Date:18/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/05/18/stories/2008051850880500.htm

Back ‘Invest more on training, right hiring’

Our Bureau

Advertisement

New Delhi, May 17 Skill development and unemployment are a core concern not just in India but worldwide, and public private partnerships are the key to realising India’s vast potential in this area and achieving socially equitable and inclusive growth, Mr Sharda Prasad, Director General Employment and Training, Ministry of Labour and Employment, said at the ‘Skills World 2008’ summit organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry and Aspire, a human capital management firm.

He said the Cabinet has approved the setting up of a skills development mission, which will include setting up of 1,500 more ITIs and 50,000 skills development centres, taking the mission to smaller cities and rural areas.

The Labour and Employment Ministry has embarked on setting up sectoral councils, he added.

Speaking at the summit, Dr Peter Cappelli said, from a global perspective India is doing better than it thinks its doing in the field of HR but it needs to build on it, for HR today is problem of scale. While education providers need to gear up to provide the needed skillsets, employers need to invest more in training and right hiring, he added.

Mr Amit Bhatia, Founder-Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Aspire, said, only 39.5 per cent of graduates in India are employable and the challenge is to bridge the HR gap by providing skills training to the other 60 per cent.

“We need to apply supply chain principles to achieve the talent of demand targets and achieve a more equitable social and economic model,” he said, suggesting the setting up of special education zones to meet the growing demand.