Gone are the days when having a vanilla degree was enough for you to grab a job opportunity and stay constant in the same job role. Technological advancement led to rapid transformation, creating a need for constant learning and development to remain competitive and relevant in the market. There has been a paradigm shift in organisations prioritising learning and development as a measure of employee satisfaction and engagement.
Despite India’s vast young population, a critical skills shortage looms. According to TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship, the country faces a projected deficit of 30-32 million skilled workers by 2025, which is expected to soar to 47-49 million by 2047. Industries like automotive, healthcare, real estate, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and construction are particularly vulnerable to this skills crisis.
To stay ahead of the curve, it’s not enough to just have the basics. You need to be flexible, always learning new things, and able to communicate effectively. These skills are essential for anyone trying to succeed in today’s fast-paced world.
Smriti Mathur, Vice President of People India & Global Talent Advisory, Pegasystems, calls for a blend of technical and soft skills for software engineers.
For Binu Philip, CHRO – Greater India, Schneider Electric, emerging technologies, and business transformations are two significant trends impacting organisations’ learning strategies.
Tailoring L&D initiatives
Anirudh Gupta, Learning Academy India Lead, Pfizer, highlights that L&D initiatives are tailored for a specific internal audience, to pave the way for the future rather than solely focusing on present issues and execution.
Organisations are also seeking collaboration to address the gender gap in learning and development. Recently, Capgemini collaborated with SAP to launch the Capgemini-SAP Digital Academy program; to provide employment-linked skill training to marginalised youths in India. Such initiatives show organistaions’ effort to make learning accessible to all.
The recent success of para-athletes at the Paralympics 2024 held from August 28 to September 8 showed us how developing human capital, crafting robust learning strategies, and fostering a supportive environment are pivotal for every organisations.
To champion learning and development, Prabhanjan Kulkarni, Vice President & Head of HR, redBus, calls for integrating cutting-edge technologies like AI, machine learning, virtual reality, and ChatGPT.
Sampada Inamdar, Head of Talent and Culture Transformation, at Tata Motors, shares that access to learning should be easy and available to empower continuous learning.