Abhay Gupta tells you how students can make informed choices about higher education, new career prospects for students today and the importance of vocational learning
What is the importance of vocational education and part-time executive coursesIJ
The Indian education system has been producing engineers who do not want to work with their hands, management graduates who wish to start as general managers without any experience and graduates who have no vocational skills. The entire necessity for the latest Skill India campaign has been derived from the fact that Indian graduates do not possess requisite skills to perform in the industry. There is a major void between what is being learnt at the school and college levels versus what the industry needs. Statistics reveal that a large number of our graduates are not employment-ready. This makes vocational education absolutely necessary. This needs to start at school level such that they keep developing employable skills as per their tastes and temperament and also achieve a level of parallel theoretical inputs. Part time executive courses are an answer to the current situation. In fact, with the rapid technological and business scenario changes, it has become necessary for our youth to continuously upgrade their knowledge and skills. This again is feasible through online or part-time executive courses.
What are the problems faced by today’s entrepreneursIJ
Today’s entrepreneurs face several challenges that are related to capital, talent, credibility, marketing and team building. Also, the education they receive does not actually make them ready for either job or business. They are unable to create a complete picture and vision document of the plan in mind. This further leads to a fire fighting situation rather than a planned systematic approach.
Why do you think there is a gap in our education systemIJ
The curricula have not been changed or updated for past few decades. There is a shortage of good and experienced teachers and faculty. Hence the students are half-baked and are not prepared to face the industrial challenges and ground reality.
How can students choose the best institute for themselvesIJ
The students should verify facts and claims made by the institute with respect to faculty, past students, infrastructure and learning outcomes and not just be carried away by glossy advertisements released by the schools. A thorough research will help them make a correct choice.
Which are the upcoming fields expected to be some of the best career options in the futureIJ
In today’s fast moving world, several new career opportunities keep emerging for the youth. Gone are the days when everyone had limited choices of just engineering, medical or management. Now there are fields like fashion, journalism, IT, big data analytics, luxury & lifestyle, travel & tourism, hospitality and many more to choose from.
What are the fields that look bright in 2016IJ
There is tremendous scope for young managers in the field of business analytics and data management. With corporate hospitals emerging, hospital management is in demand.
What are some things to keep in mind for a successful career in the luxury industryIJ
Be innovative, be focussed, be ethical and maintain a positive attitude. Believe in your brand and never compromise long term goals for short term benefits. There are many challenges such as — dealing with counterfeit products; diversified customer profiles; widespread geographic spread of customers ; lack of skilled talent to support the brand managers and lack of real estate.