e-ISSN: 2582-5208 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science Volume:02/Issue:09/September -2020 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com
EMPLOYABILITY AND CAREER READINESS THROUGH CURRICULUM AND SKILLS Dr. Gurusharan Kaur*1, Dr. Rajinder kaur*2, Mrs. Deepti Mehta*3 *1Asst. *2Asst.
Prof.(Dept. of Computer Science/ Mathematics), Career College, Bhopal (M.P), India.
Prof.(Dept. of Management), Chandigarh group of colleges, Jhanjeri (Chandigarh), India. *3Asst.
Prof (Dept. of Linguistics), Career College, Bhopal (M.P), India.
ABSTRACT Employability can be defined as the condition that facilitates to acquire job opportunities in any field. A change in the curriculum to encourage expertise in a particular area will help to meet the demands of the dynamic, uncertain work place that is a part and parcel of the governmental expectations and traditional core values and also to adjust and adapt to the challenging work environment. It is here that the skills especially skills associated with career readiness and other life skills prepare the student to accept the challenges and face competition in a healthy way. Along with this, it provides a way of preserving diversity of the work environment which is influenced by a variety of factors. Keywords: Employability, Curriculum, Skills, Career Readiness, National Associations of Colleges and Employers, NACE, Ability.
I.
MEANING OF THE TERM ‘EMPLOYABILITY’
In order to understand the meaning of employability, on the basis of extensive research findings, we found that it depends on the demands of the employer (company), the skills and qualifications needed to fit into the grove of employment as if it was meant for you only. Employability is a term that is mainly defined as a capability to suit, adjust and adapt to a new, unknown and dynamic workforce. Employability focuses on the inherent skills of individual crossing all boundaries across its length and breadth and strives on its depth through expertise in a particular area. Example, a student learning Hindu Philosophy will develop knowledge relating to this particular discipline if he does it in Sanskrit Language. It will give him a cross cutting edge over others if he studies it in Sanskrit/ Hindi Language. Curriculum of Employability The Curriculum of Employability should be designed in such a manner that it is beneficial for both the employer as well as the student. Further, it should help students to develop their employability skills, career readiness by developing ability for self-reflection and to identify and articulate their skills, competencies, interests and motivations in relation to their career planning. Employability also emphasizes on strengthening communication skills. The student has to deliver his best in a challenging, unknown, uncertain territory in which he has to adapt to his respective areas of expertise into multiple contexts, industries, or workplaces. As a result, employability is a process which enables the student to develop into a highly sought-after, competitive professionals who possess both length (complete knowledge in a particular discipline/skill) and breadth (a wide range of skills required to face different environments) and also to adjust and adapt to the changes in the global world and also the ever-changing student needs. Rather, no one set definition of employability is possible to explain such a dynamic concept as employability is an ever changing, ever evolving, ever growing concept based highly on human skills. Focus On Employability Employability focuses on the ability of an individual to find suitable job by acquiring real skills required by the said job. That is to say, to possess both expertise in a specific discipline and having the intelligence to www.irjmets.com @International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering, Technology and Science [1371]
e-ISSN: 2582-5208 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science Volume:02/Issue:09/September -2020 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com apply that expertise to a wide range of fields. In other words, he should be well versed in his specialized area and also be able to communicate it with others and adapt to new changes and incorporate latest information. Important Employability Characteristics The National Associations of Colleges and Employers, NACE, recently published the skills and qualities that employers are looking for in college graduates. In the report, NACE states: “Employers considering new college graduates for job openings are looking for leaders who can work as part of a team and communicate effectively.” They go on to assign percentage of importance to several characteristics that support that statement, many of which are also 21st Century skills. Here are the skills NACE reports as most important to employers, in order of priority:
Communication skills (written)
Problem-solving skills
Strong work ethic
Analytical/Quantitative skills
Technical skills
Communication skills (verbal)
Initiative
Computer skills
Flexibility/Adaptability
Interpersonal skills
Detail-oriented
Organizational ability
Strategic planning skills
Friendly/Outgoing personality
Entrepreneurial skills/Risk-taker
Tactfulness
Creativity
Benefits of Employability
We work with companies such as Infosys, Birla, Reliance, Tata to name a few to develop progressive curriculum and to pool resources for their own ongoing projects.
We encourage the best faculty including both academic experts and experienced market personnel with the new concepts and knowledge along with industry trends,.
We offer opportunities for placements to the students and give training for sandwich courses.
We have incorporated virtual learning environments for our student.
We impart training to develop entrepreneurial skills in the student which helps him to start businesses together.
We try to develop employability and career management skills. Services by providing access to jobs and work experience opportunities,
To develop the skills required to cater to the needs of the specific businesses.
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e-ISSN: 2582-5208 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science Volume:02/Issue:09/September -2020 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com
We try to work with academic staff and course teams to develop student employability in the classroom as an integral part of the curriculum.
We also try to develop student employability in the curriculum as an integral part of the training programme.
II.
IMPORTANCE OF SOFT SKILLS FOR STUDENTS
Along with employability and career readiness, soft skills have become an intrinsic part of many programs. Students can’t afford to ignore them. Neglecting soft skills puts the students at a disadvantage in the workplace. Ensuring expertise requires time and effort, technical skills alone will not be sufficient. That’s why including soft skills is very important. Companies Demand It So-called soft skills are the lifeline of the workplace. They are the transferable skills that employees use in every field, in every industry. Having the technical skills or knowledge-based ability (i.e. qualifications) to work well and its soft skills that become the deciding factor to make or mar the employment opportunities. Better Customer Service is mandatory Regardless of the job, the ability to relate to customers is mandatory. Unlike in the earlier period, where the trend was to focus only on the technical skills that he carried to his workplace. The modern age is consumer/customer centric. One needs to continuously interact and intermingle with people i.e. the consumer. Industry personnel with soft skills have an edge over their counterparts in this highly competitive market. One’s communication skills play an impressionable role in not only influencing but also in capturing the market to a large extend. Technical Skills also required. They go on to assign percentage of importance to several characteristics that support this statement, many of which are also 21st Century skills Here are the skills NACE reports as most important to employers, in order of priority:
Communication skills (written)
Problem-solving skills
Strong work ethic
Analytical/Quantitative skills
Technical skills
Communication skills (verbal)
Initiative
Computer skills
Flexibility/Adaptability
Interpersonal skills
Detail-oriented
Organizational ability
Strategic planning skills
Friendly/Outgoing personality
Entrepreneurial skills/Risk-taker
Tactfulness
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e-ISSN: 2582-5208 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science Volume:02/Issue:09/September -2020 Impact Factor- 5.354 www.irjmets.com
Creativity
III.
BENEFITS OF EMPLOYABILITY
We work with companies such as Infosys, Birla, Reliance, Tata to name a few to develop progressive curriculum and to pool resources for their own ongoing projects.
We encourage the best faculty including both academic experts and experienced market personnel with the new concepts and knowledge along with industry trends,.
We offer opportunities for placements to the students and give training for sandwich courses.
We have incorporated virtual learning environments for our student.
We impart training to develop entrepreneurial skills in the student which helps them to start businesses or startup.
Technology is influencing us at work as well as at personal front. Technical skills are also changing quickly more than anyone’s expectation. New trends and latest innovations are introduced in every work place across all industries. These changes in technical skills, put additional pressure to maintain high standards along with adapting to the dynamic work environment.. On the other hand, soft skills do not change so quickly and are transferable to any job assessable. Last but not the least, these soft skills enable us to raise the bar of employability.
IV.
CONCLUSION
So, to conclude the paper, we would suggest that more and more skills related to specific work place should be incorporated in the curriculum of academics. This includes enhancement of communication skills as well as real life skills to enable the student for career readiness. As is rightly said,’ variety is spice of life’. We do not wish to compromise on the variety of students or jobs nor can we prevent the environment from changing nor restrict the technology from influencing our lives. The only best possible and most suitable alternative in our hands is to inculcate the skills that will enable the student to adapt to the ever changing work environment and secure his place in the market industry.
V. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
REFERENCES
C Rees, P Forbes, B Kubler - The Higher Education …, 2006 - employability.ed.ac.uk Deesha Chadha & James Toner International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education volume 14, Article number: 33 (2017). E Woodward, E Beaumont, P Russell, A Wooler, R Macleod Journal of Coastal Research 65, 850-855. E Beaumont, S Gedye, S Richardson Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education 19, 1-9 J Perkins - Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2012 - Elsevier… Page 7. R Boden, M Nedeva Journal of Education Policy 25 (1), 37-54 Thomas Gauthier The Journal of Competency‐Based Education Volume 3, Issue 4 First published: 04 December 2018
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