Accenture has started the new year, 2019, with the release of a report titled, Fueling India’s Skill Revolution, outlining an approach to bridge skill gaps in India. If these gaps remain unaddressed within the context of rapid technological transformations, it could cost India almost US$ 1.97 trillion in terms of growth in GDP (gross domestic product), as estimated to be delivered via investments in intelligent technologies over the next decade.
Intelligent technologies have already begun to transform the nature of work and hence, skills like social-emotional and sensory perception, creativity and complex reasoning are becoming more important across job roles. These cannot be taught and learnt through traditional methods of training or education.
In tandem with Accenture’s own “New Skilling” framework, the approach outlined in the report is a combination of innovative learning methods that are grounded in neuroscience research. The underlying rationale is to make the processes of skills development more effective by enabling organizations to reskill and upskill their people at a scale that provides individually-tailored learning experiences.
According to Rekha M Menon, chairman and senior managing director at Accenture in India, “Intelligent technologies increasingly require people to hone more exclusively human skills such as creativity, empathy and ethical judgment. “These skills cannot be acquired in the classroom. We must offer more experiential on-the-job training and help people adopt life-long learning as their jobs are transformed. Digital tools and applications — like artificial intelligence, analytics and blockchain — will be essential in delivering these new learning approaches.”
Thus, within this framework, there are four stages in the learning journey of an individual, which can be augmented by an amalgamation of different digital technologies and adaptive platforms/programs like artificial intelligence, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). (1) Awareness implies curating and disseminating content to ensure people are aware of the skills that are required. (2) Conversance requires building specific pathways to tailor to individual learning needs. (3) Job readiness entails enabling immersive training to make people job-ready. (4) Expertise demands supporting a path of life-long and deep learning for individuals, based on blockchain-based micro-credentials.
Finally, the report provides a set of four recommendations i.e. actions necessary for stakeholders in the Indian ecosystem to initiate the skills development of the country’s workforce as required in a burgeoning digital economy. These stakeholders range from corporates, industry bodies, government departments, non-profit organisations and academia. The four actions that must be undertaken using digital platforms include:
- Unification of a fragmented ecosystem: connecting education providers, employers, public agencies and start-ups in such a manner that they can work together to address challenges of skill demand, job creation etc. as faced by those seeking jobs. Analytics can help identify areas of intervention and suggest appropriate actions, while blockchain could improve transparency and accountability in the processes of skill development
- Use of blended learning models: an optimal mix of in-person interaction, on-the-job and online learning can help improve retention and “stickiness”
- Starting at the source: The broader needs of digital economies can be met by creating comprehensive skills-based learning frameworks in schools and colleges and adapting curricula in institutions of higher learning
- Customisation to local context: Building multi-lingual, device-agnostic and affordable digital solutions that are compatible with offline infrastructure and can be applied at scale, even while catering to local/individual needs
Menon further stated in the report that “it’s critical that companies collaborate with the broader ecosystem to bridge the skills gap that is keeping India from harnessing its demographic advantage. Organizations must recognize that they need to be innovative not just in developing products and services, but also in the way they offer learning opportunities that ensure their communities are ready for the future.”
India Outbound
January 8, 2019
source https://indiaoutbound.org/report-digital-solutions-to-skill-gaps-in-india/
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