Employability - Drought Amidst Plenty

Globalization has led to phenomenal growth in the commerce and industry in recent past. The last couple of decades saw more emerging sectors of businesses which led to very complex requirement of manpower and that too in huge volume. The geographical boundaries seem to be diminishing for the business houses in their quest to explore and reach green pastures of markets for survival. The result is - Once what was called as "Industrial Worker" now comes to be known by a more sophisticated term "Human Resource".

Let us consider the following statistics, from various surveys within a span of last 4-5 years collected by various agencies on higher education in India -

• 9.9M students enroll in 347 "A" grade institutes and 16,885 colleges (NASSCOM)
• 495,000 technical graduates, 2.3M other graduates, 300,000 PGs pass out every year.
• Only 23% of MBAs from tier 2 and tier 3 institutes are employable (MeritTrac study)
• Only 7% of Engineering graduates are employable for job in USA (McKinsey)
• Only 25% graduates are employable are suitable for domestic industry (NASSCOM)

Academics v/s Employability -

The corporate world is conspicuous in its tenet of hiring a candidate - 60% employability index and 40% academics is the proportion they adopt in terms of the significance of these two crucial aspects.

Academic knowledge is only informative in terms of the details of concepts, techniques and/or technology and by all means is mandatory. However the score card is not considered a proof enough for thorough understanding of these concepts for a candidate and his/her ability to apply them in the actual field. Moreover, generally the syllabi of those various university courses have very little, as if not at all, relevance to the industry as they are mostly prescribed by the academicians and without any representation from the industry. The deplorable examination system, which tests only the memorizing ability of the students rather than understandability adds another dimension to the system of academic education.

Employability is the quality by which an individual is considered productive to an organization by way of deploying his or her skills. Employability is not knowledge but an attribute which reflects in the personality of the candidate; as such though it is a thing to be learned is not a thing to be taught. The quality is acquired by practice through inspiration, observation and following an ideal or role model. The soft skills training centers merely may provide guidelines and environment (read a simulated exposure) and ideal models (in the form of faculties) to help acquire the quality of employability 

Employability Attributes -

The employability attributes are - attitude, aptitude, analytical skills, communication skills, initiative, leadership and ability to express, to name a few.

Attitude is tendency or orientation especially of mind. Classified mainly as negative or positive; is the main driving force behind the progressive thinking when positive. Aptitude is a summarized term for quickness in learning, ability to understand and intelligence. Analytical Skill is the ability for reasoning and acting from a perception of parts of problem and their interrelations. Communication is imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinion or information by speech, writing or gestures; is necessary for working in a team for sharing ideas. Initiative is the ability to begin or to follow through energetically a plan or task; is required to take or share a responsibility and commitment to fulfill it. Leadership is an extension of initiative, by way of which an individual has ability to lead and be in commanding position of providing directions and guidance. Expression is an extension of communication skills which makes the communication effective and impressive to make audience believing in what has been communicated.

Employability Enhancement -
The foregoing part of the post was the problem, and there is nothing new as all those things have always been the subject for discussions. What is important is to find alternatives, if not the solutions; at the least the different practical ways to tackle the shortage of employability in the qualified youth of the country, or we are wasting a valuable resource. 

It is for quite sure that lack of employability is not the fallout of education system alone, otherwise how could at least 25%, as the survey says, who come from the same education system, be employable? One of my friends, an expert psychologist, was telling me the other day about and unofficial study they (in a group) did as part of their academic project. They had very interesting observation that, it was the family background, the upbringing of the person as child, the behavior of the parents, the child's social contacts and surrounding, are the things which have a long term and deep impact than the education that the child or later as adult is exposed to. And this side has unfortunately been always ignored and we have failed to realize that there is lot much we may do instead of putting the whole blame on the education system. There are couple of suggestions that this team of observers have made that appealed to my mind -

• First thing is to understand that employability is not a race, competition or rank but only evaluation of suitability for a job or responsibility in an organization. Employability is not the quality you should just have when you are finding job but just consider as a general quality or attribute you require to pursue any role in life. It is best defined probably as a qualitative term related to ability of taking a responsibility and fulfilling it. Entrepreneurship also requires employability.
• It is a quality to acquire through observation, by following an ideal or role model, by indulging into social activities, sports, involvement in team activity and program organizations etc. But first believe that the quality has to be acquired and can be acquired. It is never inherent even in those who you assume your role model.
• It is only the personal efforts which can make you employable; as it is not the knowledge but a part of personal development which automatically comes from social exposure and extra curricular indulgence and there is no way anybody can teach you. 
• Analyze yourself, your own abilities, inclination and likings and pursue the same as your agenda. Interest and dedication matter most in fulfilling a responsibility in an organization.
• Children in their adolescent age and on the edge of making a choice in career should be given a freedom, rather than parents imposing their own unfulfilled dream. Parents role should be only to provide guidance and information about the possible outcome of each field of career and this should start at an early age.
• Parents should try to make an assessment of the child's abilities, inclination and interests at an early age and help the child only to pursue the interest that should not amount to interference. 
• The only thing an individual or a parent of a child should consider is that there is some scope for betterment as compared to self and not as compared to others. Following a role model is not comparison but is only a benchmark you set for achievements.
• You can enhance your personal confidence by taking some fun filled and logical riddle solving and psychometric tests which automatically leads to increasing your employability factor.

Actually this list is not exhaustive as it might seem. Each of us know about this but the purpose is to suggest to put this to practice. Readers may read this post critically and make some more suggestion in the comments section.

ISEET Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

IIT-JEE and AIEEE - for long the gateways to India's top engineering colleges including the IITs and NITs - is all set to be replaced by a new "common" test to be called ISEET i.e. Indian Science Engineering Eligibility Test, said to go on the similar lines as SAT conducted in US. The test shall be conducted from 2013 (month of April/May) and hence the students are supposed to prepare for it from now. The selection pattern has been defined on weight basis on three examinations - Board Examination, ISEET Main, and ISEET Advance. The introduction of this test is expected to help do away with multiple entrance examinations and thereby reduce the stress level of students and also to some extent reduce financial burden on parents like payment of application fees, commuting to the place of multiple exam venues etc. The test will be conducted by CBSE.

There has been a lot of confusion and apprehensions based on hearsay about the test being discussed and hence this article to answer most of those Frequently Asked Questions about the test. Hope this article will help parents and students to understand modalities about the test to a large extent if not full.

What is ISEET ?

As said above ISEET stands for Indian Science Engineering Eligibility Test to be conducted for admission to India's most coveted Engineering and Science Institutions, University Engineering and Technology Colleges and Deemed Universities. This is going to be a common test (single) for the entire country and going to replace different entrance tests conducted erstwhile by many different institutes separately and also by states.

Which are all those tests ISEET going to replace ?

ISEET is going to replace the following entrance tests to the faculty of engineering and science -

• IIT-JEE - Admission to 15 IITs, IT-BHU, ISMU (Through main merit list) and 6 IISERs, Institute of Maritime Studies, IISc (Through extended merit list)
• AIEEE - Admissions to 30 NITs, 5 IITs and other private engineering colleges and Deemed universities.
• PETs - The pre-Engineering tests conducted by various states for admissions to State Govt. / private engineering colleges in various states.

How significant will be the XII Board exams along with ISEET?

The selection criteria has now been well defined in terms of the respective weightage of three exams - XII Board, ISEET Main, ISEET Advance. A student's performance in the class XII Board exam will be considered with a weight NOT LESS THAN 40% of the total score. However the weightage given to the XII Board exam may go up to 100% as it has been left to the states and the institutes to decide upon the weightage, only lower limit of 40% has been specified.

What ISEET will consist of ?

The test divided into two parts - Main and Advance, shall test the scholastic level and aptitude level for science and engineering. The test will have following pattern -

• ISEET Main will be 3 hours duration objective type test, with aptitude testing questions based on comprehension, critical reading and logical reasoning.
• ISEET Advance will be 3 hours duration objective type test, to be held on same day, with the aim to test problem-solving ability in basic science subject and hence will have questions on Physics, Chemistry and Maths.

The ISEET tests shall be conducted twice a year - April/May and November / December.

What is the prescribed syllabus for ISEET ?

Though no specific syllabus has been declared so far, but the details may be announced by the end of Apr. 2012, says one communique from the department of HRD. However the there is a wide guess that the tests will follow NCERT-based CBSE syllabus.

Is every state and institute going to follow ISEET?

So far there are some reservations from some state governments and IITs. Tamilnadu for example has declared that there will be no consideration given to ISEET and they will fully give weightage (100%) to XII Board exam. IITs also have some reservations. However, by the time this post goes online there is a meeting convened by Department of HRD on 11 Apr. to resolve some of the concerns. The outcome shall be make known at this same place. So please keep visiting.

Career in Biotechnology & Clinical Research

There are abundant opportunities in both of these areas, which are majorly oriented towards research & development.

Clinical Research includes scientific studies conducted on human beings to understand the effects, perils, efficiency and benefits of a new medicine before it is launched for the public use and general prescription. It thus deals with a lot of R&D of new methods of treating different diseases with the help of new compounds. Post graduation or PG Diploma in Clinical Research is the most desired qualification after B Sc (Biotech).


A fresher in the field may join at Clinical Research Organization (CRO) as Clinical Research Associate, Database Designer (Bio Informatics), Business Development Associate (Business Analyst), Study Coordinator, Medical Writer or Quality Assurance Associate (QA). The further scope for progress is to become Head Projects, Lead Data Manager (Bio Informatics), Head Business Development (Business Analyst), Head Medical Informatics (Bio Informatics), and Head Quality Assurance (QA) within a span of about 5 years.


Leading Institutes are :

• Clinical Research Education and Management Academy (CREMA)
• Institute of Clinical Research - India (ICRI)
• Academy for Clinical Excellence - Mumbai (India)

Biotechnology (also "biotech" for short) is a field of "applied biology" that involves the use of living organisms and bio-processes in different fields including medicine, technology and even engineering. Job opportunities for biotechnologist are abundant in the research and development departments of pharmaceutical and fermentation companies, as well as in the fields of Horticulture, Food Science and Healthcare Technology.

Jobs may include basic research, process development, production, technical services, quality control, compliance control, or technical sales, in government institutes and organizations like CSIR or ICAR Laboratories, DBT (Department of Biotechnology) Institutes, Academic Field (university science and technology institutes), Research & Diagnostic Laboratories in Multi-speciality Hospitals, etc. Some may even get into the field of Pharmaceutical Management and Hospital Management as emerging fields.

Some biotechnologist may be considered as genetic engineers (those conversant with recombinant DNA techniques) while some may be classified as bio-process engineers (those conversant with optimizing enzymatic reaction systems for a desired product).

Final year B Sc (Biotech) or (Biology, Agriculture, Veterinary, Fishery, Pharmacy) students can appear for Combined Biotechnology Entrance Exam (M Sc. Biotechnology) conducted by JNU for admission to various institutes as under -

• Rajiv Gandhi Center for Biotechnology, Trivandrum, Kerala
• School of Life Sciences, Hyderabad
• National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana
• Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai
• University School of Biotechnology, New Delhi
• Department of Microbiology & Biotechnology Center, The Maharaja Sayaji Rao University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat,
• University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Chandigarh,
• Bioinformatics Center, University of Pune.
• Center of Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai
• Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore (MP)

Career in Space Sciences and Techonology

If you are excited to work at an organization like ISRO or NASA then this post is for you. Working at a space research organization is not only exciting but a very honorable and fulfilling career. Here we are going to talk about the Asia's first space institute and probably first in the world to offer the complete range of undergraduate, post graduate and doctoral programs with specific focus to space sciences, technology and applications.

IIST -

This is about IIST (Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology), set up by Department of Space, Government of India, at Thiruvananthpuram, to meet the requirements of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The campus is located at Valiamala, 18 km away from Thiruvananthpuram city, on the way to the famous hill resort of Ponmudi. As on today, IIST has 575 B Tech, 22 M Tech and 20 Ph D students and with 75 faculty members provide a student:faculty ration of 8:1. IIST has introduced a very effective mentoring system where every faculty member has a batch of 2 students to guide, support and enhance the students' learning process.

Admission to Undergraduate program -

IIST currently offers B Tech programs in Aerospace Engineering, Avionics and Physical Sciences.

• B Tech (Aerospace Engineering) is a 4 year program having significant overlap with Mech. Engg., including Mech. Design and Manufacturing Sciences and Space Dynamics. The students may further specialize in Flight Mechanics, Aerodynamics, Thermal & Propulsion, Structure & Design, and Manufacturing Science. (60 Seats)
• B Tech (Avionics) is a 4 year program comprising of subjects of Electronics and Communications Engineering, in addition to study of Advanced Electronics in Digital Communicatio, Control Systems and Computer Systems used in Aerospace Systems. The students have further scope to specialize in areas like DSP, RF & Communication, Antenna, Power Electronics, Micro Electronics, Control Systems etc. (6o Seats)
• B Tech (Physical Sciences) is a 4 year program which gives exposure to important applications of space technology such as Remote Sensing and GIS, Astronomy & Astrophysics and Earth System Sciences. The students have further scope to specialize in areas like Atmospheric & Ocean Sciences, Solid Earth Science, and Chemical Systems, etc. (36 Seats)

ISAT -
ISAT is the entrance test conducted every year for admission to the above mentioned streams. The test is open to all eligible students who have completed the prescribed qualifying examination under the (10+2) pattern from a recognized Education Board or Pre-University. Papers are of objective type and consist of three sections - Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.

How to Apply? -
Exam for this year (ISAT-2012) is scheduled on Saturday 21 April 2012 between 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon at various centers across India. Application forms may be downloaded along with the other instructions from www.iist.ac.in/isat2012.

Jubilee Scholarships - UK's Gesture to Indian Students

David Cameron, the British PM, recently announced 60 new "Jubilee Scholarships" for Indian students for a 1 year master's course in UK, starting September. Funded by British Council and British Government, the scholarships have been launched as part of celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. The Aim is to enable exceptional talent from across India to come and study masters course in Business Administration, Manufacturing, Science and Technology majors.

The scholarships will cover the full tuition fees, living expenses for the duration of the scholarship, one month internship program in UK (approx 900-1000 GBP), return airfare and UK visa. The scholarships aim to include students from every Indian state among its awardees.

Indian nationals with valid Indian passport can apply for the scholarships. The eligibility criteria require aspirants to have a graduate degree with an excellent academic track record. The applicant should have applied for admission to a Master's course of 12 months duration at a UK institution with course of study in any of the subject areas mentioned above. The selection of candidates will be based on qualities like ambitious, entrepreneurial and leadership skills.

Last date for submission of application forms is April 30. More information and form is available here.

Career in Business Analytics

Introduction -

"Data" is the single-most crucial asset for every organization. The volume of data so collected from different sources is simply huge. However the information technology has brought about a sea change in storing and handling this data and process it in just blink of an eye. "Business Analytics" is the name given to the process of mining this data and use the right set of statistical and quantitative functions or tools to analyze it. Business analytics refers to the investigations and analysis of past business performances in order to gain insights and devise business plans for the growth of the business.

Origin of Business Analytics -

Since the science of business analytics is closely related to the statistics, we may assume, it always existed as a branch of arithmetic. However, with advent of information technology and sophisticated database management systems, it was reintroduced in the form of "Business Intelligence" in early 90s. "Business Intelligence" involves collecting data, researching and summarizing it, to derive meaningful information in order to make business decisions. The advancement of this science by using mathematical models and simulations, given different conditions and changes, was the next step which came to be called "analytics".

Business Analytics encompasses the effective usage of quantitative tools, techniques and personnel in order to reduce cost, gain market share, improve production; in all it is a sophisticated and structured method adopted by organizations to make more profit.

Utility -

Business analytics can be applied to all key areas of a business including financial management, customer relationship management, consumer behavior, supply chain, marketing etc. In the industry, it may be used as an input for human decisions or may drive fully automated decisions. It can answer key questions like why is this happening, what if these trends continue, what will happen next (predict), what is the best that can happen (optimize), etc. Before the advancement of the sophisticated science of business analytics, one would have to rely on intuition to answer these questions and some more like what markets to pursue, how to project price offering, or how to identify where operations can be made more efficient in response to cost and environmental or other constraints.

In finance, we see people look at past and present performance of stocks to decide on how and where to invest. In telecom, companies are trying to find out consumers' usage patterns during a particular time of the day to decide the most attractive tariff plans. In retail, the knowledge is used to study the purchase patterns among various income groups to be able to launch some attractive and profitable schemes.

There has been a lot of offshoring from developed countries like European and US to India.

Career Scope -

It is believed that the field is still at the nascent stage in corporations dwelling in developing countries but of late large corporates have begun to establish their in-house analytics teams and some who have not done it so far, have started realizing the need. As of now, there may be over 5000 professionals in India. With the scope for providing business analytics services to huge MNCs at the best possible performance to cost ratio, the scope for a professional in this field is simple phenomenal. Depending on the field of choice and nature of analysis, a business analyst may claim anywhere between Rs. 300,000 to 1,000,000 per annum.

Eligibility Criteria -

A degree in statistics and mathematics followed by an MBA is an ideal qualification for aspiring business analysts. There are no separate programs for offering studies in this branch. however most MBA syllabi contain this as one of the mandatory subjects. So a list of reputed institutes that have  embedded business analytics in their curriculum are -

• IIM (Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Kozikode, Trichy)
• Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai,
• Narsee Monji Institute of Management, Mumbai
• International Institute of Business Analysis, USA
• International Institute of Learning, USA.

Required Skills / Profile -

• Good analytical and logical mindset (mandatory)
• High level of quantitative and statistical knowledge (mandatory)
• Knowledge of software like SAS, VBA, SPSS and  proficiency in programming and database systems (desirable)
• Excellent mathematical foundation (mandatory) 
• Exposure to business domains like finance, telecom, retail, banking, insurance etc. (desirable) 

Igniting Career Dreams - New Beginning

There is a point in that title. In most cases a successful career is coupled with the education or number of university titles a person holds. Now, should it be so or not is a hot topic, debated throughout but never to reach to a conclusion. There are innumerable arguments and examples for both sides to prove their stand point of view. Also, there are only a few sectors considered as prestigious and to be in them only is considered to be successful. For some, competitiveness is the mantra for successful career. But if we look around, a lot of people we perceive as successful don't seem to fit in this definition. Their stories and biographies are not only inspiring but also igniting desires among our young generation to achieve the same level of success and admiration. This blog is my own stand point view and ignite the debate once again, inviting reader's views and comments.

Our Young Generation unfortunately seems to be in silent war with competitive environment and does not seem to be articulate about which way to run - after "success" or after "ability". In the course, the fact is forgotten that "success" and "ability" are not two different paths but the former is an obvious outcome of the later. So it is only the later that may be and needs to be pursued. If you search through all those inspiring stories and biographies, then the common factor discovered from them is a single liner - "continue to improve yourself". What is that about? "ability" of course! And as this complex world is unfolding - new technologies, globalization, entrepreneurship ... the epicenter of the "ability" factor has widened much much farther - beyond academics, are ability to express, aptitude, self esteem, presentation skills, .... etc. etc.

A recent survey has exposed an alarming fact about our (in Indian context) university education system that only less than a fifth of 3 million graduates and post graduates passing every year are acceptable to the industry sector. The reasons for this are not far from comprehension. The most important thing is that the education system must orient the students towards entrepreneurship in order for them to become a national asset. The main ingredient of this capacity building is the students should be well informed about this unfolding world of unlimited career possibilities. The foundation of capacity building lies in providing this information at the level when the students are about to leave the school and take the first steps into the adult world.

The Old Generation, the parents are leaving no efforts unturned in bringing up their wards and it is the means for them to revisit their phase of studentship. Unfortunately however, this bringing up process is also an obligation of seeing their own unfulfilled ambitions to be scaled by their children. This attitude leaves very little space for the adolescents to pursue their own agenda of life. With physical, mental, intellectual, and emotional development going on, it becomes all the more difficult for the youngsters to cope up with the pressure. 

Actually it is expected of the parents that they set every crooked path straight in their ward's life; realize that life is a journey which should be enjoyed and fully lived rather than plan to enjoy it after so called "success" is achieved, as success is temporary and never ultimate. With the technology boom in 90s, education, career options, ways of communication, social interaction; almost everything underwent a metamorphosis. The easy access to the internet has opened doors to acquiring information from every corner of the world. This development should bring confidence even in the minds of the most academically average that there are multitude of career options to suit their aptitude and potential.The older generation should also indulge into this awareness of changes taking place at the social, economic and cultural levels. If earlier, sciences were the preferred choice of subjects for their wards; most aware parents are now open to letting their wards choose the subject of their own interest and aptitude.

The purpose of this blog is to connect all - students, parents, teachers, career counselors - and provide a discussion forum with articles or feeds about the latest career trends to debate about. Our aim should be that, our young generation, the future valuable resource should be educated, well informed, ambitious individuals, noble souls and wholesome whole assets to the universe.

Visitors are requested to contribute generously through their comments, and posting the links to the articles (liked by them) on most popular social media of their choice, in their groups and circles.

I have made the "new beginning", now it's up to you readers to realize for what this blog is started.