The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Industry strategy to make graduates employable

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 20, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Industry strategy to make graduates employable

N. Ravi Kumar

Chamber launches initiative for integrated personality development of graduates

CHENNAI: Instead of being a mere spectator to the rising crop of fresh graduates without employable qualities, industry in Tamil Nadu seems keen on shaping up a multi-pronged strategy to address the issue.

This is evident from the initiative of the Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) to commission a study, get into a dialogue with leading universities and seek the support of its members to prepare teachers to impart soft skills to students.

Soft skills include confidence level, communication and leadership skills and values.

The chamber's initiative is born out of its deep "concern about the lack of employability of the vast majority of graduates, both technical and non-technical, passing out of Tamil Nadu colleges."

In a communication to its members, the chamber stressed the need to put in place a systematic and planned programme to promote interaction between the industry and students/teachers for integrated personality development of the graduates.

It proposes to create a pool of volunteers, ideally CEOs and senior executives, passionate about the cause. It will prepare a standardised content for the volunteers.

Though the chamber plans to target the first-year college students because they will have considerable time to develop the soft skills, it is keen on extending the programme to higher secondary school students too.

It is also seeking the support of its member-units for offering company visits, practical training and summer internships to college students on a sustained basis.

Since teachers play a key role in moulding the prospective manpower of the industry, the chamber intends to sensitise them to the need for integrated personality development of students.

It has already held discussions with Anna University for piloting the initiative in its affiliated colleges.

It has also talked to Madras University, the communication says.

Urging all member-companies to participate in the initiative as part of their corporate social responsibility, the chamber has referred to a study on the issue conducted for it by Avalon Consulting.

The study found students who join colleges were under-prepared for college-level work.

The mandated tests often reflect the limited interpretation of learning, overemphasis on learning by rote at the expense of deeper understanding.

During the interaction, educationists underscored the need for the industry to invest in proper induction training to make a good student employable.

The industry needs graduates who have strong values, think analytically, communicate effectively and solve problems in a team-based environment.

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