Go to school, get your degree, get a job.  Does this traditional path from education to employment make sense today for the hundreds of millions of learners around the world? The main problem was the lack of proper infrastructure, poor quality labs, no focus on practical knowledge, no idea of what market demands and poor non-beneficial curriculum. This presentation was prepared for the assignment submission for Design Thinking Action Lab course of Venture Labs, Stanford University.

1. IDEATE
Submitted by:
Arijit Goswami
Engineering student
India

2. THE PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED
 Go to school, get your degree, get a job. Does this traditional path
from education to employment make sense today for the hundreds
of millions of learners around the world? The task for this
assignment is to generate as many ideas as possible for the problem
statement crafted last week.
 The main problem was the lack of proper infrastructure, poor
quality labs, no focus on practical knowledge, no idea of what
market demands and poor non-beneficial curriculum.

3. Most obvious
solution
Skill based
workshops Teach what
companies need
application
based teaching
Lessons on how
markets work
Research culture in
universities
Real world
challenges to be
solved in colleges
allow students to
choose subjects
according to their
interests
Curb practice of
taking notes from
teachers
Encourage to research
information from library
books and the Internet
Develop critical
reading and analytical
skills in students
soft skill sessions
No to grade oriented
education

4. Modifications
of previous
solutions
Feedback from
employers Involve employers in
curriculum design
Government
support to
companies giving
internships
Update syllabus
regularly
International student
exchange
programmes
Online forum for free
counseling
Webinars by
market experts
Take examples from
education curriculum of
developed nations
Assignments that
encourage critical
thinking and
reasoning
Research culture
in universities
Competitions to test
practical skills

5. Perspectives
of a 5 year old
Teach what
companies need Enable students
to learn at their
own pace
Teaching by
demonstrations
Lessons useful for
future career to be
taught at young
age
Learning by
observation, rather
than cramming
English to be medium
of education around
India
Reducing parental and
peer pressure to perform
well
better practical
sessions
Encourage
innovation
No to marks oriented
education

6. Without
spending any
money
industry
academia
collaborations
Students' evaluation of
schools
Students'
evaluation of
teachers
Free career
counseling
students after high
school
Extracurricular
activities can help in
holistic development
Team activities in
colleges to teach team
working skills
Counseling by
alumni of college
Social networking through
LinkedIn
Involve industry to
donate equipments to
institutes
Expert talks by eminent
people in colleges
Teach networking skills
to students

7. If I had an
unlimited
budget
better
infrastructure Tie ups with companies
for industrial training
High quality
instruments
State of the art
labs
Hire teachers from
abroad
Campus of foreign
universities in the
nation
Vocational training to
students
Films to highlight
this issue
Expert talks on youth and
careers
Training sessions in
companies for new
employees
Internships at renowned
universities
Make the college labs
like those of NASA &
MIT

8. If I had infinite
powers
Call aliens to
revamp
education
system Go inside their realm of study
e.g. electronic devices
Build a machine to
feed vital data into
their minds
Build a machine to
segregate rote learners
Make a device to
secretly reveal the skill
requirements of each
company
Constitutional rule for
companies to necessarily
give training to students
Make the college labs
like those of NASA &
MIT
Opening up avenues for
all types of less
preferred careers

9. THE MOST PRACTICAL IDEA
Tie ups with companies for industrial training
 I think that the tie-ups with various companies would be of
immense help as it would put the college students in a similar
atmosphere that they would face once they are out of their
institutions. It would also let them cope up with the vigour and
rigour of the corporate sector and they would learn what the
market demands. Moreover, the companies would be able to
hone to hone those qualities of the individual which are to be
expected from a prospective employee.

10. THE MOST DISRUPTIVE IDEA
Involve employers in curriculum design
 I think that involving the prospective employers in curriculum
design can be of immense help. The employers know exactly
what they want from their prospective employee. The industry
experts can be roped in to ask for their suggestions, that can help
revamp the education curriculum of the nation. This way the
students would be taught exactly those aspects which a company
looks for in the individuals walking out of their colleges.

11. MY FAVORITE IDEA
Entry of foreign universities in the nation
 The entry of foreign universities in the nation would be a boon
for the education sector. These institutes would certainly bring
their expertise in education that they have earned over the
years. They would definitely maintain the reputation of their
campuses in foreign lands, to maintain their status in the world
rankings and in turn would help to improve the education
system of the nation.

12. THANK YOU !!!