HYDERABAD: The opening up of IT industry may have given rise to new avenues for students . But, a majority of them fail to land in a job despite having the required skills. The reason: lack of communication skills. Setting a trend for other corporates to follow, Genpact, the leading IT services provider, has developed a curriculum for "training the trainers" programme, an exercise aimed at honing the soft skills of English teachers. The curriculum, being rolled out shortly, is designed to see that the teachers train students in communication skills, ways to effectively present their points during interactions and expressing themselves confidently during the interviews.

"Of the 100 applications we receive for jobs, the average success rate is only about four to five. It is not that the others lack skills, but they are not able to communicate," Genpact Hyderabad site leader A. Raja Suresh Kumar said. The absence of trained resources is in turn forcing the companies chase the same talent.

Mr. Kumar told The Hindu that Genpact has decided to overcome this problem with the help of the universities and colleges concerned and had, therefore, designed the curriculum that suits the industry needs. The company has already initiated an Associate Training Programme wherein it has recruited 160 B.Com (computers) students as its associates. The associates will work with the company for three days a week while attending the college during the remaining days. They are offered monthly salaries and facilities on par with the other staff. "We recruit them after testing their mode of communication, aptitude for computers, problem solving and analytical abilities." The recruits will then be imparted training in the areas of soft skills "at our cost."

The training will continue till they complete their graduation. "And, the moment they pass out of college, they are leagues ahead of their counterparts and fit to take up the assignments," he said.

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