The approach to develop competencies for employability advocated by the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Mission (TNSDM) would be integrated into school and higher education curricula during the 12 five year plan period, E. Balagurusamy, Member (Education), State Planning Commission, said on Wednesday.
Employability was a major issue as only 20 per cent of engineering graduates and 15 per cent of arts and science graduates were ready for jobs. A majority among the 71 lakh unemployed people registered with the employment exchanges in the state were graduates. There was something seriously wrong with the education system, Mr.Balagurusamy said, inaugurating a UGC training workshop on employability skills organised by Department of Lifelong Learning, Bharathidasan University, in association with the university's constituent college at Lalgudi.
Skills cannot be taught; it has to be developed by the learners themselves. Character building was important. The prevalent scenario wherein engineering students were refusing to develop core skills due to a desire to become software programmers explains the dip in the growth of manufacturing sector. Skills could be well developed only during the course of education in schools and colleges, he said and advocated life-long learning to counter knowledge obsolescence.
Character building
The younger generation should develop courage by building traits like character, competency and conviction, said Dr. Balagurusamy, who also released a training manual on employability skills brought out by the Department of Life Long Learning on the occasion.
Presiding over, Vice-Chancellor K.Meena said the UGC's programme on employable skills pertaining to the eleventh plan period will benefit 500 rural students belonging to five colleges, including three constituent units of the university. The university's Centre for Youth Development and Studies was also reaching out to socio-economically poor students through training programmes. The university plans to organise an interface between industry representatives and placement officers of affiliated colleges on January 4, Dr. Meena said.
Acquisition of skills while studying in schools and colleges will stand job-seekers in good stead after education, the Registrar T.Ramaswamy said, while addressing the beneficiaries comprising final year students of the University's Lalgudi constituent college.
K.Parthasarathy, Chair - School of Education, and Professor and Head, Department of Lifelong Learning, said the UGC's training programme of three-day duration was meant to benefit final year undergraduate and postgraduate students.
The training programme also marks the department's Silver Jubilee year, he said. Dr.Parthasarathy, who is also the Director of the University's Institute for Entrepreneurship and Career Development, said the Institute was in the forefront in skill trainings through programmes of one to six months durations.