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Mapping tools: Companies addressing the skill gap by offering on-the-job training

Companies can address the skill gap by offering on-the-job training using online learning resources

Mapping tools: Companies addressing the skill gap by offering on-the-job training

(Photo: Getty Images)

The hiring dynamics of the Indian IT sector has witnessed several ups and downs in the past few years due to emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data and Analytics the sector. The labour arbitrage in the IT industry has now reached an inflexion point as organisations are now looking at in-house training, re-skilling and up-skilling of existing resources to meet the demands of the workplace.

In fact, the sector is estimated to add nearly 1, 50,000 new workers soon. It is not necessary, however, that when employees join an organisation they would carry the basic knowledge of the tools and systems used in the workplace.

When 24- year-old Shivam Shukla was offered a job in an IT firm of Mysore during the campus placement drive, he eagerly accepted it with the zeal of showcasing his skills mastered in college. However, at a certain point, he failed to perform a few tasks at his workplace due to his lack of knowledge beyond academics.

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While this indeed urges the educational institutions to look beyond academics and train the students in terms of getting the taste of the actual IT world, companies too can address the skill gap by recognising skill adjacencies and offering on-the-job training using online learning resources. On-the-job training can be documented as one of the most effective methods of learning.

It focuses on evaluating the relevant skills for any project at the workplace and future demands and then closely links it to the capability of the employees. The other way of encouraging on-the-job learning in the IT sector is to provide cross-functional job opportunities across projects. IT organisations in India frequently acknowledge the need to constantly help their employees in staying abreast with the right knowledge and skills.

While they do invest in institute training and development plans, yet, they end up grappling with the best ways to achieve the desired results. For instance, some companies opt for leveraging the expertise of their existing senior employees in training the junior level workforce, which forces the former to shift the focus from their core duties.

This is where specialised training and skilling organisations can be approached to get on board as consultants. These specialised consulting organisations leverage the latest technology-enabled learning tools and the prowess of their experienced, qualified and certified trainers, and subject matter experts to truly help employees transform their abilities and levels of productivity.

The tools are mostly self-learning tools and include extensive research and developing skills through self-help or e-learning. Technology advances are bound to happen in every industry and considering the vast field of IT, there are new technological advances emerging every day.

In such a dynamic situation, offering the professionals tools for self and on-the-job learning will bring an impetus to driving a learning culture in organisations across the country. And, it is the emergence of highly unswerving training and reskilling partners in the country today that is making the goal easier to achieve than imagined once upon a time.

The writer is founder and CEO, Safeducate

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