TeamLease Services Ltd. in association with TeamLease Skills University today released the findings of its latest research, “Industry opportunity based vocational course design”, a detailed study about the current dynamics of the vocational education system in India. According to the report, the current voc-ed ecosystem has not been very successful in creating adequate employable job seekers in India. More than 60% of the candidates and employers find vocational education courses to be ineffective. Further, from an employment point of view, the report states that only 18% of the students undergoing voc-ed courses get jobs, of which merely 7% are formal jobs.
As per the study, primary reasons for the disconnect between vocational education courses and the industry is the absence of rich academic content, inadequate funding and negative perception about these courses. Other than this another key issue in the system is the lack of awareness for these courses as well as the lack of scope for continued learning. Moreover voc-education courses today do not have a structure for defined outcomes and therefore tend to be ineffective. In fact, around 70% of the employers feel the quality of training provided by the vocational institutes is not up to the mark. Rather it is poor. Further, around 72% of the corporates interviewed felt the employability was also considerably low in candidates who are from the vocational education stream. This discontent over the training process is not only been felt by the employers, even students (42%) also agree that the training quality is below par.
An in-depth analysis on the factors impacting the eco-system, according to the report, a majority of corporate (47%) as well as students (70%) believe the current vocational education does not fulfill their business requirements and aspirations respectively. The study also found that the current system is also plagued with lack of awareness about the different aspects. While the industry (58%) had some knowledge, the candidates (76%) were unaware of most of the initiatives and courses offered by the vocational institutes. Also more than 80% candidates would rather pursue formal courses over voc-ed courses. India Inc. strongly felt that the infrastructure, quality of training and curriculum of the existing courses are not robust enough and therefore the employability of these candidates is comparatively low. More than 78% students and about 66% employers surveyed in the study have rated existing courses as average or poor.
Commenting on the findings of the report, Ms. Neeti Sharma, Senior Vice President, TeamLease Services said, “With advancement in technology, improved infrastructure and easy access to domestic and global market, job profiles are continuously and rapidly evolving every day. The need of the hour is advanced vocational skills training which can be successfully imparted under various vocational educational programmes. Our approach to make these courses more robust should be based on the AIDA (Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action) model which involves – creating awareness, countering societal bias, creating desire by leveling up salaries, providing ideal career paths, enabling migration and incentivizing enrolments for their courses.”
According to the findings of the report, voc-ed programmes in India need to be demand driven which will enable them to target specific sector skills and contemporary skills. “These courses should not be seen as a mere alternative to higher education, but instead there should be a smart integration of formal educational and vocational courses. This will augment the growth of skilled employable talent in India”, said Mr. Vikrant Pande, Provost, TeamLease Skills University.
TeamLease’s “Industry opportunity based vocational course design” is a comprehensive study that attempts to unravel the perils in the vocational education framework. The report not only analyses the shortcomings of the ecosystem but also delves deeper into understanding the necessary amendments that are needed in order to solidify the courses. While the report highlights the measures that institutions, industry and candidates need to adopt; it also elaborates on the policy changes that are required for the improvement of the courses. The respondent base of the study consisted of both candidates as well as employers.
About TeamLease Services Limited
Established in 2002 with 4 offices, 20 clients and 40 employees, TeamLease is now India’s largest and foremost people supply chain company in the country. Currently, TeamLease has a presence in 150 locations, with 2200+ corporate clients and 1800 employees. The company started with Temporary Staffing and then after adding Permanent Recruitment in 2004, further expanded its portfolio to incorporate Payroll Outsourcing, Labour Compliances and Training Services to become a one stop solution for Staffing & HR Services. TeamLease in partnership with the Government of Gujarat set up TeamLease Skills University (TLSU), India’s first vocational university, at Vadodara. In FY2014, TeamLease rolled out NETAP (National Employability through Apprenticeship Program) to provide on-the-job training to apprentices. This set in motion the larger mission of the company of ‘Putting India to Work’ by focusing on its vision of the 3 Es – Employment, Employability and Education. The company currently has 155,000 associates/trainees across the country and has till date hired 1.6 million kids with an aim to hire millions more.
About TeamLease Skills University (TLSU)
TeamLease Skills University (TLSU) located in Vadodara, Gujarat is India’s first “Skills University” established under Public–Private Partnership between the Government of Gujarat and TeamLease Services – India’s largest manpower, recruitment & staffing solution company that has placed more than 1.6 million people in India over the last few years. It is notified as a Private University by Govt. of Gujarat by Gazette Notification under the Gujarat Private Universities Act w.e.f. 22nd April’ 2013 and is promoted by TeamLease Education Foundation. In FY2015, TeamLease rolled out NETAP (National Employability through Apprenticeship Program) to provide on-the-job training to apprentices. TLSU aims to provide a holistic education through traditional & non-traditional programs focusing on academic, vocational, professional, technical and life skills – all aimed at making graduates “job-ready” from day-1.TLSU vision is to contribute to workforce productivity, socioeconomic development and social harmony through well rounded and industry relevant educational programs with employment at the heart of academic offerings, technology at the heart of operation and academic mobility as the focus deploying inclusive, distributed and low cost delivery methodology.