learning by doing.” The goal of course is to create skills that are preferred by employers and include the ability to work in teams, creativity, innovation, and communication.

Since migration (within, and across countries) is becoming a fact of life, VET systems should also factor in this trend and ensure a smooth transition for migrants from the school and college to the labor market. It should address the needs of people with a migration background and deliver to them skills they can use in their adopted country or particular region of a country.

One of most important objectives of VET however, is to build an inclusive society—one where disadvantaged sections, including people with learning difficulties and disabilities, are skilled and absorbed into the mainstream. Special vocational training programs are therefore required for physically and mentally challenged people so that they can be prepared for the real world of work and contribute actively to the new age office.

VET in IndiaIn India too vocational training has been part of the national ethos. From times long past, the country has seen an explosion of trades and crafts, which have been passed down the generations like precious legacy. Weavers have taught their children how to create exquisite cloth, goldsmiths have passed on their skills of jewellery making to their progeny, leather goods makers have trained their apprentices in

the art of making accessories out of hide and fishermen have taught their ilk to seek out nourishment from the deep waters. Vocational training is part of India’s rich tradition and culture and the country has benefited enormously from it.

Unfortunately, vocational training has not achieved very high relevance or stature in India, and in the existing scenario, is touching a very miniscule bunch of learners in the country. Research quoted in India’s XIth Five Year Plan document indicates that among the persons in the 15-29 years age group, only around two percent receive formal vocational training, while another eight percent go through the non-formal vocational process. The signs are clear. Few persons actually enter the work domain with any kind of vocational skills. This proportion of trained youth in fact, is one of the lowest in the world. The corresponding figures for industrialized countries are much higher, touching between 60-90 percent of the young workforce in the 20-24 years age group. China, Australia, Korea and Germany have done a lot of work in the vocational space. While nearly 67 percent of school students in Germany pursue vocational training, in China, over 50 percent opt for vocational training after class VIII. The students who are not performing academically well in these nations, are automatically directed into the vocational channel.

One of the challenges facing vocational training in India is the long duration of the courses offered to students. The country typically provides two-to-three-year programs, which are not attractive

The key to Employability

Vocational Education and Training:

SpotlightSpotlightSpotlight


for young learners, keen to gain skills within the shortest possible time span. In China, for instance, the VET system revolves around at least 400 short duration modular programs, which provide skills that are tailored and mapped closely to the requirements of hirers. Also, in India, vocational training does not adequately address the human resource needs of segments such as manufacturing, which are now becoming manpower intensive. Ever since the manufacturing sector witnessed a turnaround in 2003, the vertical has joined the race for relevant skill sets. At the same time, service segments such as Hospitality, Real Estate, Retail, and Banking are in need of people that have received vocational training and are equipped for

their requirements. Currently, these professionals, with specific skills suited to these sectors are in short supply.

India now has a goal of transforming around 500 million Indians into skilled technicians by the year 2022. The target is huge and in order to achieve it, the country will have to take a re-look at its VET system, introducing several changes to increase its capacity and alter its orientation.

With a view to achieving this objective, scaling VET in India and widening its reach and impact, the Indian government has launched several strategic initiatives. Among them are the Skills Development Mission (SDM) and the National Policy on Skill Development.

Creating a framework for vocational skills developmentThe SDM aims to bring about a sea change in the architecture of India’s existing VET system and articulate a vision and framework that meets India’s VET requirements. Some of the key governance principles driving this skill development strategy revolve around the designing of programs under which learners can pay skill providers directly and creating skills that are more bankable. The VET system has to be such that individuals can convert their knowledge and skills through Testing and Certification, into higher diplomas and degrees. The system will also use multiple

models of delivery, that can respond to the differing situations across Indian states .

At the same time, the focus is on improving existing VET infrastructure, which includes ITIs, Polytechnics, vocational schools and skill development centers. The aim is to upgrade over 1,396 ITIs; add 1,600 more ITIs and Polytechnics; launch 10,000 new vocational schools and add 50,000 new skill development centers in India.

Additionally, and in order to expand the country’s VET system and make it more relevant to the new India, some of the steps that the government is also taking are:

• Encouraging its ministriesto expand Public Sector Skill Development infrastructure and its utilization by a factor of five. This is expected to help scale VET capacity from the existing 3.1 million to 15 million—adequate to meet the annual workforce increase, which is around 12.8 million.

• Enlarging the coverage of the skillspectrum from the existing levels. The focus is on skills development programs that will be delivered in modules of six to 12 weeks, with an end-of-module examination. For calibrating manual skills, a 4-6 level certification system has been proposed, based on the increasing order of dexterity of the craftsman.

• Making a distinction betweenstructural, interventional and last minute unemployability and correspondingly setting up programs for 24 months, 12 months and 6 months.

• Encouraging “FinishingSchools” to take care of last mile unemployability issues such as soft skills—English language skills, quantitative skills, computer literacy, spreadsheet, word processing, computer graphics, presentation skills, behavioural and interpersonal skills.

• Promoting its NationalQualifications Framework, which establishes equivalence and provides for horizontal mobility between various VET, Technical and Academic streams at more than one career point. VET has to be expanded to cover more classes and move progressively to cover 9th and then 7th class dropouts.

• Encouraging the setting upof “Accreditation” agencies in different domains to move away from regulation to performance measurement and rating and ranking of institutions.

• Proposing the establishment ofat least one standard setting/quality audit institution in each vertical domain for prescribing standards and curricula .

India’s National Policy on Skill Development, crafted by the Ministry of Labor and Employment in 2009 is also aiming to strengthen the VET system in the country. The idea is for the VET to build a workforce that has improved skills, knowledge and internationally recognized qualifications. This workforce is expected to gain “decent employment” and ensure India’s competitiveness in the dynamic global labor market. At the same time, the workforce is also expected to feature greater

participation from youth, women, disabled and other disadvantaged sections of society.

Without a doubt, a significant opportunity awaits India, if it is able to meet its skill development objectives through VET. A robust and relevant VET system can enable India to expand its pool of industry-ready manpower, especially for the bottom of the pyramid and lead to balanced, inclusive growth.

India’s proposed VET program: key features• Integrated approach• Open, networked and autonomous• Designed for information age and

knowledge economy• Learning designed and customised for

each learner• Focused on collaborative learning• Teachers as practitioners and vice versa• Connecting learning, life and economy• Self sustaining• Strong connect with the industry

VET: Building professional skillsThe aim of the VET system is to help young India build skills in the following areas:• Problem solving• Critical thinking• Project management• Communication

“India has a potential to lead the world in 2022 with its predicted largest pool of manpower consisting of 200 million college graduates and 500 million trained and skilled workforce.”C.K. Prahalad

SpotlightSpotlight


for young learners, keen to gain skills within the shortest possible time span. In China, for instance, the VET system revolves around at least 400 short duration modular programs, which provide skills that are tailored and mapped closely to the requirements of hirers. Also, in India, vocational training does not adequately address the human resource needs of segments such as manufacturing, which are now becoming manpower intensive. Ever since the manufacturing sector witnessed a turnaround in 2003, the vertical has joined the race for relevant skill sets. At the same time, service segments such as Hospitality, Real Estate, Retail, and Banking are in need of people that have received vocational training and are equipped for

their requirements. Currently, these professionals, with specific skills suited to these sectors are in short supply.

India now has a goal of transforming around 500 million Indians into skilled technicians by the year 2022. The target is huge and in order to achieve it, the country will have to take a re-look at its VET system, introducing several changes to increase its capacity and alter its orientation.

With a view to achieving this objective, scaling VET in India and widening its reach and impact, the Indian government has launched several strategic initiatives. Among them are the Skills Development Mission (SDM) and the National Policy on Skill Development.

Creating a framework for vocational skills developmentThe SDM aims to bring about a sea change in the architecture of India’s existing VET system and articulate a vision and framework that meets India’s VET requirements. Some of the key governance principles driving this skill development strategy revolve around the designing of programs under which learners can pay skill providers directly and creating skills that are more bankable. The VET system has to be such that individuals can convert their knowledge and skills through Testing and Certification, into higher diplomas and degrees. The system will also use multiple

models of delivery, that can respond to the differing situations across Indian states .

At the same time, the focus is on improving existing VET infrastructure, which includes ITIs, Polytechnics, vocational schools and skill development centers. The aim is to upgrade over 1,396 ITIs; add 1,600 more ITIs and Polytechnics; launch 10,000 new vocational schools and add 50,000 new skill development centers in India.

Additionally, and in order to expand the country’s VET system and make it more relevant to the new India, some of the steps that the government is also taking are:

• Encouraging its ministriesto expand Public Sector Skill Development infrastructure and its utilization by a factor of five. This is expected to help scale VET capacity from the existing 3.1 million to 15 million—adequate to meet the annual workforce increase, which is around 12.8 million.

• Enlarging the coverage of the skillspectrum from the existing levels. The focus is on skills development programs that will be delivered in modules of six to 12 weeks, with an end-of-module examination. For calibrating manual skills, a 4-6 level certification system has been proposed, based on the increasing order of dexterity of the craftsman.

• Making a distinction betweenstructural, interventional and last minute unemployability and correspondingly setting up programs for 24 months, 12 months and 6 months.

• Encouraging “FinishingSchools” to take care of last mile unemployability issues such as soft skills—English language skills, quantitative skills, computer literacy, spreadsheet, word processing, computer graphics, presentation skills, behavioural and interpersonal skills.

• Promoting its NationalQualifications Framework, which establishes equivalence and provides for horizontal mobility between various VET, Technical and Academic streams at more than one career point. VET has to be expanded to cover more classes and move progressively to cover 9th and then 7th class dropouts.

• Encouraging the setting upof “Accreditation” agencies in different domains to move away from regulation to performance measurement and rating and ranking of institutions.

• Proposing the establishment ofat least one standard setting/quality audit institution in each vertical domain for prescribing standards and curricula .

India’s National Policy on Skill Development, crafted by the Ministry of Labor and Employment in 2009 is also aiming to strengthen the VET system in the country. The idea is for the VET to build a workforce that has improved skills, knowledge and internationally recognized qualifications. This workforce is expected to gain “decent employment” and ensure India’s competitiveness in the dynamic global labor market. At the same time, the workforce is also expected to feature greater

participation from youth, women, disabled and other disadvantaged sections of society.

Without a doubt, a significant opportunity awaits India, if it is able to meet its skill development objectives through VET. A robust and relevant VET system can enable India to expand its pool of industry-ready manpower, especially for the bottom of the pyramid and lead to balanced, inclusive growth.

India’s proposed VET program: key features• Integrated approach• Open, networked and autonomous• Designed for information age and

knowledge economy• Learning designed and customised for

each learner• Focused on collaborative learning• Teachers as practitioners and vice versa• Connecting learning, life and economy• Self sustaining• Strong connect with the industry

VET: Building professional skillsThe aim of the VET system is to help young India build skills in the following areas:• Problem solving• Critical thinking• Project management• Communication

“India has a potential to lead the world in 2022 with its predicted largest pool of manpower consisting of 200 million college graduates and 500 million trained and skilled workforce.”C.K. Prahalad

SpotlightSpotlight


INDIAN ARMY JAWANSFOR A SECOND CAREERPREPARING

Case Studies Case Studies

Microsoft has been

engaging with different

sections of Indian society

to skill people represent-

ing a spectrum of profes-

sions. The Indian Army too

has been working closely

with Microsoft to empower

its soldiers and enhance

their capacity and com-

petence levels. As part of

this endeavor, the Indian

Army and Microsoft have

launched Project Kshamta,

a path-breaking initiative,

aimed at imparting

specialized skills in IT and

English to jawans.

The Indian Army, over 1.1 million in strength, is the third largest in the world. Over 50,000 soldiers retire every year, when they complete the age of 40, and in a sense re-enter the job market.

Since most of the jawans join the forces with either a Class X or a Class XII certification, upon retirement, the best jobs offered to them are mostly related to security or the equivalent, which fetch them very low salaries (ranging between Rs. 3,000 to 4,000 per month).

In order to be eligible for other more lucrative job opportunities, the soldiers need to be skilled in English speaking, communication and other soft skills, as well as basic computer knowledge. This is where Project Kshamta comes in. It was in December, 2009 that the Indian Army penned an

agreement with Microsoft, flagging off Project Kshamta, the employability enhancement program for soldiers. The vocational training is equipping jawans with the skills currently needed by the industrial and services sectors, giving them a chance to begin a second career. Kshamta is being delivered through Microsoft’s partner of over seven years, IndiaCan, a joint venture between Educomp Solutions and Pearson Education. The program encompasses 80 hours of spoken English training and 30 hours of Microsoft’s Digital Literacy Program and is being provided through both instructor-led sessions and e-modules (an e-learning platform).

The jawans receive the learning in labs/classrooms fitted with PCs. The training encompasses modern learning techniques such as

narratives, interactive exercises, animation, etc. The digital literacy program is available in English and Hindi and the participants are provided basic skills in handling the PC, keyboard and mouse. As part of this course, they are learning to interact with the screen and office productivity software. On completion of the training, the jawans undergo an online assessment. Based on their performance in this evaluation, the soldiers receive certifications from Microsoft.

“Before being trained under Microsoft’s Project Kshamta, which I was lucky enough to attend, I was not able to communicate with others in English. Now however, I can confidently speak English and also train my fellow Indian Army jawans. I understand the basics of English speaking and writing. Before this training, I was also unable to work on computers. Today, thanks to Project Kshamta, I am able to draft my resume and other documents on the computer. In a short span of 15 days I have learnt basic computer skills. The English training has given me confidence and motivated me not only to be a good trainer but also to be a good human being with a pleasant personality.” PreM raJ singh,Subedar, 1EME, Secunderabad

Arrangements are also being made by the Army to help individuals secure a job once the training is completed. More than 1,000 master trainers were skilled across 48 army training units in the first phase of Kshamta, and trained other soldiers in their units in a similar manner. While around 1,220 jawans have participated in the Digital Literacy Program, 1,037 have undergone the spoken English course. Of the jawans that have gone through the Digital Literacy training, around 1,206 (98.8 percent), have been certified by Microsoft, while 542 participants in the spoken English course have received a certification.

The Army has also announced the setting up of an IT Academy, in association with Microsoft, for training Army personnel in IT courses of various levels.

“The Kshamta course introduced by Microsoft for Indian Army personnel is a very helpful program The course not only sharpens our communication skills in English but also makes us aware about the latest computer technology. In the new age, all modern equipment provided to the Indian Army is based on computer technology. To build a strong Army and a strong nation, all soldiers should be provided vital knowledge of computers. English communication skills are necessary to enable Army soldiers to communicate with their seniors and peers. The English course has made me more confident.” havaldar r.k. ManiSana, Assam Regiment, Shillong

The soldiers need to be skilled in English speaking, communication and other soft skills, as well as basic computer knowledge.This is where Project Kshamta comes in.

“I have been very fortunate to attend the Microsoft Project Kshamta training at AOC, Secunderabad. This training has opened new vistas for me post my retirement. I am a Hawaldar with Ordinance and my job involves managing my team. However, not being educated enough was a drawback which I always considered to be a hindrance to my future prospects. Microsoft Kshamta has changed things for me. The training is very comprehensive, and uses the best methodologies to teach beginners like me in the field of spoken English, IT and soft skills. The course content is easy to understand and enjoyable. Project Kshamta has helped me build my confidence, reduced my shyness and hesitation. I now feel that I am equipped for the future. “ vidya sagar PandeyHavaldar, Ordinance Depot, Kolkata


INDIAN ARMY JAWANSFOR A SECOND CAREERPREPARING

Case Studies Case Studies

Microsoft has been

engaging with different

sections of Indian society

to skill people represent-

ing a spectrum of profes-

sions. The Indian Army too

has been working closely

with Microsoft to empower

its soldiers and enhance

their capacity and com-

petence levels. As part of

this endeavor, the Indian

Army and Microsoft have

launched Project Kshamta,

a path-breaking initiative,

aimed at imparting

specialized skills in IT and

English to jawans.

The Indian Army, over 1.1 million in strength, is the third largest in the world. Over 50,000 soldiers retire every year, when they complete the age of 40, and in a sense re-enter the job market.

Since most of the jawans join the forces with either a Class X or a Class XII certification, upon retirement, the best jobs offered to them are mostly related to security or the equivalent, which fetch them very low salaries (ranging between Rs. 3,000 to 4,000 per month).

In order to be eligible for other more lucrative job opportunities, the soldiers need to be skilled in English speaking, communication and other soft skills, as well as basic computer knowledge. This is where Project Kshamta comes in. It was in December, 2009 that the Indian Army penned an

agreement with Microsoft, flagging off Project Kshamta, the employability enhancement program for soldiers. The vocational training is equipping jawans with the skills currently needed by the industrial and services sectors, giving them a chance to begin a second career. Kshamta is being delivered through Microsoft’s partner of over seven years, IndiaCan, a joint venture between Educomp Solutions and Pearson Education. The program encompasses 80 hours of spoken English training and 30 hours of Microsoft’s Digital Literacy Program and is being provided through both instructor-led sessions and e-modules (an e-learning platform).

The jawans receive the learning in labs/classrooms fitted with PCs. The training encompasses modern learning techniques such as

narratives, interactive exercises, animation, etc. The digital literacy program is available in English and Hindi and the participants are provided basic skills in handling the PC, keyboard and mouse. As part of this course, they are learning to interact with the screen and office productivity software. On completion of the training, the jawans undergo an online assessment. Based on their performance in this evaluation, the soldiers receive certifications from Microsoft.

“Before being trained under Microsoft’s Project Kshamta, which I was lucky enough to attend, I was not able to communicate with others in English. Now however, I can confidently speak English and also train my fellow Indian Army jawans. I understand the basics of English speaking and writing. Before this training, I was also unable to work on computers. Today, thanks to Project Kshamta, I am able to draft my resume and other documents on the computer. In a short span of 15 days I have learnt basic computer skills. The English training has given me confidence and motivated me not only to be a good trainer but also to be a good human being with a pleasant personality.” PreM raJ singh,Subedar, 1EME, Secunderabad

Arrangements are also being made by the Army to help individuals secure a job once the training is completed. More than 1,000 master trainers were skilled across 48 army training units in the first phase of Kshamta, and trained other soldiers in their units in a similar manner. While around 1,220 jawans have participated in the Digital Literacy Program, 1,037 have undergone the spoken English course. Of the jawans that have gone through the Digital Literacy training, around 1,206 (98.8 percent), have been certified by Microsoft, while 542 participants in the spoken English course have received a certification.

The Army has also announced the setting up of an IT Academy, in association with Microsoft, for training Army personnel in IT courses of various levels.

“The Kshamta course introduced by Microsoft for Indian Army personnel is a very helpful program The course not only sharpens our communication skills in English but also makes us aware about the latest computer technology. In the new age, all modern equipment provided to the Indian Army is based on computer technology. To build a strong Army and a strong nation, all soldiers should be provided vital knowledge of computers. English communication skills are necessary to enable Army soldiers to communicate with their seniors and peers. The English course has made me more confident.” havaldar r.k. ManiSana, Assam Regiment, Shillong

The soldiers need to be skilled in English speaking, communication and other soft skills, as well as basic computer knowledge.This is where Project Kshamta comes in.

“I have been very fortunate to attend the Microsoft Project Kshamta training at AOC, Secunderabad. This training has opened new vistas for me post my retirement. I am a Hawaldar with Ordinance and my job involves managing my team. However, not being educated enough was a drawback which I always considered to be a hindrance to my future prospects. Microsoft Kshamta has changed things for me. The training is very comprehensive, and uses the best methodologies to teach beginners like me in the field of spoken English, IT and soft skills. The course content is easy to understand and enjoyable. Project Kshamta has helped me build my confidence, reduced my shyness and hesitation. I now feel that I am equipped for the future. “ vidya sagar PandeyHavaldar, Ordinance Depot, Kolkata


Case Studies

“Microsoft has opened up new possibilities for schools via Project Shiksha. I myself went through training on tools like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and found that these could play an important role while integrating ICT into classroom practice. Such training also provided me the opportunity to explore the Internet and acquire material from the world wide web. I realized that internal communication between students and teachers can be extended through the use of Net-based interactions.” r.P. guPta, Principal, Government Excellence High Secondary School, Gyraspur, Madhya Pradesh

pursue any one of the certifica-tions—MS/DoEACC/IGNOU to be eligible for a “fully paid training and certification.”

BUDA is now keen to conduct this program every quarter. At the end of August, 2010 over 10,000 people were certified, out of the 15,000 that enrolled for the courses. As part of this program, Microsoft has shared its methodology—the official curriculum, using which the training is being delivered. IndiaCan is Microsoft’s partner in this effort. Microsoft meanwhile, has been involved in the entire life cycle of the project, from conceptualizing the program, to providing the curriculum, and finally certifying the students. Today, Microsoft is in discussions with other state govern-ments to run similar programs.

In the recent years, as Microsoft has launched capacity building and IT skill building initiatives, it has been targeting the marginalized segments of society in order to bring them into the mainstream and socially empower them. A recent program, which has achieved significant success is Microsoft’s first program for the Indian state of Bihar.

Microsoft’s aim in Bihar has been to increase the participation of urban youth in the economy of the state by improving their employability quotient. The company’s involvement in Bihar began when it was called upon by the Bihar Urban Development Authority (BUDA), to impart IT skills to the state’s unemployed youth belonging to one million Below the Poverty Line (BPL) families, under its Swarn Jayanti Shahari Rojgar Yojana (SGSY) project.

Microsoft and its partners organized road shows and program value briefings for nodal training agencies, to share with them the details about the initiative. BUDA officially announced the program, releasing Admission Notices in leading dailies in Bihar. While around 19,000 students responded to the advertisement, 17,500 learners actually qualified and enrolled for the program. Of this number, 15,000 registered for the Microsoft course, while around 2,500 enrolled for other accreditations including the DoEACC and the IGNOU programs. When asked why Microsoft over other

offerings, students stated that since the adoption of MS Office was very high in the offices as compared to other platforms, they preferred it.

Microsoft took up the task of rolling out the program with alacrity and began imparting broad-based IT skills to these learners through its Digital Literacy Program. As part of this package, the company provided its Official Curriculum (MOC) / Methodology including trainer

presentations, lab guides, and student kits. It also provided one certification voucher (the Microsoft Office Specialist Examination) with the second attempt being free. The first batch of students is now in the final stages certifications.

The program itself is a three-month, fully-funded course in MS Office which covers Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, Access and MS Project. The training is being rolled out at 350 locations selected by BUDA. The students participating in the course have to mandatorily

Bridging the digital divide in partnership with the government of Bihar

BUDA is now keen to conduct this program every quarter. At the end of August, 2010 over 10,000 people were certified, out of the 15,000 that enrolled for the courses, and became better employable. As part of this program, Microsoft has shared its methodology—the official curriculum, using which the training is being delivered. IndiaCan is Microsoft’s partner in the effort.

What is assistive technology and why is it becoming so important for the world? Assistive Technology, a generic term that includes assistive, adaptive and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities, can help break the barriers that people face, especially those people facing cognitive challenges. We can use communications devices to speak to them and interact with them at the press of a button. Even in the case of the blind, technology can be of tremendous help. Visually challenged people can use screen readers that can read out what they are typing. They can also “read” a book, by scanning it, OCR-ing it and having the words spoken out to them. Assistive technology can help remove the barriers that people with disabilities are facing.

As far as the hearing impaired are concerned, simple solutions can make a big difference. By just captioning visual content, it is now possible to include such people in this experience.

People who are physically challenged (who cannot use their hands and legs), can be trained to use a simple keyboard provided on a computer screen. By pointing a mouse to the relevant keys on the screen, they can navigate through

the applications. Famous actor Christopher Reeves, the person the world knew as Superman, who also became the victim of a broken spine and hence paralysis, held the pointer device in his mouth to click on the relevant keys on the on-screen keyboard.

What is BarrierBreak Technologies doing in the field of assistive technologies? BarrierBreak Technologies is the only company in India that works in the area of assistive technologies. We provide solutions for people with different kinds of disabilities. As an authorized dealer in India of leading global assistive technology vendors, we offer users a range of cutting-edge products and services that help transform their lives. At the same time, many of our products have been developed in-house.

What are some of these solutions? BarrierBreak Technologies is helping bring into the country a range of devices and services that are specially meant for people with visual, mobility, hearing and learning impairments, as well as the elderly. From screen readers and magnifiers, to scanning and reading tools, to phones, to Braille displayers, adaptive keyboards, switches, mouse alternatives, reading writing tools and special software, we are offering a range of products that are supporting the disabled.

Of special note are the Dolphin SuperNova(a screen reader and screen magnifier with Braille support, which provides users with access to Windows applications), as well as flexibility, reliability and

“Technology can help removethe barriers that people with disabilities are facing.”Shilpi Kapoor, Managing Director, BarrierBreak TechnologiesInterface speaks to Shilpi Kapoor, Managing Director, BarrierBreak Technologies, a company that has helped bring assistive technologies to India. BarrierBreak Technologies is creating awareness about accessibility, and providing training and assistive products and services to people with disabilities. Kapoor, with an experience of over 15 years in the field of assistive technologies has been championing the cause of accessibility in the country. A recipient of the “NCPEDP-Shell Helen Keller Award 2008,” Kapoor has helped revolutionize the lives of the physically challenged and helped bridge the barriers between ability and accessibility.

Q-&-A


Case Studies

“Microsoft has opened up new possibilities for schools via Project Shiksha. I myself went through training on tools like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and found that these could play an important role while integrating ICT into classroom practice. Such training also provided me the opportunity to explore the Internet and acquire material from the world wide web. I realized that internal communication between students and teachers can be extended through the use of Net-based interactions.” r.P. guPta, Principal, Government Excellence High Secondary School, Gyraspur, Madhya Pradesh

pursue any one of the certifica-tions—MS/DoEACC/IGNOU to be eligible for a “fully paid training and certification.”

BUDA is now keen to conduct this program every quarter. At the end of August, 2010 over 10,000 people were certified, out of the 15,000 that enrolled for the courses. As part of this program, Microsoft has shared its methodology—the official curriculum, using which the training is being delivered. IndiaCan is Microsoft’s partner in this effort. Microsoft meanwhile, has been involved in the entire life cycle of the project, from conceptualizing the program, to providing the curriculum, and finally certifying the students. Today, Microsoft is in discussions with other state govern-ments to run similar programs.

In the recent years, as Microsoft has launched capacity building and IT skill building initiatives, it has been targeting the marginalized segments of society in order to bring them into the mainstream and socially empower them. A recent program, which has achieved significant success is Microsoft’s first program for the Indian state of Bihar.

Microsoft’s aim in Bihar has been to increase the participation of urban youth in the economy of the state by improving their employability quotient. The company’s involvement in Bihar began when it was called upon by the Bihar Urban Development Authority (BUDA), to impart IT skills to the state’s unemployed youth belonging to one million Below the Poverty Line (BPL) families, under its Swarn Jayanti Shahari Rojgar Yojana (SGSY) project.

Microsoft and its partners organized road shows and program value briefings for nodal training agencies, to share with them the details about the initiative. BUDA officially announced the program, releasing Admission Notices in leading dailies in Bihar. While around 19,000 students responded to the advertisement, 17,500 learners actually qualified and enrolled for the program. Of this number, 15,000 registered for the Microsoft course, while around 2,500 enrolled for other accreditations including the DoEACC and the IGNOU programs. When asked why Microsoft over other

offerings, students stated that since the adoption of MS Office was very high in the offices as compared to other platforms, they preferred it.

Microsoft took up the task of rolling out the program with alacrity and began imparting broad-based IT skills to these learners through its Digital Literacy Program. As part of this package, the company provided its Official Curriculum (MOC) / Methodology including trainer

presentations, lab guides, and student kits. It also provided one certification voucher (the Microsoft Office Specialist Examination) with the second attempt being free. The first batch of students is now in the final stages certifications.

The program itself is a three-month, fully-funded course in MS Office which covers Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, Access and MS Project. The training is being rolled out at 350 locations selected by BUDA. The students participating in the course have to mandatorily

Bridging the digital divide in partnership with the government of Bihar

BUDA is now keen to conduct this program every quarter. At the end of August, 2010 over 10,000 people were certified, out of the 15,000 that enrolled for the courses, and became better employable. As part of this program, Microsoft has shared its methodology—the official curriculum, using which the training is being delivered. IndiaCan is Microsoft’s partner in the effort.

What is assistive technology and why is it becoming so important for the world? Assistive Technology, a generic term that includes assistive, adaptive and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities, can help break the barriers that people face, especially those people facing cognitive challenges. We can use communications devices to speak to them and interact with them at the press of a button. Even in the case of the blind, technology can be of tremendous help. Visually challenged people can use screen readers that can read out what they are typing. They can also “read” a book, by scanning it, OCR-ing it and having the words spoken out to them. Assistive technology can help remove the barriers that people with disabilities are facing.

As far as the hearing impaired are concerned, simple solutions can make a big difference. By just captioning visual content, it is now possible to include such people in this experience.

People who are physically challenged (who cannot use their hands and legs), can be trained to use a simple keyboard provided on a computer screen. By pointing a mouse to the relevant keys on the screen, they can navigate through

the applications. Famous actor Christopher Reeves, the person the world knew as Superman, who also became the victim of a broken spine and hence paralysis, held the pointer device in his mouth to click on the relevant keys on the on-screen keyboard.

What is BarrierBreak Technologies doing in the field of assistive technologies? BarrierBreak Technologies is the only company in India that works in the area of assistive technologies. We provide solutions for people with different kinds of disabilities. As an authorized dealer in India of leading global assistive technology vendors, we offer users a range of cutting-edge products and services that help transform their lives. At the same time, many of our products have been developed in-house.

What are some of these solutions? BarrierBreak Technologies is helping bring into the country a range of devices and services that are specially meant for people with visual, mobility, hearing and learning impairments, as well as the elderly. From screen readers and magnifiers, to scanning and reading tools, to phones, to Braille displayers, adaptive keyboards, switches, mouse alternatives, reading writing tools and special software, we are offering a range of products that are supporting the disabled.

Of special note are the Dolphin SuperNova(a screen reader and screen magnifier with Braille support, which provides users with access to Windows applications), as well as flexibility, reliability and

“Technology can help removethe barriers that people with disabilities are facing.”Shilpi Kapoor, Managing Director, BarrierBreak TechnologiesInterface speaks to Shilpi Kapoor, Managing Director, BarrierBreak Technologies, a company that has helped bring assistive technologies to India. BarrierBreak Technologies is creating awareness about accessibility, and providing training and assistive products and services to people with disabilities. Kapoor, with an experience of over 15 years in the field of assistive technologies has been championing the cause of accessibility in the country. A recipient of the “NCPEDP-Shell Helen Keller Award 2008,” Kapoor has helped revolutionize the lives of the physically challenged and helped bridge the barriers between ability and accessibility.

Q-&-A


choice when writing documents, shopping online or looking for accessibility; the Optelec ClearReader+, a high-tech reader with which a visually impaired person can read any kind of printed material such as letters, magazines, novels, newspapers, etc.; the GE 29578, hearing aid compatible, Braille support and large key phone, which enables people with hearing and visual impairments to use the telephone effectively and see and hear, loudly and clearly; and Clevy Keyboard, a clever keyboard which features keys that are four times bigger than those found on standard keyboards and meant for children in early childhood centers or primary schools, and people with special needs . The Clevy Keyboard is color coded for easy recognition.

We also provide the Dolphin EasyTutor, a literacy software solution for people facing difficulties in reading, writing and spelling or who have Dyslexia. It uses an in-built speech output facility, so that computer users can write, read, view and check text alongside a human sounding voice.

In the area of services, we offer users our Digital Talking Book Conversion services which ensure that print publications are available to the print disabled, including visually impaired users, quickly and cost-effectively. Conversions are available from printed books, editable PDFs, image PDFs, HTML and Word documents to the Daisy 2.02, ePub and the NIMAS platforms.

BarrierBreak Technologies has also introduced into the market

signntalk.org, a sign language relay service. In this case, a hearing impaired person can access a sign language interpreter. That person then speaks to someone in the hearing world and conducts a conversation between the two parties. At the same time, we have launched a trackball mouse which can be used by a physically challenged person.

Interestingly, we are also helping organizations and governments to make their websites disabled-friendly and approachable. Now people with visual, hearing and physical impairments, learning disabilities and senior citizens can access these website. The website design, development, and testing stages ensure that they are compliant with international accessibility standards and best practices. We have been building our solutions on Microsoft’s .Net and other technologies.

How is Microsoft addressing the needs of the disabled, especially through its latest products, Office 2010 and Windows 7? Microsoft products are very strong on accessibility features. Office 2010 offers an Accessibility checker (with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2010), which helps users to create more accessible content. It identifies areas that might be challenging for users with disabilities to view or use, and

provides a task pane to review those areas. In this way, users can fix potential problems with their content.

Other features include the Mini Translator, where users can point to a word or selected phrase in a foreign language with their mouse and have its translation displayed in a small window. The Mini Translator has a Play button, so that users can hear an audio pronunciation of the word or phrase. Word 2010 additionally encompasses a full screen reading view that improves the resolution and display of text for reading on the screen.

The menus and tool bars in all Office 2010 programs have been replaced with the ribbon and users can move through it with a keyboard instead of a mouse. Using SharePoint Designer 2010 available in Office, it is possible to create accessible web portals. The "More Accessible Mode" feature in SharePoint Services provides greater accessibility for custom controls.

Windows 7 meanwhile, includes accessibility options and programs that make it easier for the disabled to see, hear, and use their computers and personalize their PCS. Windows 7 includes significant accessibility improvements. Magnifier now encompasses a lens mode and full-screen mode. The on-screen keyboard can

be resized to make it easier to see and includes text prediction. Windows 7 also gives users more ways to interact with their PCs by taking advantage of new strides in speech recognition and touch technology. The Ease of Access Center in Windows 7 provides a convenient, centralized place to locate accessibility settings and programs to make the computer easier to use.

Can IT enhance the skills of people with disabilities and make them employable and job ready? What has been your experience in this area? A lot is happening in the world today. People are getting connected to the right jobs using technologies. What we are doing with Microsoft is trying to understand the existing curriculum available with the company and how the frameworks provided by it can be leveraged by NGOs, training centers and schools in India to train people with disabilities to effectively use computers. Training programs are required for everyday working environments, which means courses in Microsoft Word, Outlook, etc., which are typically used in the workplace. Such skills will enable people to go beyond being telephone operators. There are several success stories where training has helped people become software developers, programmers, software testers, accountants, and yes, project managers.

Life becomes easy when you add technology to access. Take a simple and basic feature available in popular word processing software such as the spell check. From a blind person’s perspective, the spell check can make a big difference.

Special features in the packages can help them work productively. When we train the physically challenged to use technology, we teach them about these different features available in products that they can use. Through our training, we try and keep people abreast of technology developments, and provide them with information about the features that are relevant to them. We typically

highlight these features in the training modules, so that the trainers, can be aware of them and emphasize their usage when teaching people with disabilities.

Is there enough awareness about assistive technologies in India. If

not, how is BarrierBreak Technologies attempting to reach out to people with disabilities and keeping them abreast of some of the recent technological breakthroughs that can benefit them?

Building awareness is the start of the process. NGOs and schools still do not have the knowledge of what is out there or how they can use specific technologies. For instance, most people do not know about

Q-&-A Q-&-A


choice when writing documents, shopping online or looking for accessibility; the Optelec ClearReader+, a high-tech reader with which a visually impaired person can read any kind of printed material such as letters, magazines, novels, newspapers, etc.; the GE 29578, hearing aid compatible, Braille support and large key phone, which enables people with hearing and visual impairments to use the telephone effectively and see and hear, loudly and clearly; and Clevy Keyboard, a clever keyboard which features keys that are four times bigger than those found on standard keyboards and meant for children in early childhood centers or primary schools, and people with special needs . The Clevy Keyboard is color coded for easy recognition.

We also provide the Dolphin EasyTutor, a literacy software solution for people facing difficulties in reading, writing and spelling or who have Dyslexia. It uses an in-built speech output facility, so that computer users can write, read, view and check text alongside a human sounding voice.

In the area of services, we offer users our Digital Talking Book Conversion services which ensure that print publications are available to the print disabled, including visually impaired users, quickly and cost-effectively. Conversions are available from printed books, editable PDFs, image PDFs, HTML and Word documents to the Daisy 2.02, ePub and the NIMAS platforms.

BarrierBreak Technologies has also introduced into the market

signntalk.org, a sign language relay service. In this case, a hearing impaired person can access a sign language interpreter. That person then speaks to someone in the hearing world and conducts a conversation between the two parties. At the same time, we have launched a trackball mouse which can be used by a physically challenged person.

Interestingly, we are also helping organizations and governments to make their websites disabled-friendly and approachable. Now people with visual, hearing and physical impairments, learning disabilities and senior citizens can access these website. The website design, development, and testing stages ensure that they are compliant with international accessibility standards and best practices. We have been building our solutions on Microsoft’s .Net and other technologies.

How is Microsoft addressing the needs of the disabled, especially through its latest products, Office 2010 and Windows 7? Microsoft products are very strong on accessibility features. Office 2010 offers an Accessibility checker (with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2010), which helps users to create more accessible content. It identifies areas that might be challenging for users with disabilities to view or use, and

provides a task pane to review those areas. In this way, users can fix potential problems with their content.

Other features include the Mini Translator, where users can point to a word or selected phrase in a foreign language with their mouse and have its translation displayed in a small window. The Mini Translator has a Play button, so that users can hear an audio pronunciation of the word or phrase. Word 2010 additionally encompasses a full screen reading view that improves the resolution and display of text for reading on the screen.

The menus and tool bars in all Office 2010 programs have been replaced with the ribbon and users can move through it with a keyboard instead of a mouse. Using SharePoint Designer 2010 available in Office, it is possible to create accessible web portals. The "More Accessible Mode" feature in SharePoint Services provides greater accessibility for custom controls.

Windows 7 meanwhile, includes accessibility options and programs that make it easier for the disabled to see, hear, and use their computers and personalize their PCS. Windows 7 includes significant accessibility improvements. Magnifier now encompasses a lens mode and full-screen mode. The on-screen keyboard can

be resized to make it easier to see and includes text prediction. Windows 7 also gives users more ways to interact with their PCs by taking advantage of new strides in speech recognition and touch technology. The Ease of Access Center in Windows 7 provides a convenient, centralized place to locate accessibility settings and programs to make the computer easier to use.

Can IT enhance the skills of people with disabilities and make them employable and job ready? What has been your experience in this area? A lot is happening in the world today. People are getting connected to the right jobs using technologies. What we are doing with Microsoft is trying to understand the existing curriculum available with the company and how the frameworks provided by it can be leveraged by NGOs, training centers and schools in India to train people with disabilities to effectively use computers. Training programs are required for everyday working environments, which means courses in Microsoft Word, Outlook, etc., which are typically used in the workplace. Such skills will enable people to go beyond being telephone operators. There are several success stories where training has helped people become software developers, programmers, software testers, accountants, and yes, project managers.

Life becomes easy when you add technology to access. Take a simple and basic feature available in popular word processing software such as the spell check. From a blind person’s perspective, the spell check can make a big difference.

Special features in the packages can help them work productively. When we train the physically challenged to use technology, we teach them about these different features available in products that they can use. Through our training, we try and keep people abreast of technology developments, and provide them with information about the features that are relevant to them. We typically

highlight these features in the training modules, so that the trainers, can be aware of them and emphasize their usage when teaching people with disabilities.

Is there enough awareness about assistive technologies in India. If

not, how is BarrierBreak Technologies attempting to reach out to people with disabilities and keeping them abreast of some of the recent technological breakthroughs that can benefit them?

Building awareness is the start of the process. NGOs and schools still do not have the knowledge of what is out there or how they can use specific technologies. For instance, most people do not know about

Q-&-A Q-&-A


the accessibility options within the Windows operating system. What we are doing with Microsoft is building awareness about assistive technologies through conferences and exhibitions, which specially target people with disabilities, government agencies, NGOs and educationists. We invite these people to attend the events, learn about assistive technologies and share their own experiences in the area. We held a conference-cum-exhibition this year—Techshare India 2010, a global event aimed at spotlighting the role technology could play in bridging the gap between people with disabilities and the able-bodied world.

There were nearly 50 presentations on different kinds of technologies and how these could be used by physically challenged people. At the exhibition, vendors displayed their products and talked about the developments taking place within the domain of accessibility and assistive technologies. The event was primarily intended as an

awareness building exercise.

We are also simultaneously hosting a series of sessions across India called Abilities Unlimited, where we are going to NGOs, educationists and parents and speaking to them about how technology can address their specific needs. The objective is to acquaint them with what’s happening on the applications front and helping them develop an e-curriculum, or a bridge curriculum that links the everyday work environment to people with special needs. Microsoft supported this endeavour and showcased some of its upcoming technologies that were relevant to the disabled. Training sessions were also organized to gear up the developers to build relevant applications.

We are now planning to set up training centres and our aim going forward is to create standard curriculum that can be used across schools and NGOs.

Meet Jyoti, a 29-year-old girl residing in Mumbai. Jyoti is suffering from muscular degeneration due to which she has partial sight. When she was in school, Jyoti needed someone to read out what was contained in her text books. During exam time, she would request for a scribe.

It was in college, however, that Jyoti came across the Dolphin SuperNova, a screen reader plus magnification tool that virtually changed her life. SuperNova enabled her to read content on the computer and complete her assignments. Since the tool works on the Microsoft Windows operating system, Jyoti learnt to use Microsoft

Windows and Office Applications in a computer training institute for the visually impaired. The training also included concepts of Windows applications, so that she could then explore other applications on her own.

In addition, she was provided with real world scenarios as exercises as well as soft skills training to ensure that she became employable and relevant to the world of work.

In this way, following the training, Jyoti was able to use the SuperNova software. She found it of great help. It not only magnified words, it also allowed her to

look at the highlighted screen content and read out text to her. Dolphin SuperNova helped her research different technologies from the web and learn them independently.

Today Jyoti is working as an Assistant Manager in the Research and Development Division of a reputed software company in Mumbai. Dolphin SuperNova showcased her ability to work in a professional environment and helped her to overcome her disability.

dolphin supernova became the “JyOti” in her life

“We purchased the Dolphin EasyTutor program from BarrierBreak Technolo-gies for my eight-year-old quadriplegic daughter Jehana. It has helped her use her computer keyboard as a communicative as well as learning tool in school and at home. BarrierBreak Technologies has been extremely helpful with after sales service and has repeatedly provided assis-tance on EasyTutor.”Simoneel Gamadia,Mother of Jahana, a user of EasyTutor

Going forward, what are the new developments that will define the assistive technologies space. What are you most excited about in the future? One revolutionary technology is cloud computing. When you talk about a person working on a computer, it is a bit restrictive. When a tool is available off the cloud, it can be accessed from anywhere. This is a big advantage for someone with disabilities, who are not restricted to their particular computer system or device.

At the other end is mobile computing. A person who is hearing impaired can use the mobile phone to write sentences and communicate with people. The mobile will be the next big thing in assistive technology. Take the iPhone. Today, you can point your phone at an object, take a picture and identify what it is. Imagine how revolutionary this can be to a blind person.

Microsoft’s multi-point technology can be a great help for someone with learning impairments. If a child with such a disability has to be trained to use teamwork skills, then

“Dolphin SuperNova helps me while testing software applications and websites for accessibility, to look at the details more ef-fectively with the help of the magnification feature. I can listen to the screen reader and at the same time look at the visual aes-thetics to provide feed-back to clients.”Priti Rohra, Head, Accessibility Testing

this is the tool. It can teach children with disabilities to work with others.

The company is additionally working on Kinect, a technology originally created for gaming, but which can benefit people with disabilities. The technology uses a natural user interface—gestures, spoken commands or presented objects and images, to interface with devices. We are working with Microsoft to learn more about this technology through training. We get access to freshest technology first, and can then build awareness about it.

The developments taking place in the area of regional language software will also transform the landscape for people with disabilities. Microsoft, for instance, offers software in several regional Indian languages, including Hindi. Since most government departments are using Hindi, and people with disabilities are being employed by the government, they require training in this software. What we have done is to leverage the platform by providing Supernova, a Hindi screen reader and magnifier, which also provides support for Hindi Braille.

Q-&-A Q-&-A


the accessibility options within the Windows operating system. What we are doing with Microsoft is building awareness about assistive technologies through conferences and exhibitions, which specially target people with disabilities, government agencies, NGOs and educationists. We invite these people to attend the events, learn about assistive technologies and share their own experiences in the area. We held a conference-cum-exhibition this year—Techshare India 2010, a global event aimed at spotlighting the role technology could play in bridging the gap between people with disabilities and the able-bodied world.

There were nearly 50 presentations on different kinds of technologies and how these could be used by physically challenged people. At the exhibition, vendors displayed their products and talked about the developments taking place within the domain of accessibility and assistive technologies. The event was primarily intended as an

awareness building exercise.

We are also simultaneously hosting a series of sessions across India called Abilities Unlimited, where we are going to NGOs, educationists and parents and speaking to them about how technology can address their specific needs. The objective is to acquaint them with what’s happening on the applications front and helping them develop an e-curriculum, or a bridge curriculum that links the everyday work environment to people with special needs. Microsoft supported this endeavour and showcased some of its upcoming technologies that were relevant to the disabled. Training sessions were also organized to gear up the developers to build relevant applications.

We are now planning to set up training centres and our aim going forward is to create standard curriculum that can be used across schools and NGOs.

Meet Jyoti, a 29-year-old girl residing in Mumbai. Jyoti is suffering from muscular degeneration due to which she has partial sight. When she was in school, Jyoti needed someone to read out what was contained in her text books. During exam time, she would request for a scribe.

It was in college, however, that Jyoti came across the Dolphin SuperNova, a screen reader plus magnification tool that virtually changed her life. SuperNova enabled her to read content on the computer and complete her assignments. Since the tool works on the Microsoft Windows operating system, Jyoti learnt to use Microsoft

Windows and Office Applications in a computer training institute for the visually impaired. The training also included concepts of Windows applications, so that she could then explore other applications on her own.

In addition, she was provided with real world scenarios as exercises as well as soft skills training to ensure that she became employable and relevant to the world of work.

In this way, following the training, Jyoti was able to use the SuperNova software. She found it of great help. It not only magnified words, it also allowed her to

look at the highlighted screen content and read out text to her. Dolphin SuperNova helped her research different technologies from the web and learn them independently.

Today Jyoti is working as an Assistant Manager in the Research and Development Division of a reputed software company in Mumbai. Dolphin SuperNova showcased her ability to work in a professional environment and helped her to overcome her disability.

dolphin supernova became the “JyOti” in her life

“We purchased the Dolphin EasyTutor program from BarrierBreak Technolo-gies for my eight-year-old quadriplegic daughter Jehana. It has helped her use her computer keyboard as a communicative as well as learning tool in school and at home. BarrierBreak Technologies has been extremely helpful with after sales service and has repeatedly provided assis-tance on EasyTutor.”Simoneel Gamadia,Mother of Jahana, a user of EasyTutor

Going forward, what are the new developments that will define the assistive technologies space. What are you most excited about in the future? One revolutionary technology is cloud computing. When you talk about a person working on a computer, it is a bit restrictive. When a tool is available off the cloud, it can be accessed from anywhere. This is a big advantage for someone with disabilities, who are not restricted to their particular computer system or device.

At the other end is mobile computing. A person who is hearing impaired can use the mobile phone to write sentences and communicate with people. The mobile will be the next big thing in assistive technology. Take the iPhone. Today, you can point your phone at an object, take a picture and identify what it is. Imagine how revolutionary this can be to a blind person.

Microsoft’s multi-point technology can be a great help for someone with learning impairments. If a child with such a disability has to be trained to use teamwork skills, then

“Dolphin SuperNova helps me while testing software applications and websites for accessibility, to look at the details more ef-fectively with the help of the magnification feature. I can listen to the screen reader and at the same time look at the visual aes-thetics to provide feed-back to clients.”Priti Rohra, Head, Accessibility Testing

this is the tool. It can teach children with disabilities to work with others.

The company is additionally working on Kinect, a technology originally created for gaming, but which can benefit people with disabilities. The technology uses a natural user interface—gestures, spoken commands or presented objects and images, to interface with devices. We are working with Microsoft to learn more about this technology through training. We get access to freshest technology first, and can then build awareness about it.

The developments taking place in the area of regional language software will also transform the landscape for people with disabilities. Microsoft, for instance, offers software in several regional Indian languages, including Hindi. Since most government departments are using Hindi, and people with disabilities are being employed by the government, they require training in this software. What we have done is to leverage the platform by providing Supernova, a Hindi screen reader and magnifier, which also provides support for Hindi Braille.

Q-&-A Q-&-A


News

Indian customers can now download Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) beta, which has been launched by Microsoft India in partnership with Rediff India, IndiaTimes, NDTV and Zapak Games, to bring alive the beauty of the Web. Globally, Microsoft has partnered with over 70 top websites and global brands who have created new experiences to show off the capabilities of Internet Explorer 9 and whose collective reach is over 800 million visitors or about two thirds of the active people on the Web. These partners include Amazon, eBay, IMDB, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Microsoft has re-imagined the role of the browser with Windows and Internet Explorer 9 to deliver an experience that makes the Web feel as native as the favourite PC applications of consumers.

It uses the full capabilities of Windows and hardware, and enables a version of the Web that is faster, cleaner and more trusted by default. In short, IE9 is helping the Web go native and unlocking its beauty.

Consumers can download the beta at www.BeautyoftheWeb.com.

IE 9 beta released in IndiaPromises a richer, more immersive Web

“Consumers today use the Web as a source of entertainment, education, information and as a platform for communication. Keeping all these consumer needs in mind, we have made unprecedented investments to develop our latest browser, Internet Explorer 9 which has been made site-centric rather than browser centric. Clean and minimalistic looking, IE9 redefines browsing as we know it today, and delivers a whole new, beautiful online experience.”heMant sachdevManaging Director, Consumer and Online, Microsoft India

Microsoft’s wi-fi like motion-sensing accessory for the Xbox 360, called Kinect is expected to hit the Indian market in November 2010 and further catalyze Xbox 360 sales. Kinect is a tube-like hardware accessory for the Xbox 360. It includes a camera, audio sensors, and motion-sensing capabilities that track 48 points of movement on the human body, and can recognize voices and faces.

With Kinect, users are the controllers. They can simply step in front of the sensor and Kinect sees them move, hears their voice and recognizes their faces.

Transforming the Web experience of users IE9 has been re-engineered to use computing power in an interesting way. The new browser offers the following features:• Pinned Sites: Favourite websites can

be pinned to the Windows taskbar for shortcut access.

• Tear-off tabs: When users need to use more than one website to accomplish a task, this feature helps with side-by side comparison.

• Integrated Windows 7 navigation: Web navigation is easier in Internet Explorer 9 with features that are integrated with Windows 7 navigation, such as Jump Lists, Aero® Snap, tear-off tabs, and thumbnail controls.

• Add-on performance advisor: Notifies users when add-ons are slowing down their browsing session.

• SmartScreen Filter: This integrates scans into the new Download Manager, using Download Reputation to remove unnecessary warnings for well-known files.

Meanwhile, delivering on the promise of providing the best gaming and entertainment experience, Microsoft has launched its new 250 GB Xbox 360 console in India, a brand new, leaner machine in an all new black gloss finish. A futuristic console built keeping in mind the changing needs of the consumer and ever-changing technology, the new 250GB Xbox 360 console is ready for the controller-free experiences of Kinect, where users don’t just play the game, they are the game!

The New 250GB Xbox 360 console will be available at all leading organized retail

stores across the country at an estimated retail price of Rs. 21,990.

The new console comes with five USB ports with one dedicated Kinect port, that will enable it to connect seamlessly with the Kinect sensor. Users can be off the couch and into the world of Kinect in no time at all.

Microsoft’s Kinect to transform the gaming experience of users

objective is to simplify the vast and confusing array of European IT certifications, as well as improve the global competitiveness of the European technology industry as a whole.

Skills GapThe organization’s strategy comprises a two-pronged attack on Europe’s IT skills gap. First, it aims to assist those citizens who wish to gain a professional certification by matching their professional qualifications to job profiles which are standardized across Europe. Second, it seeks to use programs such as Skills for Employability to improve overall digital literacy by addressing the skills that non-IT professionals need in their everyday jobs and by trying to raise the level of technology knowledge in the population in general. A more standard approach to professional training will also make it easier to integrate IT skills into national education curricula, giving more people the opportunity to gain certifications with both academic and market relevance. That is not just good news for many thousands of people across the continent—it may also be critical to Europe’s prospects on the world stage in years to come.Abstracted from an article by Mike Stone and Jason Deign, in www.cisco.com

support worth €90,000 from Germany’s State Street Bank.

IT FitnessIT Fitness is just one of the programs in the Skills for Employability initiative, which itself is supported by CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Europe. This umbrella organization has a range of ambitious objectives including the delivery of basic IT skills to 20 million Europeans. It also aims to increase awareness about the importance of such skills when it comes to gaining employment, a critical challenge as European nations continue to grapple with the effects of recession.

European CompetitivenessThe group currently consists of around 70 multinational corporations and 25 national partner organizations, and aims to support member companies in integrating CSR into the way they do business.

Besides helping to improve European competitiveness through CSR activities such as the Networking Academy, technology companies are trying to simplify European IT skills certification systems. This challenging task is being tackled by the European e-Skills Association framework, which was launched in 2007 with the blessing of EU policymakers. Co-chaired by Cisco and Microsoft, its

endeavouring to improve technology teaching across the Union as quickly and effectively as possible.

Technology TeachingThe Networking Academy—created as a public-private partnership initiative more than 12 years ago and now serving more than 800,000 students a year across 9,000-plus academies in 165 countries—is seen as a potentially valuable tool in the process. A number of initiatives are underway across Europe to incorporate the Networking Academy into national and vocational curricula. In Germany, for example, a program called IT Fitness (under the guidance of the European Alliance on Skills for Employability) has reached more than 1 million people since its inception in 2007 and attracted

IT skills training could help Europe’s economic recovery. Despite its leadership in industries such as oil and financial services, Europe faces increasing competition, not just from traditional trading foes such as the United States and Japan, but also from rising economic giants like China and Brazil. This picture is not helped by Europe’s declining birth rate and aging population, which equates to a dwindling labor pool and greater difficulties in finding skilled workers.

In IT, skills shortages were not so evident during the recession but a study by IDC predicts the EU labor market may face an excess demand for 384,000 IT practitioners by 2015. Recognizing IT know-how as critical to global competitiveness, EU policymakers are

Europe’s strategy to banish technology skills shortages

Global Outlook


News

Indian customers can now download Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) beta, which has been launched by Microsoft India in partnership with Rediff India, IndiaTimes, NDTV and Zapak Games, to bring alive the beauty of the Web. Globally, Microsoft has partnered with over 70 top websites and global brands who have created new experiences to show off the capabilities of Internet Explorer 9 and whose collective reach is over 800 million visitors or about two thirds of the active people on the Web. These partners include Amazon, eBay, IMDB, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Microsoft has re-imagined the role of the browser with Windows and Internet Explorer 9 to deliver an experience that makes the Web feel as native as the favourite PC applications of consumers.

It uses the full capabilities of Windows and hardware, and enables a version of the Web that is faster, cleaner and more trusted by default. In short, IE9 is helping the Web go native and unlocking its beauty.

Consumers can download the beta at www.BeautyoftheWeb.com.

IE 9 beta released in IndiaPromises a richer, more immersive Web

“Consumers today use the Web as a source of entertainment, education, information and as a platform for communication. Keeping all these consumer needs in mind, we have made unprecedented investments to develop our latest browser, Internet Explorer 9 which has been made site-centric rather than browser centric. Clean and minimalistic looking, IE9 redefines browsing as we know it today, and delivers a whole new, beautiful online experience.”heMant sachdevManaging Director, Consumer and Online, Microsoft India

Microsoft’s wi-fi like motion-sensing accessory for the Xbox 360, called Kinect is expected to hit the Indian market in November 2010 and further catalyze Xbox 360 sales. Kinect is a tube-like hardware accessory for the Xbox 360. It includes a camera, audio sensors, and motion-sensing capabilities that track 48 points of movement on the human body, and can recognize voices and faces.

With Kinect, users are the controllers. They can simply step in front of the sensor and Kinect sees them move, hears their voice and recognizes their faces.

Transforming the Web experience of users IE9 has been re-engineered to use computing power in an interesting way. The new browser offers the following features:• Pinned Sites: Favourite websites can

be pinned to the Windows taskbar for shortcut access.

• Tear-off tabs: When users need to use more than one website to accomplish a task, this feature helps with side-by side comparison.

• Integrated Windows 7 navigation: Web navigation is easier in Internet Explorer 9 with features that are integrated with Windows 7 navigation, such as Jump Lists, Aero® Snap, tear-off tabs, and thumbnail controls.

• Add-on performance advisor: Notifies users when add-ons are slowing down their browsing session.

• SmartScreen Filter: This integrates scans into the new Download Manager, using Download Reputation to remove unnecessary warnings for well-known files.

Meanwhile, delivering on the promise of providing the best gaming and entertainment experience, Microsoft has launched its new 250 GB Xbox 360 console in India, a brand new, leaner machine in an all new black gloss finish. A futuristic console built keeping in mind the changing needs of the consumer and ever-changing technology, the new 250GB Xbox 360 console is ready for the controller-free experiences of Kinect, where users don’t just play the game, they are the game!

The New 250GB Xbox 360 console will be available at all leading organized retail

stores across the country at an estimated retail price of Rs. 21,990.

The new console comes with five USB ports with one dedicated Kinect port, that will enable it to connect seamlessly with the Kinect sensor. Users can be off the couch and into the world of Kinect in no time at all.

Microsoft’s Kinect to transform the gaming experience of users

objective is to simplify the vast and confusing array of European IT certifications, as well as improve the global competitiveness of the European technology industry as a whole.

Skills GapThe organization’s strategy comprises a two-pronged attack on Europe’s IT skills gap. First, it aims to assist those citizens who wish to gain a professional certification by matching their professional qualifications to job profiles which are standardized across Europe. Second, it seeks to use programs such as Skills for Employability to improve overall digital literacy by addressing the skills that non-IT professionals need in their everyday jobs and by trying to raise the level of technology knowledge in the population in general. A more standard approach to professional training will also make it easier to integrate IT skills into national education curricula, giving more people the opportunity to gain certifications with both academic and market relevance. That is not just good news for many thousands of people across the continent—it may also be critical to Europe’s prospects on the world stage in years to come.Abstracted from an article by Mike Stone and Jason Deign, in www.cisco.com

support worth €90,000 from Germany’s State Street Bank.

IT FitnessIT Fitness is just one of the programs in the Skills for Employability initiative, which itself is supported by CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Europe. This umbrella organization has a range of ambitious objectives including the delivery of basic IT skills to 20 million Europeans. It also aims to increase awareness about the importance of such skills when it comes to gaining employment, a critical challenge as European nations continue to grapple with the effects of recession.

European CompetitivenessThe group currently consists of around 70 multinational corporations and 25 national partner organizations, and aims to support member companies in integrating CSR into the way they do business.

Besides helping to improve European competitiveness through CSR activities such as the Networking Academy, technology companies are trying to simplify European IT skills certification systems. This challenging task is being tackled by the European e-Skills Association framework, which was launched in 2007 with the blessing of EU policymakers. Co-chaired by Cisco and Microsoft, its

endeavouring to improve technology teaching across the Union as quickly and effectively as possible.

Technology TeachingThe Networking Academy—created as a public-private partnership initiative more than 12 years ago and now serving more than 800,000 students a year across 9,000-plus academies in 165 countries—is seen as a potentially valuable tool in the process. A number of initiatives are underway across Europe to incorporate the Networking Academy into national and vocational curricula. In Germany, for example, a program called IT Fitness (under the guidance of the European Alliance on Skills for Employability) has reached more than 1 million people since its inception in 2007 and attracted

IT skills training could help Europe’s economic recovery. Despite its leadership in industries such as oil and financial services, Europe faces increasing competition, not just from traditional trading foes such as the United States and Japan, but also from rising economic giants like China and Brazil. This picture is not helped by Europe’s declining birth rate and aging population, which equates to a dwindling labor pool and greater difficulties in finding skilled workers.

In IT, skills shortages were not so evident during the recession but a study by IDC predicts the EU labor market may face an excess demand for 384,000 IT practitioners by 2015. Recognizing IT know-how as critical to global competitiveness, EU policymakers are

Europe’s strategy to banish technology skills shortages

Global Outlook


Half of large firms plan to return to pre-recession levels in two years. Fifty-four percent of large US businesses that laid off employees in the past year want to rebuild their workforces but some will have trouble finding sufficiently skilled people to hire, according to a recent study by management consulting firm Accenture. According to the Study, about half of large firms plan to return to their pre-recession levels of employment within two years and only 13 percent said they planned to reduce their workforce. Moreover, those surveyed said they were less concerned about cost control. Companies focused primarily on cost control will decrease from 41 percent in mid-2009 to 18 percent in 2011, the study said.

US companies focused primarily on investment in growth-oriented activities, such as hiring, will increase from 24 percent today to 37 percent within the next

12 months, Accenture said. But companies also reported a shortage of skills within the workforce. Idled workers may have fallen behind on skills while out of a job, forcing them and employers to invest in training, Accenture added.

Skills were particularly lacking within sales and customer service workforces, the survey said. 27 percent of respondents said their companies lack the skills required of their sales workforce, and 25 percent said a significant proportion of skills in their customer service organizations were out of date. The study was completed from surveys conducted between January and May with 674 senior executives in 24 countries representing companies with revenues over USD 250 million. The US-based results were taken from 117 respondents in the United States.

US FIrMS WANT TO rEHIrE,BUT FINDING SKILLED WOrKErS SCArCE SAYS Accenture study Hard Facts

Hewitt Associates’ next generation talent

management and talent@work 2012 research

has indicated the following:

• A number of factors are converging to

create a global skills imbalance—an aging

workforce, smaller generations of young

workers, declining investments in training,

and poor workforce planning

• 80 percent of Chinese companies

are reporting severe talent shortages

particularly in the management and

leadership ranks

• Roughly one quarter of the US workforce

will reach retirement age by 2020

• Globally the older population is growing

at two percent every year, substantially

higher than the population as a whole

• By 2015 there will be 2.5 million

fewer jobs in agriculture, utilities and

manufacturing, while an estimated nine

million new jobs will be created in the

business and service sectors

• Migrants account for one out of every 35

people. A number that is steadily growing

• Offshore spending is projected to have

increased 60 percent in Europe and

40 percent in the US in 2008

• By 2050 minorities will make up

54 percent of the US population,

compared to 34 percent in 2008

• Women represent 56.6 percent of the

global workforce and 62 perent of the

European union workforce

Global Outlook

Committed to India

E-GOVErNANCEOver 350

e-Governanceapplications are

available to enhancecitizen services

PDS ONlINE SYSTEMin Chhattisgarh, has

improved availabilityof commodities in fair

price shops by morethan 85%

PROJECT e-GRAM in Gujarat covers

13,693 Gram Panchayat Offices, 225 Taluka Panchayats and

26 Districts


Half of large firms plan to return to pre-recession levels in two years. Fifty-four percent of large US businesses that laid off employees in the past year want to rebuild their workforces but some will have trouble finding sufficiently skilled people to hire, according to a recent study by management consulting firm Accenture. According to the Study, about half of large firms plan to return to their pre-recession levels of employment within two years and only 13 percent said they planned to reduce their workforce. Moreover, those surveyed said they were less concerned about cost control. Companies focused primarily on cost control will decrease from 41 percent in mid-2009 to 18 percent in 2011, the study said.

US companies focused primarily on investment in growth-oriented activities, such as hiring, will increase from 24 percent today to 37 percent within the next

12 months, Accenture said. But companies also reported a shortage of skills within the workforce. Idled workers may have fallen behind on skills while out of a job, forcing them and employers to invest in training, Accenture added.

Skills were particularly lacking within sales and customer service workforces, the survey said. 27 percent of respondents said their companies lack the skills required of their sales workforce, and 25 percent said a significant proportion of skills in their customer service organizations were out of date. The study was completed from surveys conducted between January and May with 674 senior executives in 24 countries representing companies with revenues over USD 250 million. The US-based results were taken from 117 respondents in the United States.

US FIrMS WANT TO rEHIrE,BUT FINDING SKILLED WOrKErS SCArCE SAYS Accenture study Hard Facts

Hewitt Associates’ next generation talent

management and talent@work 2012 research

has indicated the following:

• A number of factors are converging to

create a global skills imbalance—an aging

workforce, smaller generations of young

workers, declining investments in training,

and poor workforce planning

• 80 percent of Chinese companies

are reporting severe talent shortages

particularly in the management and

leadership ranks

• Roughly one quarter of the US workforce

will reach retirement age by 2020

• Globally the older population is growing

at two percent every year, substantially

higher than the population as a whole

• By 2015 there will be 2.5 million

fewer jobs in agriculture, utilities and

manufacturing, while an estimated nine

million new jobs will be created in the

business and service sectors

• Migrants account for one out of every 35

people. A number that is steadily growing

• Offshore spending is projected to have

increased 60 percent in Europe and

40 percent in the US in 2008

• By 2050 minorities will make up

54 percent of the US population,

compared to 34 percent in 2008

• Women represent 56.6 percent of the

global workforce and 62 perent of the

European union workforce

Global Outlook

Committed to India

E-GOVErNANCEOver 350

e-Governanceapplications are

available to enhancecitizen services

PDS ONlINE SYSTEMin Chhattisgarh, has

improved availabilityof commodities in fair

price shops by morethan 85%

PROJECT e-GRAM in Gujarat covers

13,693 Gram Panchayat Offices, 225 Taluka Panchayats and

26 Districts

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