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Why e-Assessment and the Skills Gap
Only 30% of IT graduates meet the demands and expectations of India’s IT industry. Less than 20% of other graduates are suitable for BPO and ITES.
How will India, and in particular West Bengal, bridge this Skills Gap?
- How will it cope with the increasing numbers and the demands of industry, customers and the economy?
- How will it recognize and develop the right talent?
- How will it derive the maximum benefit from the new technologies of skills assessment and development?
- How can the technology provide reliable and cost effective measurements of skills and competencies?
- How can assessment and technology support learning, training and professional development?
West Bengal is rapidly being seen as a leader in BPO, KPO and other ITES Industries. The 2008 NASSCOM/A.T. Kearney report reinforced this. With major Governmental and Industry investment, the challenge is how manage the talent already in place in West Bengal and develop the next generation to its full potential.
‘Today, there is a booming demand for bright youngsters with certain skill sets …. engineers are recruited in law firms …. historians in call centres …. They are recruited for skills that have little to do with the subject they studied …. At the same time there are specialised jobs that demand deep and strong disciplinary background ….
The key problem is employability….….
30% of graduating engineers fit the needs of the IT industry…..
(less than 20% ) in the case of ‘ordinary graduates’ sought by the BPO industry’.
Kiran Karnak – President of NASSCOM, The Economic Times, Tuesday 10th April 2007
We say the problem lies with managing the skills required by industry and commerce. This in turn raises the question: ‘How to identify and recognise the necessary skills and how do we successfully plan the development of our talent base?’
The challenge for higher education is how it can use the technology to demonstrate the knowledge and understanding of it’s students and how it can optimize the benefits that the latest tools and techniques offer.
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