Navigating the Crossroads: Employment vs Employability

An analysis by a leading business news paper shows that 22.2 per cent of certified candidates were placed under all versions of PMKVY as on March 14, 2023. The overall numbers have seen some variation between phases. Overall, fewer than one in four candidates certified under a key government skill development scheme have been placed. 

There are several reasons to this questionable performance which can be discussed at length some other time, however, one of the most important reasons is the compromised quality of training and assessment. As they say, bad news travels fast, hence the resultant impact on placements. 

Perhaps it is time to shift the focus of such schemes from Employment to Employability. While employment is essential for economic stability and growth, it serves as a short-term goal to address immediate needs and measure program success. Employability, on the other hand, goes beyond merely obtaining a job; it involves developing skills, knowledge, and attitudes that enhance an individual's ability to secure and retain employment, advance within an organization, and transition between jobs throughout their career. Employability skills are transferable and enable individuals to adapt. This adaptability is especially important in light of global trends of automation, climate action, digitization, and evolving labour market demands.

The skills required to deliver the outcomes listed in the qualifications / occupational standards are important, however, it is equally important to merge the key employability skills of communication, problem solving, critical thinking, teamwork, time management and productivity, adaptability along with building a positive attitude in a wholesome curriculum package. Some of these skills are already included in the employability capsule of the short term course and are imparted as an additional package of "x" number of hours. This needs a change by blending these employability skills as part of training to achieve the outcomes specified in the occupational standards. The assessment practices along side will have to evolve to encompass the change.

This suggested change is not a simple one and cannot be adopted by just a set of guidelines. It will involve a physical and mental effort of going back to the drawing board, re-develop the occupational standards, re-write the qualifications, re-train / re-align the training and assessment system for any meaningful impact. 

The question is whether we are prepared to invest time, effort and money to implement the change or we will brush it aside in our typical stride of being a country in a hurry.