In the changing world scenario with regard to industry and the job market, there is now an overpowering need for skilled workers. Writes Reetika Bose
As former President Pranab Mukherjee once said, “We often boast about India’s demographic dividend. But the question that arises is what we do with this if we cannot skill them, if we cannot educate them and cannot enhance their employability.” As such, skill training has come to occupy a paramount position in the Indian industry and via franchisees the biggest of the brands are taking their businesses to new heights. The Indian education sector has witnessed a rapid growth in the number of institutions and students over the last few decades. And in today’s world of globalisation, skill training is an integral component of increasing efficiency and productivity for the healthy economic development of any economy.
Operating on similar lines has been the Institute of Computer Accountants (ICA), a skill development institution that has built up impressive brand value over the past 18 years. “A captive franchise model helps in the learning process and gives wings to growth,” says Narendra Shyamsukha, the institute’s founder. Yet another example is that of The British Institutes, which has been working in the domain of skill development since 1935. “Our business vision is to reach out to every part of India as well as neighboring countries in the next five years,” says its COO Jayant Kumar Roy.
The Road Ahead
Being one of the oldest companies in India in the skill training space, The British Institutes has almost perfected the franchise model and gained strength from its geographical spread. “We have a plan to open 50 centres in the next 12 months,” reveals Roy. The NIIT, equally aggressive in its franchise spread, now has over 380 education centres touching base with 40 countries. “This has helped enhance our visibility across the world and has also created a positive perception of the company being a leading global talent development organisation,” Menon says. Quantifying the growth curve, Shyamsukha of ICA says, “I visualize a YoY growth of 15-20% in our paid vertical. Under the aegis of the Skill India campaign of the government, we hope to provide training to 2.5 lakh people across India by the end of 2018.”
Keeping it Focused
The Indian education system puts maximum emphasis on bookish knowledge. But now there is a realisation that the industry requires people with good skill-sets along with theoretical knowledge. And that’s where brands like NIIT, ICA or The British Institutes have hit gold. “We have successfully leveraged technology to create skilled manpower that has no problem getting jobs,” Menon says. It’s also about targeting the right group of people. ICA, for instance, focuses on semi-urban, rural and under-resourced youth who can be skilled and trained in a particular job role and provided a sustainable livelihood through employment or entrepreneurship. “Keeping in mind the future needs, students are being skilled in the use of robotics, 3D printing, mind-map tools, etc. Our tinkering labs help reinforce their theoretical learning,” informs Shyamsukha.
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