From CXO Online September 2007

India Workforce Development - Bringing Nations up to Speed

Let's strap ourselves into the time machine and go back. Back to May 20, 1957, when F. E. James, Dallas director of the Texas Employment Commission said this about the shortage of skilled workers: "Companies around here still scream at us for every available skilled man.…[M]ost companies on their own have hunted the U.S. over and couldn't find the people they wanted." The article goes on to say, "The chief responsibility for obtaining skilled workers and constantly upgrading their skills rests on industry itself."

Flash forward: The New Yorker, April 16, 2007 on skills shortage "…[A]lthough India has one of the youngest workforces on the planet, the head of Infosys said recently that there was an acute shortage of skilled manpower."

Has nothing changed in fifty years? Actually, something has—and rather dramatically: technology. And much more. The nature of the workforce has changed; the types of skills needed by industry have changed; the way people view (and manage) their careers has also changed.

Now consider this: If each period of history is defined by the tools that emerge and the ways in which they are used to meet the needs of that time, we need to define how learning—and the learner—has changed, and what new tools are needed to educate our 21st century workforce. First, the traditional two track system, college or vocational training, is hopelessly outdated. Every industry today demands a much higher skill level. Even entry level workers require skills that are far superior to those that local trade schools have traditionally provided. And university graduates who emerge with limited "employability" are commonplace. Second, we know that all people do not learn in the same manner. Third, unlike in the "olden days" a tool isn't just a physical object, such as a hammer—it's often technology. Finally, it is a safe assumption that the world will continue to go global, and technology will continue to expand. So, how do we design an learning ecosystem that provides skills that are immediately relevant in today's workplace yet flexible enough to rapidly change in response to new industry needs?

There isn't one answer, or one right answer. Many right answers to our questions exist, and these will emerge from various initiatives that are already being tried. Let's look at the Indian automotive industry as a representative example, knowing this example translates across many other countries and industries.

Here we go. Imagine Joe Blow (apparently an Indian version of "Joe Blow" does not exist, but really, he should have an Indian name so lets call him Bhupinder Singh). So imagine Bhupinder Singh, an Indian auto mechanic, working in his little one-man auto repair shop in his small town—although it's not a shop as many of us know it. When we walk into Mr. Singh's shop we don't hear the familiar high-pitched whine, whir-whir, zip-zip we've come to associate with auto mechanics' garages. Bhupinder has no reliable supply of running water or electricity, no hoists or lifts, no air tools or other modern tools found in the garages many of us are used to seeing. What we hear in his shop is the sound of a hammer, chisel, and a gas welder. Bhupinder is doing body work on one of his customer's cars—and doing quite a good job, especially when we consider the tools he's using. While we can—and should—applaud Bhupinder's ingenuity, if he were to leave his village for employment in the city at a large, modern facility, he wouldn't be job-ready.

What is Bhupinder to do? What are we to do? Bhupinder wants a better life, which he will have if he can get a job as an auto body mechanic in a big city. In turn, we also need the Bhupinders of the world while we create a new and improved employable workforce. In the U.S., say, we just wouldn't hire Bhupinder because of his lack of formal education and limited knowledge of underlying mechanical theories or modern tools. But unlike the U.S., Bhupinder's situation is not uncommon in India's informal sector. Just as supermarkets are driving out mom-and-pop stores in larger cities, larger aftermarket service stores are driving away little shops like Bhupinder's. Automobiles are becoming so complex that soon Bhupinder will not be able fix them with his makeshift tools. Technology is redefining skills and about to knock Bhupinder out of the race. Fortunately Bhupinder has some skills that will never fall by the wayside: his resourcefulness, his creativity, and his desire to learn and improve his skills. We need to get Bhupinder up to speed. But how? What's it going to take to prepare Bhupinder for today? We need a plan, a model.

Before we send Bhupinder speeding down the highway, we need to give him a road map—we need to create a road map for the unfamiliar territory we are sending Bhupinder off to explore. We need to make sure the skills he acquires are the ones that the industry needs. And who is this "we?" In this case, the Indian automotive industry needs to drive this train…or car. This is exactly what the Society for Indian Automotive Manufacturers (SIAM) is planning on doing: creating a roadmap for training the Bhupinders of India.

What needs should this roadmap address? Bhupinder needs to be competitive in the global market. Bhupinder is fluent in Punjabi; his Hindi (the official language of India) is good, but his English is barely passable; his math skills are good but he could use a little extra education; "team building" or "leadership" are not skills he has needed in his one-man shop, though he may use these skills in other areas of his life. Training in many areas—soft skills, life skills, computer skills, technical skills, etc.—will need to be provided and run on parallel tracks.

The starting point on our map is comprised of the cluster of skills needed for each job role. These will be based on standards that have been established and used successfully in other markets. We need to establish what Bhupinder needs to know to become our competent auto body mechanic and what will it take to keep his skills up to date. We need a curriculum.

But wait. Let's throw this car in reverse. Once we have created the curriculum—what Bhupinder needs to know—we really should find out exactly what he already knows. We need an assessment. From this assessment, we will learn where the gaps in knowledge lie, gaps which won't be the same across the board. These gaps can be filled through various curriculum tracks, say, Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced and individualized modules.

Once Bhupinder is trained to the new industry standards, he needs a way to prove and demonstrate his competency, which is where certification programs appear on the road ahead. After Bhupinder has completed his training, he needs to be tested and certified. Certification will assure employers—and consumers—that Bhupinder can do the job and do it right.

We now have one competent Bhupinder. But, SIAM estimates it needs 2.5 million Bhupinders in the next ten years in India alone. Other countries have additional needs in the automotive market. And new automotive technologies will create new demand even in countries where there is currently no skills shortage. Our model needs scalability.

The only way to get scalable, consistent development of well trained, high quality people is to use technology as a tool to deliver our program. With every passing year, more curricula, assessments, training classes, and certification are shifting to online delivery or blending computer-based training and technology with "hands–on" classroom training.

We've bushwhacked our way through the trees a short distance, but we need to clear away much more of our metaphorical jungle in order to forge a clear path ahead. Our training model will require an integrated collaborative partnership between existing educational institutions, business corporations, industry associations, and government—particularly in the development of technology infrastructure. More uncharted territory for many, but it's happening. In this case, Learning companies, automotive industry associations, and automotive manufacturers are laying the groundwork for a unique partnership with educational institutions and government owned technical schools to ensure that the model comes alive.

Mapping and then building the roads will not happen overnight—and the finish line is still off in the distance. Organizations that understand how to "ramp up" to meet the changing needs of the global market will play a big part in the mapping and road building effort. In time, the Bhupinders of the world and the companies currently unable to find skilled resources will both cross the finish line as winners. So let's turn the key in the ignition, start the engine, put the car in gear, and get ready to roll.

Adayana Inc. is a learning services company that, among other things, uses industry-wide collaborative models to provide workforce development solutions. Visit our website www.adayana.com; call us at 1.952.830.0631 or 91.40.66564109 for more information.

This article was published by CXO Online in September 2007.

< back