Month: April 2024

The employability and skill development needs of Indian youth, especially those from Kerala, are crucial for fostering economic growth and individual prosperity. India’s demographic dividend, with a significant youth population, underscores the importance of equipping them with the right skills to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving job market. Kerala, known for its high literacy rates and skilled workforce, stands to benefit greatly from targeted skill development initiatives.

In recent years, the focus on skill development has intensified, with various government schemes aiming to enhance vocational training and employability.

For Kerala’s youth, embracing 21st-century skills like communication, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and digital literacy is essential for staying competitive in a technology-driven world. The state’s rich educational heritage can be leveraged to create a workforce adept at problem-solving and innovation, aligning with the state’s reputation for excellence in education.

Challenges such as social biases, a mismatch between training and industry needs, and a shortage of qualified trainers need to be addressed to ensure effective skill development. By promoting green skills for sustainable development, Kerala’s youth can tap into emerging sectors like renewable energy and organic farming, opening up new avenues for employment and entrepreneurship.

Empowering Kerala’s youth through comprehensive skill development programs, apprenticeships, and industry partnerships will not only boost their chances of employability but also contribute to the state’s overall economic growth and sustainability. By nurturing a skilled workforce equipped with 21st-century competencies, Kerala can position itself as a hub of innovation and opportunity, setting a strong foundation for the future.

Teachers and Doctors have a lasting impact in the lives of people as they have the power to steer the lives of people in very positive directions. But unfortunately, teachers in our country fail to receive the respect they deserve as many of them are in the profession for comfort or convenience and rarely in response to an inner calling. A B.Ed., degree is more often the ticket to a teachers’ job and many of them struggle throughout their journey.

Having worked very closely with teachers and school management for more than a decade, we have always felt that there is a very strong requirement for something more than the academic qualification that makes a teachers’ role special. More than just a training embedded in the B.Ed., course curriculum, the aspiring teacher needs to work at least for a year in different departments of pedagogy just like a house surgeon do in medical colleges to understand and prepare them for the life changing journey that they will embark upon.

The classroom scenarios have changed drastically and so should the role and relevance of teachers in classrooms. The post-Covid scenario in schools is a matter of concern as far as methodologies and classroom techniques are concerned. The use of technology needs to be utilised judiciously for its optimum output.

Having equated their services with doctors, it is only fair that they also be paid on par with that of a high ranking official since they are in a career that requires constant up gradation, up skilling and a total change of attitudes and outlooks. They are dealing with high energy circuits and for them to keep up with the pace generation after generation maintaining the same passion is a very challenging task.