Working
for a small scale sector company and interacting with our local industry
association on a fairly regular basis, human resource or the lack of it is the
most common cause of concern. I sometimes fail to understand what really
motivates people to work as on an average you find them to be extremely casual
about attendance and equally lackadaisical approach towards their
responsibility. People quit for no reason or even without securing another job.
Money also seldom seems to be the motivator even when there is a scope to earn
extra or become multi-skilled at the cost of the company and increase one’s own
value. Often the attitude is that if I know more, I will be expected to do
more. There seems to be a joy in being an under performer, underachiever. There
is a clear lack of desire to learn and excel.
Even
the few people that you come across who seem to be employable lack very basic
skills. I often observe so-called computer literates struggling to find the
Microsoft Word or Excel program in a new computer. There are many more
examples. But this is about computers, the larger problem is lack of
technicians and operators in manufacturing companies who need to be literate
enough to read and comprehend instructions and produce results at their
workstation. At a slightly evolved level, line managers and owners expect these
people to add value to the process by finding means to improve productivity
with the same resources. However, it is a tall order at ground zero.
Demand
for skilled personnel in the manufacturing sector is mounting by the day. Walk
up to any small – medium business owner and you will find every second person
lamenting about scarcity of people and even if they are available the stark
lack of skill to perform routine tasks. On one hand we are talking about
poverty and job creation to counter the fundamental issues of our society while
employers are in a constant twist of finding suitable people to fill up the
gaps, training them and sadly facing random attrition.
Skill
Shortage Hindrance
According
to an Ernst and Young report, 40 million people are registered while only 0.2
million get jobs. NSDC statistics project that 65% of the population will be
between the ages of 15 – 59 by 2025-30.
There
is a severe and growing lack of skilled people at two levels.
i.
New people entering the job market ecosystem
ii.
Existing workforce whose skills are becoming obsolete due
to technological changes and new demands of evolving profiles
Due
to growing competition and agile manufacturing systems becoming the norm,
employers now not only expect employees to successfully complete their tasks
but also add value by analyzing how work is being done and changing the
processes to shorten time, reduce cost, improve quality. Companies no longer
value employees who turn into furniture. Often few driven employees can give
greater output than a dozen of them.
Specialized
Skill Development Institutes
It
is about time we start focusing on specialized asset development strategy for
human resource to accelerate business growth. Generic skills are necessary but
people will need to possess sector/ industry/ job profile specific skills which
make them valuable assets of an organization. Skill development institutes will
have to bring in deep expertise and gain industry favor motivating them to
become receptive and be included in the hands-on training program.
In the absence of effective vocational training
program like the German education system and instead of waiting too long for a complete
overhaul of the education system, we have a serious need for specialized
training players under the aegis of NSDC to impart concentrated and result –
oriented skills to people and make them employable assets.
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