In-Demand Skills To Enhance Employability Quotient

Ketan Kotecha Jun 25, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the global economy and resulted in a massive loss of lives and livelihoods. The economic and social disruption has resulted in the loss of millions of jobs and jeopardized millions of businesses.

India has experienced rapid growth in recent years as a result of the expansion of new-age industries. With the rise in purchasing power, there has been an increase in demand for a higher level of service quality.

It is important to note that our economy's knowledge, skill, and dynamic workforce form the backbone.

According to the World Economic Forum's 'Future of Jobs Report 2020,' 85 million jobs may become obsolete, and 50 per cent of all employees will require reskilling by 2025. By 2030, the number of people who must reskill will have risen to 1 billion or more.

However, the report does have a silver lining in that it predicts that even more jobs, 97 million in total, will emerge that are more amenable to the interaction of humans, machines, and algorithms.

To enhance the benefits of such opportunity, the education system must be reformed while introducing new factors of production, such as knowledge, skills, and technology, capable of unleashing the productive frontiers of the economy in the most efficient and dynamic manner.

The Indian educational system is dynamic and constantly evolving. The Indian higher education system has grown significantly to become the world's second-largest. Many of the higher education institutions have already included the development of employability skills in their course curriculum for the development of the future generation and the nation itself.

Educators must remember that 21st-century learners have a very different profile. Students now prepare to use technologies that have not yet been invented in the near future.

The students are still connected on a global scale. They prefer to multitask, are digitally literate, and have strong visual and spatial abilities. They are still connected to the internet, want to learn important things, and are looking forward to exploring more challenging jobs.

List of some skills that enhance the employability quotient:

Emotional Intelligence - Emotional intelligence (EI) is a new skill that employers place a high value on because it is seen to significantly impact self-motivation by processing and managing emotions, particularly in professional relationships and interpersonal communications assesses the ability to modify behaviour in response to the mood of a co-worker, partner, or family member.
Professional skills - In today’s business world, a person's professional skills are extremely important. These professional skills include work interest, initiative, planning and organization, learning ability, quality and quantity of work, creative approach towards problem-solving skills, and so on.
Innovative approach – Thinking innovatively refers to the ability to pitch new ideas that benefit the organization. Employers seek bright, imaginative minds who can keep their organization ahead of the competition in a competitive sustainable environment.
Communication - Communication is more of a package than a single skill. It is important to be clear, concise, and focused; to be able to tailor your message and cater it to the audience, and be humble enough to approach for feedback.
Flexibility and openness to change – Flexibility refers to the learning ability of the amount of information, knowledge, and skills that an employee can pick up while working. It also entails taking on new tasks and being adaptable to change.

A variety of personal and social skills, colloquially known as soft skills, have become essential for improving employability in both wage and self-employment situations.

If India is to be a developed nation in the next 20 to 25 years, we must improve and develop its human resources, which are just as important as the country's natural resources. It is only possible if students' employability skills are prioritised and enhanced.