Why Skills Are More Important Than A Degree To Get A Job

By Ashish Singh and Anubhav Swaroop:

Over the last few years, the job market has changed in several aspects. The level of education has improved. However, it has not brought the required changes in the curriculum which prepared individuals to be qualified enough to be part of an active workforce. The situation is even worse when it comes to education in rural India. This is due to the fact that their cultural capital, access to information and medium of instruction is different from a lot of the urban youngsters. This affects their performance in continuation of education and in the job market.

Employability of graduates continues to remain weak in our country. India has more than 700 universities, more than 35000 colleges and a NASSCOM report says that each year over three million graduates and post-graduates are added to the Indian workforce but only 10-15% regular graduates are considered as employable. There is a need to generate self-employment and create entrepreneurs.

Communication/proficiency has not been part of the curriculum in many places. The power to convey our thoughts is amongst one of the most important aspects that govern our success in relationships throughout our life. In the world of work, clarity in communication and articulation contributes to our success. Hence, language and communication plays a vital role

When rural youngsters come to cities for higher education, the biggest problem they face is that of communication. Whether it is Hindi or English, they feel lost while communicating. Even the urban students face a major problem in effective communication. It has been felt consistently that younger students often lose great opportunities just because they are not articulate enough.

English is considered a global language which has been used worldwide in diverse sectors such as business, politics, international relations, culture and entertainment. With the faster globalisation of the Indian economy, it comes as no surprise that recruiters are increasingly focusing on the English language skills of the candidates. Whether seeking a government job or a job in the corporate sector, having English language skills helps to keep them a step ahead in the competition.

The fact is that we can be a better person and a better society if we know exactly how to express ourselves. There is an underlying objective of improving language skills in the age of quick and abbreviated communication. Every person can be a leader at her/his own labour but only those who cultivate the qualities will ever become truly effective leaders.

I am from Raebareli, a city which is known in almost all political circles, but remains no different than any other tier two city when it comes to providing a decent job opportunities for educated youths, or even letting them reach institutions of higher education, sometimes due to language and other related issues and the rest due to their financial situation.

Anubhav Swaroop, who also hails from my hometown, started to teach English at a very nominal fee. He runs a coaching centre on the ground floor of his house. Anubhav sent a small write up when I asked him to write about his initiative and experience. This is what he writes:

“Naukri nahin milli.” (I didn’t get the job.) We all have been listening to this dialogue in Hindi movies for decades. We see the protagonist struggling to get a good job, whether it is a movie of the 60s or 90s. Even now, we often listen to the youth telling us that it is very tough to get a good job these days. But I think the youth are unaware of the other side of the issue. If we attend to the problem of unemployment carefully, we would come to know that those who are skilled, intelligent, honest, hard-working and patient, are the ones who sooner or later get the desired employment.

Looking into the matter I found that the youth are running after glamour and seeking short ways to gain wealth and pleasure. Most of the youth want to be literate and degree holders, not educated, trained and skilled, since they do not understand the difference between being skilled/educated and being degree-holders. The education system is becoming easier and easier day by day but only for those who want certificates and degrees.

Those who were skilled and trained in the 60s got employed and pursued a respectable profession. It is the same now as well. The youth needs to understand that these certificates and degrees can get them only a medium or a path, but not the destination.  In order to get to the desired destination, they need to be justified with their course, syllabus and books. The doors of jobs and opportunities are open for them who are literally educated and skilled, not for them who just hold a degree.

Well, now you know that it’s not just about Angrezi!
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Image Source: Kunal Patil via Hindustan Times/ Getty Images