Learning English=Winning
The urban/rural divide when it comes to education is nothing new to us. Urban students, with better facilities and exposure for learning English, have an edge over their rural counterparts when it comes to soft skills. Developing communication and soft skills is vital when it comes to bagging lucrative opportunities. Though rural students can compete with the city kids when it comes to domain knowledge, the lack of English knowledge often plays spoilsport in interviews. Just came across yet another article in The Hindu today which talks about the problems faced by rural students in various engineering colleges across the state.
Students have to realise that getting into a good college does not guarantee a good job these days. In addition to the curriculum, students need to keep themselves updated on current industry practices and trends. If they find there is something lacking in them (especially something as vital as English), immediate steps must be taken to improve and become an effective communicator. All the domain knowledge won’t be able to help a student out if he/she fails to express it and convince interviewers.
The article provides some other examples as well. Check it out here.
Explore Event Management Jobs
If communication skills are your forte and you get excited about being in the limelight and organizing things, then you might consider event management as a career option. Event management requires you to be social, outgoing, possessing excellent organizing skills and of course, top notch communication skills. Are you the person behind cultural programmes in your college? Does preparing, rehearsing and organizing a great show get you all charged up? If you agree then turn your passion into a career.
Event management will require you to organize programmes of various magnitudes. From cultural programmes, small office meets to high level international seminars and symposiums, event management oscillates between the hip and happening to the serious and conservative. As an event manager, you have to study the venue, understand all the requirements, thoroughly know the purpose of the event and estimate a budget for it. You will have to arrange all that is needed in the programme and might be asked to take part in the scheduling and sequencing of events as well. Once you know the details of a project, you will need to submit a report based on which you will receive the contract to organize it. Plenty of young people are showing an inclination towards this owing to the excitement and creativity it promises. Event management grooms your organizing skills, man management skills and demands innovative thinking.
If you are interested in jumping into the event management bandwagon, you can pick up and sharpen your skills at National Institute of Event Management (NIEM), College of Events and Media (COEM) etc.
Industry Attempts to Bridge the Gap
“We align the college curriculum with the industry’s requirements, and work with educational bodies towards implementing it. We organize seminars and training sessions for the faculty to give them an industry perspective, enabling them to train the students accordingly.”- this is the motto of Infosys’s Campus Connect initiative. Previously i have posted on the problems ailing our education system and the gap between supply and demand. Where competition is cut-throat and the need to keep up a fast pace vital, the industry can’t wait for Universities and Colleges to revise their curriculum, add new courses and start equipping students with the desired skills. They recognise the potential of India as a provider of quality manpower and are getting up close and personal to ensure the potential is realised and fast.
Over the past few years, big names like Infosys and Wipro have come up with Campus Connect and Academy of Software Excellence respectively to train aspirants eyeing coveted positions in these companies. More companies are following suit and partnering with educational institutions. The partnership results in spreading awareness, letting the students know exactly what is expected out of them in the industry and training to make fresh graduates job-ready. While i personally think such initiatives are praise-worthy and necessary, we shouldn’t leave training and teaching solely to these ventures. I hope our education system changes for the better by observing and learning from every initiative to produce more employable graduates in future.