Variety of sectors need to project talent requirements over a much longer period

 NSDC's sector skills councils for a variety of sectors need to project talent requirements over a much longer period than they do currently. They could perhaps follow the example of Nasscom that has created a Future skills platform keeping in mind where the IT industry will be headed. Nasscom is working with 10 engineering colleges to implement this. I have closely watched its implementation at Sona College of Technology in Salem where IT industry professionals came and addressed the students in an interactive forum, in addition to training the faculty. Sona faculty visited campuses of leading IT services companies, including Infosys, to learn about new technology applications and industry practices.

This is not the case with most core industries. The automobile industry could have engaged with academic institutions when the new fuel emission standards, BS-V and BS-VI, were announced and projected the need for tens of thousands of engineers to prepare themselves for the rapid creation and adoption of technology to meet the new standards. Mere announcement of these skill requirements would have catalysed students to seek admissions in automobile engineering programmes.

While the Government has set an ambitious target to move to electric vehicles, the AICTE, the apex body for technical education, does not have a computer science and engineering on electric mobility. This is a critical gap that needs to be flagged and addressed. It’s time for the National Education Policy to make downstream interventions.