CHAPTER – I

INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCH

TOPIC

Sr.No. Description Page No.

1.1 Introduction 1

1.2 Need & Importance of this study in the era

of Globalisation 3

1.2.1 Educational Patterns in India 5

1.2.2 Formal Education / Mainstream Education 6

1.2.3 Stages of Mainstream Education in India 6

1.3 Limitations of Mainstream Education in

India

6

1.4 Higher Education 8

1.5 Non – Formal Education 15

1.6 Informal Learning 15

1.7 Skills & Knowledge 15

1.8 Training 16

1.9 Corporate Training 17

1.9.1 Soft Skills 17

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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCH TOPIC

1.1 Introduction:

We often refer to the word “Education” in our daily lives and some of us use

it regularly to educate themselves others do it for a mere degree, for some it’s

a mere collection of data but for my thesis this word means application to what

is learnt and utility to its core and employability to its fullest. (Pathak 2010)1

This is how the researcher describes the word education in today’s ever

changing world. Education has always been a dynamic concept over the years

and the researcher agrees with the author when he says so but today what India

needs in this dynamic world of business is clear manifestation of talent and

skills which will go a long way producing employability. Mr. Narayan

Murthy had once remarked “Unfortunately many Institutions in India are

not able to attract and retain high quality faculty, and also the lack of

market orientation has resulted in colleges focusing on outdated curriculum

and rote learning. Consequently a large portion of our educational institutes

produce graduates & post graduates who are ill equipped to relate their

learning with the outside world. India today has over 5.3 million

unemployed University graduates even as Indian industries face shortages

of skilled labour” Rai (2007). My research here deals with the most basic

requirement from any educational institution which is to train students so

they can gain employability after passing out or graduation where the

researcher has tried to compare the mainstream education system with

corporate training programs to understand their “modus operandi” which

seems to have superseded mainstream education in its appeal to fresh

graduates or working professionals to gain employability even after gaining

mainstream education.

1 R.P.Pathak (2010), Educational Systems Of India: Education In Modern India. New Delhi – 110095 Glorious Printers

2

Harvey (2005, pp. 13-14)2 notes “employability” in quite broad terms in

Bhanugopan and Fish (2009)3 as:

. . . “A set of achievements, skills, understandings and personal attributes that

make graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in their

chosen occupations, which benefits themselves, the workforce, the community

and the economy.”

In today’s business context education & training demands a diagnostic

approach to understand the differences between what institutes are doing and

what is required to create professionally sound managers and leaders of

tomorrow. In the post-industrial economy, work and workplace have been

considerably influenced by changes in technology, management innovations,

and competition in the global market; these influences have transformed the

kind of knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for successful employment and

work performance Saini (2005)4. Skills development is a major critical

concern for international agencies too. Given the substantial investment in

university students or graduates, it is particularly important that they are

employable upon graduation Smith et al (2000)5. A furore has erupted in the

country over basic skills. The business community has complained that the

incompetence of the labour force such as the inability to read, mistakes in

arithmetic, and poor communication skills will be a contributing factor in

supporting the economy Grubba and Kalman (1994)6. Many believe that the

workplace has changed dramatically in response to a new competitive business

environment that is marked by flexibility, fast response time, and managerial

and technological innovations. This new workplace is thought to require

workers with higher and more varied skills, particularly general skills such as

problem solving, team work, communication skills, numeracy skills,

2 www.qualityreserch international.com/ese/relatedpubs/Transition% 20from% 20HE% 20into% 20work.doc 3 Education þ Training Vol. 51 No. 2, 2009 pp. 108-123 Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0040- 0912 DOI 10.1108/00400910910941273 4 “HRD through Vocational Training: The Indian Model” Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 40, No. 4 529-546 5 “Graduate Employability: Policy and Performance in Higher Education in the UK” The Economic Journal, Vol. 110, No. 464, Features pp. F382-F411 6 “Relearning to Earn: The Role of Remediation in Vocational Education and Job Training” American Journal of Education, Vol. 103, No. 1 pp. 54-93

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management skills etc. unfortunately, schools are not perceived to be

producing students who have such skills. The result, it is commonly argued, is

a 'skills' gap that threatens ... productivity and competitiveness Hayward &

Fernandez (2004)7.

India is home for 17% of the world’s total population, spread in 2.4% of the

world’s total land area, this ranking 2nd in population and 7th in landmass of

the world Rai (2007). Literacy rate in India is 74.04% well below compared to

the world average literacy rate of 84%. Despite government programs India’s

literacy rate increased slowly. The 2011 census however indicated a 2001-

2011 decadal literacy growth of 9.2% that is slower than the growth seen

during the last decade.

1.2 Need & Importance of this study in the era of Globalisation

The existing educational system in India is based on structural syllabus &

conventional methods /practices of teaching & training that continue to remain

unchanged. In addition the Universities, AICTE, DTE do not provide much

liberty to the heads of institutions to make necessary changes that causes a gap

between the industry and education thereby depriving students or work

professionals from gaining employability.

According to Rai (2007) India had the lowest public expenditure on higher

education per student amongst developing and developed countries.

According to Association of Universities reports of 2011 (IAU), India’s

education system is the third largest in the world having 537 Universities,

26000 colleges 521,843 teachers and more than 1240000 students and its

growing by the year due to globalisation and expansion of businesses alike,

but the major important aspect is are we looking at quantity of institutes or

quality and result which gives us employability. If we focus closely, on the

gross enrolment ratio in the higher education that is 12.5% much lower than

the average for developed countries and the world as a whole. Many students

7 “From Core Skills to Key Skills: Fast Forward or Back to the Future? Oxford Review of Education, Vol. 30, No. 1, Special Issue: Business, Education and Vocationalism pp. 117-145

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are shying away from education in the age group of 18 to 25 as many of them

prefer working than to spend time in educating themselves or else enrol for a

undergraduate course and not attend college just to gain some work experience

so that would suffice to get them a job or at least give them the experience of

the real world. It is true that learning today does not take place in colleges as

most of the students spend time doing internships and working part time.

Learning should be designed to teach lessons students take on the job so that

will foster an environment full of vibrant, entrepreneurs poised to develop new

ways of thinking and applying knowledge wherever necessary. Now days this

is done at professional courses geared up to teach skills required on the job.

According to a study by (Kataria 2011) QS world rankings no Indian

University stands in the top 200 academic institutions of the world. As for our

relief only IIT Mumbai stands at 187 and the same has plummeted 23 steps

this year compared to Japan which has a credit of 10 institutions in the list ,

while china has 6 and Korea credit of 5 institutions in the list. A major

shocking news in this year’s QS World Rankings 2012 that has come to the

fore comes as a major disappointment to Indian higher education /

Universities this year. No Indian University stood in the top 200 academic

institutions of the world including the IIT & IIMS that are regarded top

educational institutes in India. The relief that we got in 2011 as a saving face

of Indian academic institutions the IIT’s & IIM’s has been taken away from us

today as the rankings of IIM’s & IIT’s has gone down 38 steps making Indian

Universities /higher education disappear from the world’s top 200

Universities QS rankings . There is not a single Indian academic institution

that is able to portray an academic standard that is expected at least in the top

200 Universities of the world then there is something seriously wrong in our

education system that has to be rectified at the earliest. Brazil, Russia, China,

South Africa has at least one University featured in the top 200 QS Rankings.

China on the other hand has about 7 higher education Institutes in the top 200

ranking list. Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2011 -

2012 does not have any Indian University listed in their top 300 world

University rankings. All this information if taken really seriously tells us that

academic pattern followed in our Universities doesn’t change according to the

change in the business, and constant update is required to match international

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standards that globalisation has brought in over the last decade. Education

should be more dynamic , flexible and compatible to help the students get a

reasonable future or else there will be groups of educated jobless graduates

who will not only shy away from education but the trust imbibed through

education will diminish with every passing minute/day. Therefore we need to

address this burning issue by developing strategic alliances with the industrial

sector to understand their basic needs and necessity and by doing so the

students will also get what they desire instead of waiting unemployed for the

rest of their lives. (Mukhopadhyay & Parhar 2007). When the market needs

are considered to be more important than anything else only then the

researcher thinks there will be this paradigm shift of giving education which is

churning out employable graduates. This is where professional education

comes into picture as many traditional Universities or Institutions of Higher

education fall short of quick decision making to accept the realities of the

changing business environment may not be grasped as rapidly as professional

courses/education. So my research on the present topic will bring to the brink

of understanding that corporate education/ training helps in the provision of

systematic employable development with the ever changing globalised market.

We definitely have to make some effort to save the seriously falling standards

of our education system.

1.2.1 Educational Patterns in India

Basic Education

The whole range of educational activities that take place in different settings

and aim to meet basic learning needs of an individual that comprises of formal

schooling (primary & secondary) as well as a wide variety of non – formal and

informal public & private educational activities offered to meet designed basic

learning needs of groups of people of all ages. Atchoarena & Gasperini

(2003)8

8 “Education for rural development towards new policy responses”, Raman Enterprises New Delhi. ISBN 81-316- 0036-x

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1.2.2 Formal Education / Mainstream Education

Education that is provided in the systems of schools , colleges & Universities

and other formal Educational institutions that normally constitutes a

continuous ladder of full time education generally beginning at the age of 5 to

7 and continuing up to 20-25 years of age. In some countries the upper part of

this ladder are constituted by organised programmes of joint part time

employment and part time participation in regular school and university

system which are known as dual systems or equivalent terms.

India is having a unique and progressive educational system of its own and is

considered to be the largest educational network in the world at present. The

adoption of the common pattern of 10 + 2 + 3 for school and college classes is

regarded as an important reform in the Indian system of education for a long

time and has been accepted in all parts of the country.

1.2.3 Stages of Mainstream Education in India

The mainstream Education pattern includes three distinct stages,

� The first stage involves 10 years of schooling for all children that includes

general education laying more emphasis on Science & Mathematics, and

the addition of new subjects such as Work experience, Physical education,

& Aesthetic activities.

� The Second Stage involves two years duration where diversified and

specialised courses are provided trying to lay more emphasis on

vocationalization.

� The Third stage involves the college course of three years duration

leading to the First degree of B.A./B.Sc / B.Com. Satilja (1996) 4 Yrs in

case of engineering and Medical.

1.3 Limitations of Mainstream Education in India

Narrowly Conceived

Traditional subject matter of mere academic interest has restricted the

curriculum where there is absolutely no scope for appreciation and application

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of skills needed in work places today. It only prepares students to join colleges

and not life and also fails to solve the problems of the society.

Bookish & Mechanical

The students are unable to learn beyond their prescribed books and the

emphasis is more on academic and theoretical aspects rather than the practical

view of the knowledge pursued. Even in the theoretical perspective there is a

collection of unrelated items based on the wrong psychology of learning,

many of those that do not relate to the needs of learners.

Uniform & Rigid

There is uniformity and rigidity in the curriculum and no provision for

diversification of courses and activities has been made to suit the requirement

of every individual who wants to learn something different that will help

him/her in his career. The revision of curriculum is undertaken once in 3 to 5

years which does not incorporate the changes according to the needs and

requirements of the students or businesses. Problems in adapting to new

challenges like distance education, non formal education and newer courses

that suit the requirements of the industry. Laurence (2010)

No University – Industry Interface – a combination of factors such as

difficulty faced by graduates in the job market. There is unsuitability of

traditional courses for industrial purpose, insensitiveness or ignorance of

academics about specific problems facing industry, rapid developments of new

technologies, and also to provide practical training and exposure to students

signify urgent need to establish close collaboration between University

Institutions & Industry. Sen. (2009)

Heavy & Overloaded

The existing curriculum has been heavy, overloaded and overcrowded with

too many subjects where in those subjects are dominated by a lot of work

which creates a hindrance to study practical and relevant subjects.

Dominated by Examinations

Our system of education is heavily based on examinations where in students

are assessed only on the basis of their marks in the examinations which is or

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may not be judging the true potential of a student, moreover students become

victims of mugging and writing the papers without actually understanding or

applying the knowledge that has been gained in the schools and colleges.

Un-progressive

The existing curriculum is un-progressive in the sense that it does not keep

pace with the present times and advancements that different industries and

businesses undertake in response to the changing global scenario. Therefore

there is no active learning that can be used directly at an advantage when

students pass out of colleges and schools; the entire process of training them

for the career development is lost in the static response to change. Problems of

Curriculum development and there is dire need for more flexibility in offering

courses to students.

Formal nature of Education

Our system of education gives little scope for informal or non formal

education. The present times are dominated with importance being laid on

non- formal methods and non – formal agencies of education.

Exclusion of professional / career oriented subjects

The present curriculum is more or less related to academic work and does not

give due importance to professional subjects. There has to be a provision of

inclusion of practical and work related subjects for training the students to take

part in industrial and economic development of the country.

Emphasis on memorising as opposed to understanding and producing

original work

The existing study curriculum in mainstream education requires students to

memorise subject matter in order to pass examinations. After the examinations

students are quiet blank and do not attempt to develop originality.

1.4 Higher Education:

Indian Universities are mostly teaching and examining bodies with adequate

research facilities at a few centres. In most places decisions of all kinds

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requiring even small expenditure of, purchase of common items repair of

equipments, permission to travel, release of contingency funds etc. are taken

centrally with adverse effects on the speed and efficiency of teaching and

research. Restructuring of courses etc. require new types of management and

has suffered a lot due to traditionalism. Course structures cannot be changed

with the rapid speed of change in the industry and business. Teaching

programs in many cases have no relevance in terms of the need of the society.

Rigidity of the Board of studies do not allow introduction of new multi faculty

or inter faculty courses as also redesigning of courses. Therefore there is

hardly any collaboration between the industry research and any other

academic institution. Laurence (2010)

The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh made a clear statement on the

launch of Knowledge Commission in 2005, about institutions that would bring

excellence in the field of education, research and capability to prepare India

for the 21st century making a clear reference to the statement of the first Prime

Minister of India Sri Jawahar Lal Nehru then about his vision to prepare the

youth of India through in Higher Education for meaningful contribution in the

industries. Both of the above sentences speak about the change in the field of

higher education that will bring about meaningful change that will benefit the

industries, businesses & later the economy. (Bhushan, 2005).

According to (Bhushan 2005), the quality of higher education has deteoriated,

but exactly there is no assessment of quality in terms of the employability of

the students. The industry today needs graduates to know how to increase the

overall turnover of the business and industries which is related to the

professional development of the student compared to the present system of

academics and marks orientation. It is not only the business and industries that

are suffering due to the lack of professional quality in education or real time

education, but also colleges and other educational institutions. In a report from

mediocrity of research (A.M. Shah. 2005), concludes that

“a cumulative effect of various developments within and outside education

field is the declining enrolment of talented students resulting in declining

ability of trained researchers and teachers in the basic physical sciences, social

sciences and the humanities for appointment in colleges, Universities &

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research institutions and thus the later causes decline in the teaching

standards”.

Such kind of ill effects that spill out unemployable population in India , and

that develops through the ongoing activities which do not focus on the

development of the profession but a study that is just suitable for the virtual

world and not the real world. The researcher’s intention of bringing this study

in the focus is to try and help professionals to gain edge and develop a

sustainable growth pattern for employment through professional and market

driven education.

The expansion of the general and technical /professional courses would be fit

only if they are developed according to the demand, Amrik Singh (2004) and

thus if we take a stock of institution building, the strength of higher education

is large but only a few dealing with the excellence required for the 21st

century. There is evidence of the fact that some professional courses that have

market induced demand are offered by many institutions like computer

applications, soft skills training etc. Offering courses that have employment

potential along with the mainstream education will create productive synergy

between Universities, Institutions and the corporate world. According to the

researcher such a synergy only will work create employment in the near future

(Mukhopadhyay & Parhar 2007). At the moment there is a huge gap in what

is delivered in the name of quality education and whether the outcome is fit

and ready to use in the real world of work. This was one of the lines that were

spoken in the speech by Shri. Rajeshji Tope (Hon. Minister for higher and

Technical education Maharashtra state) at a function 1st July 1300hrs. He also

mentioned that today the education that is imparted to the younger generation

should be updated with constant links with the industry, and check whether

those courses yield maximum number of employability. (Shree Rajeshji Tope ,

speech 1st July 2011). He also added that institutions should keep a clear track

of what practices are presently in use in the industry and eradicate those that

are on the verge of getting obsolete and to do so the management of the

institutes should make an important link with the industry to develop

professionals ready to work after passing out and there should be no need to

train them after they join the industry thereby reducing the overall cost and

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time of training them once again. The researcher thinks that the topic that he is

discussing right now quiet well signifies the distance and gap of educational

syllabus that should mend ways with the way industries function. For ex.

Today we cannot guarantee employability to a student who has just passed out

his BBA, B.Com, BSc., or even B.E. for that matter which is an alarming

situation to the whole of educational reforms working towards improving

quality as it signifies the depth of knowledge a country can produce to boost

economic development which is directly related to the education received.

According to a study based on technical education coping up with external

changes has been a difficult task for technical institutions in India & despite

being the third largest country in providing technical education it is deluded

with lot of information of the world of studies which is struggling to find a

match with the world of work. (Mitra 2007). The whole point is that there has

to be a certain link to the University with the industry for such programs in

order to stay in par with the industries and the education to keep up with the

present times.

In a recent address at an institute Shree Rajeshji Tope (Minister for Higher &

Technical education) highlighted the need for promoting skills development in

a big way to ensure the state meets the commitment of contributing a 50

million skilled work force to the Prime Minister’s National skills Development

objective of creating a 500 million skilled work force. In the same context he

cited the Gujarat Model where in government extends land to a group of

industries sector specific skill development parks (SDP’s) to take care of

designing training courses to suit the need of the industries. (Times of India,

2012-10-17 pg 3)

Therefore, the researcher would like to state that now is the time that people

start thinking on productive outputs (like employability, outcome , result

orientation ) rather than a stringent examination patterns that would put

students through rigorous studies and finally just pass an examination to prove

their metal. The researcher is not against examinations at all provided they

yield something in order to gain employability in the near future, for example

many graduates are not well versed with soft skills required to do

presentations at company or unit levels , but as the students are just expected

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to know the subject thoroughly in books they are not trained in application and

explanation to put or rather convince the people about the application which in

itself is hindrance to educating minds for application in the real world.

A case study that the researcher came across recently also admits the fact that

there is large number of students coming out of institutions being unable to

find suitable employment, not being fully equipped to face the challenges of

the real world as a result unemployment in developing countries is increasing

over the years. Therefore, it is critical to ask this question that if they do not

prepare students for life in real world and which does not create confidence in

the students but on the other hand made them dependant on other non formal

& formal (professional) agencies. (Gandhi 2010).

Sixty six years after India attained independence, India boasts of 310

universities and 16,000 colleges offering the widest spectrum of courses. Its

centres of higher learning like the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and

the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are global brand names. Despite this

there are number of students who struggle to get through interviews at campus

recruitments and selection procedures. It is definitely time for us to think

about the curriculum development and realistic work environments to bridge

the gap between education and industry practices, for churning out more

employable graduates that can be done through corporate training training

programs. Therefore the need to understand the necessary, “skills”, and

“personal attributes” needed at the point of graduation in order to be in a

position to come to the attention of “desirable” employers at a critical career

stage. In a research paper by Bhanugopan & Fish (2009) Senior-level

undergraduate business students and employers were surveyed regarding their

perceptions on the importance of certain general business and technical skills

and personal attributes which contribute to employability of the students in the

industries. The results showed that “time management skills”, “written

communication skills”, and “leadership skills”, were rated highest and valued

by both students and employers. Nevertheless, whilst it is critical to know the

specific skills and personal attributes necessary for ongoing success, it is

equally critical to know the most appropriate means to best deliver

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programmes that develop the types of skills and personal attributes required of

graduates.

In a nut shell there should be more emphasis to be given under globalization

initiatives is “Employability” and we should try and get students more

employable.

Theoretical (formal) knowledge and learning are necessary parts of expert

knowledge. Formal learning occurs normally in a prescribed learning

framework and in an organised learning event in the presence of a teacher

(Eraut 2000). For this reason, theoretical knowledge is usually gained by

theoretical studies. The significance of practical and metacognitive (or self-

regulative) knowledge has also been emphasised as part of expert knowledge.

Practical (informal) knowledge manifests itself as skills or "knowing-how".

As it occurs and develops in those concrete situations where it is learnt, it is

contextual and social in nature. Practical learning can be implicit, reactive or

deliberative. Deliberate processes are needed in work. These include decision-

making, planning and problem-solving (Eraut 2000; Eraut et al. 2000).

Metacognitive skills are linked with the skills to organise and review one's

behaviour, including one's ability to act reflectively, to think critically and to

develop a positive attitude towards lifelong learning. Generic competences are

defined as the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that can be used successfully in

different working situations and professional contexts (Eraut 1994; Everwijn

1999). Examples of these competences are, cross-disciplinary thinking,

planning, co-ordinating and organising, problem solving ability, analytic

competences, learning ability, working independently and working in a team.

However, the challenges in working life, for which the students during the

higher education should be prepared, cannot be accomplished by using

theoretical knowledge alone accomplished by using theoretical knowledge

alone .Working life requires practical and situational knowledge, professional

experience and judgement . Furthermore, practical and theoretical knowledge

support the use and applicability of each other. For these reasons, educational

practices should not differ from the practices and activities required in the

real-life expert environments for which the students are supposed to be

prepared. An important challenge of higher education is to integrate the

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acquisition of domain-specific knowledge with practical knowledge and skill

e.g., social skills, communication and technology skills (MCkinen et al. 1999;

Tynjl et al. 2003) and, further, to encourage students to apply knowledge, to

solve problems and to tackle problems at higher levels. The need to teach

employability skills (along with basic skills) continues to gain nationwide

credibility and recognition. Luft and Schoen (1986) studied nontechnical

competency (employability skills) areas to determine the extent to which

business educators address each area in the curriculum. Nontechnical areas

were defined as problem solving, stress management, professional

characteristics, communications skills, and human relations principles Poole &

Zahn (1993). Employability skills are an enduring policy concept because

such skills are thought to contribute to both aggregate economic growth and

improved labour market outcomes for individuals. However, the employability

skills discourse rests on two assumptions that have not been subjected to

empirical analysis. The first is that many young people are deficient in

employability skills, mainly because schools do not sufficiently emphasize

such skills. The second is that students lack awareness of the skills needed in

the world of work Krahn et al (2002). Learning environments that focus not

only on occupation-specific competences, but also on generic and reflective

competences (communication & team working skills) are expected to prepare

students better for a changing labour market than studies in which students had

few incentives in the field of generic and reflective competences (Evers et al.

1998; Ment kowski and associates 2000). In their view, the education system

should provide students with those generic competences in order to perform

properly at the workplace Vaatstra & Vries (2007). In a conventional learning

(mainstream education ) environment it is mostly the teacher who is

organising, structuring and presenting the learning material in the form of

lectures to the students which does not guarantee practical orientation of the

knowledge . In general, during these formal lectures students are listening to

the teachers and are not directly activated to structure new knowledge or apply

it to realistic cases by themselves because they are supposed to write an exam

that analyses the theoretical aspects of the study that is rigid and not flexible to

accommodate changes of the real world. Supporters of conventional learning

(mainstream education) bring up that students learn more about the subject

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matter in conventional learning environments to produce scholars on paper

rather than producing a global work force that would support the economy of

the country. According to this statement, graduates from more conventional

learning environments will indicate that they posses more field-specific

theoretical knowledge than graduates who have studied in non formal learning

environments (Corporate training etc.).

1.5 Non- Formal Education

Non – formal education is any organised or sustained educational activity that

does not correspond to the above definition. Non – formal education may

therefore take place both within and outside educational institutions that cater

to people of all ages depending on country contexts it may cover educational

programmes to impart adult literacy, basic education for out of school children

life skills, work skills, and general culture. Non formal educational

programmes may not follow the ladder system and may not be of differing

durations.

1.6 Informal Learning

A form of learning that is not structured or organised by any institutions, it

occurs to everyday interactions with the environment that offer new

information or insights for e.g. through conversation , reading , radio and

television broadcasts. Atchoarena & Gasperini (2003)

1.7 Skills & Knowledge

The researcher intends to describe the term knowledge in a broader sense as it

was used by the philosophers in the past as opposed to the narrower and more

diluted way used by educators today that simply recalls facts the theoretical

way. The main idea of this research is to develop competence and skills that

can be utilised in the real world of work which is based on application and

execution. Eraut (1990) identifies six different types of knowledge that have a

major role to play in the development of competence: 'situational knowledge,

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knowledge of people, and knowledge of practice, conceptual knowledge,

process knowledge, and control knowledge'. The research will be based more

on knowledge from a situational & practical perspective that underpins

competencies & skills, knowledge that facilitates the transfer of competencies

and skills in a work place & knowledge that encourages flexibility and change

to combat any business situation in the most competent way in order to

develop an employable education to be the integral part of the research. A

problem that all employers have to cope with at some time is that of change. It

is not sufficient for employees to be highly competent in particular areas if

they are unwilling or unable to adapt to changing requirements. According to

Dixon and Baltes (1986) the work place today requires a notion of competence

or expertise that will enable individuals to adapt to the changing demands of

work and social life. Therefore it is important to foster student's learning and

integration of theoretical knowledge in practice during tertiary education. One

tool for this is to pay more attention to practical knowledge in the theoretical

part of the curriculum Katajavuori et al (2006). Change is the buzz word in

today's corporate world. Managing constant change is no longer a new

phenomenon now. In the past, there has been a lot of discussion on "resistance

to change" but today organisations as well as employees either swim or sink

with the changing waters. Waraich & Bhardwaj (2007)

1.8 Training

Training has assumed a significant importance in the world of business,

especially during the last two decades. The businesses have recognised the

need for training in enhancing productivity and improving organisational

functioning, and as Rai (2007) puts it as the practical application of knowledge

that provides requisite experience skills and the ability to produce the desired

results. It may also be called as a man made module for providing practical

experience skills and the ability which is required to meet specific needs and

standards. The difference between knowledge and training is that knowledge

relates to theory and training relates to practice.

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1.9 Corporate Training –

Corporate training is based on management education and all aspects starting

from communication to problem solving are taught in corporate training which

has a huge scope in today’s global work place/ environment. It deals with

learning different languages, knowing different work cultures, interpersonal

skills, six sigma, information & communication technology working in teams

and flexible enough to upgrade and include nuances in the field of business

thereby proving to be a boon for business growth and employability in

general. Theoretical aspects are learnt to be applied systematically to business

situations in order to promote project based learning for smooth transition

from academic to work related environments. These aspects are generally not

dealt with or covered in mainstream education thereby producing a massive

gap in the mainstream education and industry /real work places. This gap is

widened due to the reluctance of mainstream education to act or work in

partnership with the industries /work places to produce employable graduates.

The lack of provision of employability skills in the mainstream education has

boosted corporate training to make substantial progress in proving to be a

prudent choice of students and work professionals as it delivers what business

wants in order to progress. Corporate training upgrades the syllabus from time

to time to meet the business requirements of students and working

professionals which makes it a popular choice to go for in terms of career

progression or employability. These are some of the basic management skills

that are needed in the work place.

1.9.1 Soft Skills - Soft skills is a sociological term relating to a person's "EQ"

(Emotional Intelligence Quotient), the cluster of personality traits, social

graces, communication, language, personal habits, friendliness, and optimism

that characterize relationships with other people. Soft skills complement hard

skills (part of a person's IQ), which are the occupational requirements of a job

and many other activities.

Soft skills are personal attributes that enhance an individual's interactions, job

performance and career prospects. Unlike hard skills, which are about a

person's skill set and ability to perform a certain type of task or activity, soft

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skills relate to a person's ability to interact effectively with co-workers and

customers and are broadly applicable both in and outside the workplace.

A person's soft skill EQ is an important part of their individual contribution to

the success of an organization. Particularly those organizations dealing with

customers face-to-face are generally more successful, if they train their staff to

use these skills. Screening or training for personal habits or traits such as

dependability and conscientiousness can yield significant return on investment

for an organization. For this reason, soft skills are increasingly sought out by

employers in addition to standard qualifications.

It has been suggested that in a number of professions soft skills may be more

important over the long term than occupational skills. The legal profession is

one example where the ability to deal with people effectively and politely,

more than their mere occupational skills, can determine the professional

success of a lawyer.

Soft Skills are behavioral competencies. Also known as Interpersonal

Skills, or people skills, they include proficiencies such as communication

skills, conflict resolution and negotiation, personal effectiveness, creative

problem solving, strategic thinking, team building, presentation skills, public

speaking skills, influencing skills and selling skills, to name a few.

People Skills: According to the Portland Business Journal, people skills are

described as understanding ourselves and moderating our responses, talking

effectively and empathizing accurately & building relationships of trust,

respect and productive interactions.

A British definition is “the ability to communicate effectively with people in a

friendly way, especially in business.”

Social Skills:

In behaviourism, social skill is any skill facilitating interaction and

communication with others. Social rules and relations are created,

communicated, and changed in verbal and nonverbal ways. The process of

learning such skills is called socialization. The rationale for this type of an

approach to treatment is that people meet a variety of social problems and can

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reduce the stress and punishment from the encounter as well as increase their

reinforcement by having the correct skills.

Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skills are sometimes also referred to as people skills or

communication skills. Interpersonal skills involve using skills such as active

listening, tone of voice, delegation, and leadership. It is how well you

communicate with someone and how well you behave or carry yourself.

The term "interpersonal skills" is used often in business contexts to refer to

the measure of a person's ability to operate within business organizations

through social communication and interactions. Interpersonal skills are how

people relate to one another.

Communication Skills - Competence in communication, in a very broad

sense, involves all those procedures that allow an individual to express

him/herself effectively. Within this broad range two distinct, though clearly

related, types of competence may be identified. The first type is verbal

competence. It is the ability to speak and write clearly and effectively. The

second type is non-verbal competence. Skills in this area are displayed in a

variety of non-verbal systems of codification, which range from aesthetic

symbols to gesture and digital language systems. From this definition it

follows that effective communication is a form of human behaviour that may

be exhibited in a variety of media and contexts.

Quantification Skills or Numerical skills - Just as college graduates must be

able to express themselves in an organised, clear, concise manner using

appropriate verbal and non-verbal symbols, they must also be familiar with

basic quantitative principles and procedures. Quantitative competence

involves the ability to find solutions to quantitatively-based problems. It also

includes the ability to discern limits of quantitative techniques-that is, to

determine when these techniques are not suitable for solving a problem.

Analytical skills - Analytic skill involves identifying the parts of a whole and

the relationships of those parts to the whole. It includes the ability to identify

the essential components of ideas, events, problems, and processes; to draw

logical deductions about those components; and to recognise the limitations of

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these deductions. Since most problems are not isolated from one another,

analytic skill includes the ability to establish relationship, where they exist,

between problems. Analytic competence also involves the ability to think

critically and to solve problems.

Synthesising Skills - Synthesising skills are those which help an individual

integrate basic knowledge, feelings, or the like. At all levels of every field of

study and work this skill allows individuals to create innovative combinations

of ideas, objects, processes, and people. Students with highly developed

synthesising skills are adept at putting apparently unrelated facts into a

common frame of reference. They are able to find unifying themes or common

threads that enable them to deal effectively with diffuse bodies of information.

They not only possess a facility for constructing a general framework to

accommodate whatever information they have, but they can move beyond that

information, applying its principles to new situations or other bodies of

information.

Values Clarification - Values influence the behaviour of people. Since values

play such an important role in life, it is important to be able to identify them

and to have some idea of how they are formed. Education can help people to

develop the ability to identify their own values and the value systems of

others. Furthermore, education can help people determine how values

influence decisions and how they translate into behaviour that might affect

other people Bradshaw (1985).

Generic Skills - 'Skills' that usually refer to those specific competencies

required for the successful completion of particular activities (e.g. cycling or

driving a car). They can be listed and trained in. They can be assessed

relatively easily because one can specify the precise conditions in which

someone has to display the particular competence. But now, especially in the

context of vocational relevance, reference is made to generic skills which

should be incorporated in courses which are not normally referred to as

vocational (for example, arts degrees in higher education). Examples would be

'communication skills' and 'enterprise skills' Pring (2004).

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Six Sigma- is a business management strategy, originally developed by

Motorola in 1986. Six Sigma became well known after Jack Welch made it a

central focus of his business strategy at General Electric in 1995, and today it

is widely used in many sectors of industry.

Six Sigma seeks to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and

removing the causes of defects (errors) and minimizing variability in

manufacturing and business processes. It uses a set of quality management

methods, including statistical methods, and creates a special infrastructure of

people within the organization ("Black Belts", "Green Belts", etc.) who are

experts in these methods. Each Six Sigma project carried out within an

organization follows a defined sequence of steps and has quantified financial

targets (cost reduction and/or profit increase).

The term Six Sigma originated from terminology associated with

manufacturing, specifically terms associated with statistical modeling of

manufacturing processes. The maturity of a manufacturing process can be

described by a sigma rating indicating its yield or the percentage of defect-free

products it creates. A six sigma process is one in which 99.99966% of the

products manufactured are statistically expected to be free of defects (3.4

defects per million). Motorola set a goal of "six sigma" for all of its

manufacturing operations, and this goal became a byword for the management

and engineering practices used to achieve it.

In the burgeoning knowledge economy it is clear that employees need to be

adaptable and flexible. Unlike the twentieth century when workers often had a

job or an occupation for life, the twenty-first century world of work looks very

different. Employees will need to adapt to changing circumstances and to be

self aware and receptive to change. Apart from formal education (mainstream

education) companies now a day’s prefer corporate training programs that are

more realistic in nature and more confined to the goal of the organisation. A

case study that the researcher recently came across was of a company formed

in Ireland in 1919, Kentz an international business employing more than

10,000 people in over 20 countries – predominantly Europe, Africa, the

Middle East and Asia Kentz (2009) introduced a mentoring /training

programme for graduates entering the workforce to enhance leadership skills,

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management skills relating to Kentz business functions, and were also

provided with soft skills enhancement courses. The reason behind such

corporate training programs was to develop sufficient engineering apprentices

to power growth in major developing economies McGettingan & O’Neill

(2009). Broadman (2010) talks about vocational subjects that are intrinsically

more likely to fulfil the need to provide knowledge and skills that are easily

transferrable to the workplace. The curriculum toady needs to be a mixture of

formal sessions & development of industry skills such as management skills,

soft skills such as team work, communication, etc from the industry which will

develop the students for the real work environments. The important question

today is Whether a fresh-faced graduate is “job-ready” (Peck and Theodore,

2000) and in this sense perceived as “employable”, will be based on the

extent to which graduates have been exposed to appropriate “business” and

“technical” skills, and if they possess necessary “personal attributes” to be of

immediate value to prospective employers.

In this regard an initiative by the University of Central Lancashire was taken

forward for Employability in the humanities faculty devoted solely to improve

and enhance the employability of Humanities undergraduates, and the

rationale behind this concept is of the Realistic Work Environment (RWE).

But such initiatives rarely catch up with speed of ongoing changes and

modifications that businesses demand in the 21st century, and therefore

graduates & work force seek alternative sources of skill development other

than formal university programmes and go for professional training or

corporate training programs.

More specifically though, in a study of Fortune 500 companies Martell and

Carroll (1994) noted that, although technical skill requirements needed for a

position differed across functional areas, “general business skills” and

“personal attributes” were the same across all functional areas. Maes et al.

(1997) found that oral communication skills were more important to

employers than written communication skills.

Today, India has reached a new and improved state of development where the

horizons of learning and education are being pushed upwards and stretched to

their maximum limits owing to globalisation and competition. In the past there

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was a definite idea about what a person may earn after graduating a particular

faculty or when he/ she finishes college, but today the scene has changed as

we come across many instances despite having a proper qualifications through

conventional ways students fail to impress the employers when it comes to

performing apart from getting good grades. We come across many scholars

now a day’s who score in terms of academics or may be good at understanding

technical issues related to their area of study, but a sound technical knowledge

is useful only to get a college degree not a good job. There are instances where

people with 98-99% marks in academics and theory cannot prove their point

of view in front of a 50 odd people. The researcher, on countless occasions has

come across many students who are very bright in academics but fail to

express it in front of people or presentation is difficult as opposed to a person

with no academic wit doing it with ease as they have people skills or may be

socialising skills. So, where do these people skills and convincing skills turn

up from within the rigid boundaries of effective conventional educational

system.

According to a NASSCOM-McKinsey study, the Indian software industry has

grossed US$50 billion in exports in 2008! This is based on an average growth

rate of 35 percent per year. This has in turn created the need for technically

sound professionals who have the people management skills to be effective

managers. A survey of IT recruitment advertisements have clearly revealed

that at entry-level positions technical skills are emphasized. However, soft

skills like effective communication, the ability to work in teams and strong

interpersonal skills are what enable a person to move up the ladder. We can

clearly see that the business potential in these areas have gone up at a

substantial rate and the only way people can look forward to development is to

gear up for interpersonal skills, soft skills and many more to come yet to find

out or re- defined. The Indian education system is strong enough to produce

international scholars, academicians and scientists who rule the roost globally

and but is this past record going to be useful with the same kind of education

in the future or it may need some change or other alternate ways to teach new

skills to people for a better future and growth in the job scenario. India is also

a global destination for business and lot of MNC’s are setting up their offices

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in India to offer jobs and placements to Indian people. The growth potential

for India in terms of education and business is at a all time high because of

globalisation and therefore there is a dire need to understand necessities and

essentials to make a strong and global work force geared to take up challenges

from anywhere in the world.

There are lot of educational systems in India poised as the Formal, Informal,

Non- Formal, that are widely followed by student and adults alike and that’s

why the term education can be a life- long activity. Today getting a degree or a

diploma is a certificate to have passed a certain type of examination and

secured formal education, but whether that guarantees good employability

prospects is something that we need to find out and that is what the researcher

will try to find out through the research.

These modes of professional education give a varied pattern designed to

provide education according to the need of the industry which seems of

paramount importance to the researcher at this stage of globalization of

businesses in India. The flexibility of such patterns of educational practices is

now a day’s regarded as corporate training which is goal oriented and also

market driven. Several consumers of corporate training are interested in the

value they create on the job rather than the certificates that they achieve after

passing an examination.

There are many institutions that have come up and are providing quality

education to suit the needs and requirements of the job market and are

consistently pouring and pulling resources to identify the nuances in the real

world business to tap the best and the latest to equip the students with the

latest trends in the industry. All these private providers can be effective

educators and trainers in non – degree courses as they enjoy requisite

flexibility to work according to the signal received from the market quickly.

People today are looking no more at what degree they are getting or from

which University they pass out, it’s just what pay package they get after

studying for a particular degree or diploma, or just even a certificate. The

challenges of the 21st century are tremendous and hence forth for the years to

come the world is full of opportunities where there could be no barriers of

language, culture, interpersonal skills, computer skills etc. In such a dense

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scenario of opportunities that have to be positively grabbed to achieve a

sustainable performance in the thick competition looks like an incredible task

at start, but to survive the researcher thinks this is the only way ahead. There

are varied options when it comes to corporate training and one cannot think of

a single way to impart professional education neither can one depend only on

a single option to back up or catch up with the world. Today, globalisation is

at its peak and will be for the rest of the century and to catch up with that

efficiently we need change that is of paramount importance with a close watch

on the market. According to experts in the field the neglect of primary

education has affected overall productivity of the nation and the neglect of

education in the higher segment will affect the personal economic benefit

which brings us back to the point of employability and what the market

demands . There should be market value attached to the education that is

imparted today to students and corporate training definitely has got market

value to provide employability on the basis of whatever is learnt and applied.

India has opened doors to globalisation and we can completely manifest the

change within the country, so instead of shying away from it, accepting the

change and dealing with it prudently will go a long way in application of

knowledge & guaranteeing returns on education with the professional way.

An article that the researcher came across in the (Pune Times 2011), stressing

about the local companies are giving soft skills training to their employees to

provide a unique experience and training them moreover in Indian soft skills

to give Indian experience to their customers. Their idea is to break the

interpersonal barriers and provide information with a more personalised

service to their guest. This one is from the hospitality sector that show cases

one of the many users of interpersonal skills and the appropriate training

required to hone these skills is done in house or professionally by some

outside agency. The researcher does not feel that such kind of a training is part

of a traditional mainstream educational syllabus that changes according to the

requirement and even if it is then only 2 out of 10 would be able to do it

perfectly as not much time has been spent on the training itself, or it is not

considered as important as other subjects. The professional education that

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imparts such quality with results is what counts today instead of reading books

only for the sake of getting marks.

Therefore there is a dire need to understand that good communication &

language, skills, accent understanding, team leadership, basic computing skills

are all needed to prosper in these industries but this just the start of the

unending list of corporate training that will in the future provide business

and employment opportunities. There are shorter and more specific courses to

deal with integrating such skills under one roof to enable suitable solutions to

complex mainstream education system which may have not undertaken

opportunities to explore the industry. This research is definitely going to be an

important milestone in the field of education to mark industry - education

interface.

The topic of study goes beyond the boundaries of conventional education

depicting the value they create in terms of employment and whether any

alternate means of educating people up to the standard are available within the

market that students, professionals and educators can utilise to hone people

skills or interpersonal skills etc to boost employability or help people gain

good employability in the competitive market. Today a lot of companies are

demanding these skills and we see companies aiming for something different

every time they want to recruit people so are these skills really worthy of

getting people employed as opposed to mainstream education that does not

provide an opportunity to develop these skills. The main crux of my research

is going to be a realistic understanding & appreciation of the skills and

knowledge that businesses value in terms of employment.