A typical employment ad

Data / findings source National Employability Study by Aspiring Minds:

AMCAT scores of more than 120,000 technical graduates engineering and MCA students (in final year) across the country, in more than 20 states. AMCAT covers all objective parameters for adjudging employability in the IT/ITeS sector including English Communication, Quantitative skills, problem-solving skills and Computer Science and Programming skills. Employability figures are based on actual hiring benchmarks on AMCAT (Computer Adaptive Test) scores set by multiple companies in IT/ITeS related sectors.

Employability in IT services companies

Correlation bet. Employability and No. of colleges in state

Employability in IT product companies

Employability in BPO

Employability in KPO companies

Employability across metros

21% MBAs employable Aug 2012fall from 25% in 2007 (Meritrac)

Employability?• A set of attributes, skills, knowledge that all

labour market participants should possess to ensure they have the capability of being effective in the workplace – to the benefit of themselves, their employer and the wider economy

• Employability skills are nontechnical skills which play a significant part in contributing to an individual’s effective and successful participation in the work place – referred to as soft skills, generic skills, enabling skills or key competencies

• Employability is the perceived suitability for employment of a potential candidate by a prospective employer.

Employability issues• WEF report – India to face huge skill gaps due to low

employability (March 23, 2010)• Purple leap study on employability skill index only 7%

employable – survey of 95 colleges across India, 36% fail on all skills - communication, problem solving, technical skills

• College shakeout overdue, important, ToI Jul 7, 2013 • Repricing has begun; capitation fees have almost vanished

and annual fees are down. The race for quality is evident in faculty salaries and focus on learning outcomes, campus placement outside the top 20 colleges is 10% - Assocham -

What employers want

Skill demand supply gap

Key employability skills (AU)o communication skillscommunication skillso teamwork skillsteamwork skillso problem-solving skillsproblem-solving skillso initiative and enterprise skillsinitiative and enterprise skillso planning and organising skillsplanning and organising skillso self-management skillsself-management skillso learning skillslearning skillso technology skillstechnology skills

Top employability skills - UK1. Honesty and integrity;2. Basic literacy skills;3. Basic oral communication skills (e.g. telephone skills);4. Reliability;5. Being hardworking and having a good work ethic;6. Numeracy skills;7. A positive, ‘can do’ attitude;8. Punctuality;9. The ability to meet deadlines; and10. Team working and co-operation skills

British Council• Skills for Employment (Employability Skills)

• Soft skills are personal attributes that enhance an individual's interactions,

job performance and career prospects. Unlike hard skills, which are about

a person’s skills set and ability (technical knowledge and competency)

• personality traits, social graces, communication, language, personal habits

• Graduates, however well qualified, need to be able to demonstrate a set

of soft skills. Hard skills will get you an interview but it's soft skills that get

you a job.

WB survey 2011, 200 orgns. - FICCISkills under Four Factors - Specific Skills • Database knowledge• Spreadsheet knowledge• Word processing knowledge• Ability to adapt to changing technology• Technical skills• Mathematical skills

WB survey 2011 200 orgns. - FICCI

Core Skills• Self confidence• Critical thinking• Creative thinking• Interpersonal skills• Leadership skills• Experience with real world problems

WB survey 2011 200 orgns. - FICCI

Personal Characteristics

• Business ethics• Professionalism

Communication Skills

• Listening skills• Speaking skills• Written communication

WB survey 2011 200 orgns. - FICCIWork Ethics under Four Factors - Factor 1: Interpersonal Skills

– Courteous – friendly – cheerful – considerate – pleasant – cooperative – helpful – likeable – devoted – loyal – well groomed – patient – appreciative – hard working – modest – emotionally stable – stubborn

WB survey 2011 200 orgns. - FICCIFactor 2: Initiative

– perceptive – productive – resourceful – initiating– ambitious – efficient– effective– enthusiastic– dedicated– persistent– accurate– conscientious– independent– adaptable– persevering– orderly

WB survey 2011 200 orgns. - FICCI

Factor 3 dependable

– following directions – following regulations – dependable – reliable – careful – honest – punctual

WB survey 2011 200 orgns. - FICCIFactor 4 reversed items

– hostile

– rude

– selfish

– devious

– irresponsible

– careless

– negligent

– depressed

– tardy

– apathetic

WB survey 2011 200 orgns. - FICCI

Skills grouped into Three Factors - Factor 1 - (Core Employability Skills)

» Integrity» Self-discipline» Reliability» Self-motivated» Entrepreneurship Skills» Teamwork» Understands and takes directions for work assignments» Willingness to learn» Flexibility» Empathy

WB survey 2011 200 orgns. - FICCI

• Factor 2 - (Professional Skills)

– Identify, formulate, solve technical/engineering problems– Design system, component, process to meet desired needs– Use appropriate/modern tools, equipment, technologies– Apply knowledge of mathematics, science, engineering– Customer Service Skills– Knowledge of contemporary issues– Creativity

WB survey 2011 200 orgns. - FICCI

• Factor 3 - (Communication Skills)–Written communication– Design & conduct experiments, analyze ,interpret

data– Reading– Communication in English– Technical Skills– Verbal communication– Basic computer– Advanced computer