The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Making graduates industry-ready

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Sunday, Apr 01, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Making graduates industry-ready

S. Mohan Narayanan

No one will deny that Information Technology rules the roost today. Be it in terms of generation of economy, job opportunities or even in the number of courses being offered by colleges, IT is obviously ahead. All this will make one believe that the sector is also booming in terms of manpower.

But, S. Mohan Narayanan, Vice-President of Cognizant Technology Solutions India Private Limited, Chennai, feels it is a myth.

He says that the IT sector is facing a sizeable shortfall of qualified manpower in spite of the large intake of graduates and engineers. He speaks to Amutha Kannan on the pathetic situation of making demand and supply meet in terms of qualified manpower in all sectors.

"If this is the case with IT, other sectors like service and manufacturing are still worse with fewer takers. They are facing a real dearth with no qualified manpower available. There is an immediate need to bridge the gap between the demand of the industry and supply by the institutions," he says.

"The Mackenzie Report has concluded that only 25 per cent of graduates are employable. There is a need for our graduates to become global citizens. They should be billable and export-ready from the day they join an organisation. The gap between what the institution is offering and what the industry wants should be bridged," he adds. He calls for finishing schools to train graduates and engineers to make them industry-ready. The schools should be run by industry representatives and not by people from the institutions, he suggests.

People from the industry will be the best judges to decide how to train the youngsters, both in practical skills and soft skills, according to him.

"The finishing schools should not only concentrate on developing the Intelligence Quotient and Emotion Quotient, but also the Collaborative Quotient of the graduates and engineers. This is what will make them confident to communicate and work with people across the globe. But all said and done, the onus and responsibility of using opportunities to better themselves lies in the hands of the youth," he asserts. Another myth he wishes to bust is that the manufacturing is not paying good salaries.

"Big manufacturing houses are paying on a par with or even higher that IT companies. All possibilities should be explored before deciding on the right career."

"The concern now is not whether IT or any other sector has the upper hand in terms of intake; the concern is how to supply the demand. It is a welcome sign that arts and science college students are being placed through campus interviews," he signs off on a positive note.

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