In Search of The Missing Skills; Vocational Training Is The Answer
Even though it is harsh, we must acknowledge that the workforce is in danger of being unable to carry out the tasks that contemporary businesses require. As outdated as the rotary phone is the idea that young adults with a degree or diploma start a career path that leads them from entry-level to retirement.
This change has not been gradual; rather, the landscapes of upskilling and continuing education within this generation have undergone a tremendous transformation. Why are skill shortages and changes occurring at such a rapid pace, and how can employers and employees avoid being left behind with outdated skill sets?
The following elements contribute to the problem of a shifting skill landscape:
- Going to school and earning a degree or diploma is essential to gain knowledge but practical applicability of that knowledge and turning that knowledge into meaningful skill is the missing piece of our current education model.
- The number of skills needed in the workforce has multiplied, and the usefulness of skills is eroding.
- For people to stay at the top of their professions, a wider range of skills is needed.
How Does Vocational Training Provide The Missing Skill?
We have seen how the global economy has experienced a difficult period that has forced many people out of work. Many of these people never prioritised developing practical skills in various global industries.
The goal of vocational education should be to provide a roadmap for a better future. Additionally, they will replace the numerous academic credentials currently available in each technical and non-technical field with a single, recognisable qualification type.
Instead of emphasising the theoretical underpinnings of various employment sectors, this type of vocational training emphasises the practical skills needed to carry out manual tasks in many sectors.
The transformation of skill education depends on career advancement, respectable pay, healthy competition, and recognition for skill. Its desired path to fulfilling employment and a stable income. Learning skills through vocational training programs doesn’t have to be a last-ditch effort to land a wage job in a blue-collar position.
Any industry a person has a passion for is open to vocational training. He or she should be able to find employment and launch a successful career in that particular industry thanks to vocational training.
- Anyone planning to forego professional education can be taught how to do it using their manual skill set thanks to vocational training.
- It should be created in a way that people as young as 14 or even as old as 60 years old can pursue it.
- Projects like “Digital India” have made it possible for formal education and vocational training to coexist in order to meet the nation’s rising demand for skilled technical and non-technical workers.
- It should concentrate on the immediate beneficiaries: youth, the enterprise, and the country.
- It is no longer necessary to train workers to meet their specific current needs; instead, we should focus on vocational training programs that impart lifelong skill development.
- For strong and balanced growth, the training should guarantee that a skilled workforce is always available. He or she can become more employable in the global economy by choosing the right combination of academic and vocational training. The workforce of today and tomorrow should be inspired by it, making them employable by major players in the sector.
The main goal of the training is to demonstrate real-world work experience so that young people can comprehend the variety of options available to them and can be helped to choose the appropriate career path.
Let's examine what advantages vocational training brings:
1. Job Readiness
You improve your skills and abilities to perform a job because on-the-job training involves fieldwork. Any kind of vocational education enables one to adapt to the subtleties of the business world. A person seeking employment will gain confidence and become job-ready through vocational training.
2. Improvement of New Abilities
Vocational training aids in upgrading new skills for the individual in addition to helping them adapt to new ones, thereby displacing their use of outdated skills. In contrast to other programs, this is used by people who are already employed to improve their knowledge of their line of work.
3. Minimises Marginalisation
Some of the socially marginalised groups have simple access to vocational education that aids in their ability to support themselves. With the aid of vocational training, even a student who did not excel in their academics can find a lucrative job.
4.Makes Learning Fun
A practical process is almost always required in vocational training programs rather than just a theoretical one. The entire learning process becomes more enjoyable.
5. Enhanced efficiency
Vocational training programs boost an individual’s productivity by keeping their skills up to date. The likelihood of promotion is higher at work.
6. Improved Social Skills
From the perspective of the learner, vocational training can be an entirely new experience. The goal of educators must be to foster a climate in which students can improve their social skills.
7. Inspiration for unconventional thinking
A combination of observation, reflection, experience, and application make up the practical learning process. The ability of a student to think creatively outside the box can be enhanced by their vocational training.
Vocational Training; Way Of The Future
An actual substitute for academic learning is vocational training and skills-based certifications. This kind of career-focused education offers applied, hands-on work-based learning that is the ideal synthesis of theory and practice, allowing young people to acquire practical skills in a particular craft, occupation, or trade.
From the perspective of the educators, it is essential to inform the students of the variety of options available to them and to support them in making the best decision possible. Vulnerable young people can benefit from this kind of vocational training by realising their full potential and achieving their objectives.
Young students should be encouraged by many colleges and higher education institutions to choose vocational training, which will increase their chances of success in their chosen field.
The government must make sure that children have access to high-quality education and knowledgeable teachers. Young people can be inspired and nurtured to make the right decision by good educators. The kinds of specialised fields in which students need to receive their skill-based training include paramedics, retail, hospitality, travel, and tourism.
In today’s business world, employers are looking for young graduates with soft skills like communication, teamwork, and practical knowledge to succeed at work.
Young people are learning the skills necessary to succeed in the workplace thanks to vocational training.
A variety of occupational sectors, including administration, sales and customer service, hospitality, technical employment, caring and leisure, and skilled trades, employ young graduates with vocational degrees.
The future of India will be decided by the working youth. These working populations must be developed with specialised skills and industry-specific training to make them productive for both themselves and the nation.
“Learnet Skills is a premier skill development organisation with over 80 institutes called Learnet Institutes of Skills (LIS) that have been helping to make a positive change in society by providing skill-based and vocational courses to individuals/students across India”.