1) Indian education, even at higher levels, fails to impart practical skills and foster self-dependence in students, focusing too much on academic content alone. 2) As a result, many degree holders lack notions of applying knowledge or practical skills, making them of little value to employers who find them incapable of even entry-level jobs. 3) One IT company screens over 3000 technical graduates annually but finds only around 30% qualified after a paid 6-month training program, showing the widespread skill deficiency among Indian graduates.

1. SKILL BEREFT TECHNICAL EDUCATION
Maj Gen Nilendra Kumar
One of the foremost challenges before education in India is its purpose
and relevance: If the school or secondary studies are not geared to
produce responsible adults capable of self dependence, then its efficacy
of education imparted comes into question. Unfortunately, even the
higher education and professional programmes are woefully handicapped
in this regard.
Primary reason for this deficiency is the mode and delivery of education
that is purely academic in contents and delivery. The exposure of students
is confined to mediocre textbooks. Such an approach adopted in colleges
and universities produces thousands of professionals every year who are
bereft of any notions of application of knowledge or practical skills. The
degree holders armed with professional degrees are of little value to the
job providers. They can claim to have passed in various courses
mentioned in their mark sheets but are ignorant of skills or practical
knowledge. The employers do not find them capable of being entrusted
with even starting positions in the professional hierarchy across available
slots in the trade or industry.
Recently, I have had an occasion to discuss the induction strategy
followed by one of the leading companies in IT sector, technology
consulting.
One of the senior directors concerned with the recruitment informed me
that they select about 3000 to 4000 technical graduates every year after a

2. preliminary screening by way of a written test. The students are mostly B
Tech and BE degree holders. Some graduates with commerce and
statistics are also picked up.
All the students found fit have to pay Rs. 3.12 lakhs to the company for
six months training. This phase involves classroom lectures; work in
different technical offices and computer labs. The students are called
upon to face regular tests. They receive no benefits except use of
company canteens to avail subsidized meals. They usually work eight
hours per day on the five days week pattern.
The trainees who qualify the six months schedule are offered further
internship for 3 to six months period on a monthly stipend of Rs. 7000/-.
If found fit at the end of the period, they are called upon to sign a bond
and accepted for a job in the company at the entry level with emoluments
ranging from 1.2 to 1.6 Lac per annum CTC.
It is generally accepted that only the students coming after B Tech from
IIT’s or a few equivalent institutions are acceptable for recruitment.
Around 70 percent of technical graduates do not fall in the category of
those who can be offered any employment straight after they come out of
engineering colleges.
Can the youth of the country be blamed for such a dismal picture in the
job market? He secures admission to an Engineering College where he
has little choice to the syllabus including its technical components,
faculty, mode or duration of teaching, examination and evaluation
process. He is at the mercy of the higher education system, which

3. operates as an industry or business lines rather than professional skill
trainers.
What are the consequences of such an education regime? It sees thousand
students being churned out every year by engineering colleges who add
up to the unemployed millions. The disappointed and distressed young
are victims of psychological imbalances. They remain a drain on the
society and also significantly are cause of social evils like dowry, drug
abuse and a variety of crimes.
Various regulators and the government are responsible to address the
situation by making the syllabus and its delivery more relevant to
corporate and scientific needs. Then alone can India entertain any hope of
advantage in service trade from the competing economies?