The role of education in skill development is vital because outcome based learning nurtures problem solving, critical thinking & decision taking skills.
Skilled education involves teaching students to apply classroom knowledge in real-life situations.
While studying mathematics, solving questions of different topics develops our problem-solving skills.
For fostering innovation, we should align education in a manner that it fosters problem solving & critical thinking, the two most important traits.
Countries worldwide are increasing their research and development budgets because the demand for innovative products is crucial to staying competitive in global trade.
The ground work should start in school itself because laying a firm foundation in STEM subjects is crucial for innovation.
Educators should be provided learning opportunities so they apply outcome based learning in their classes because they will strengthen the role of education in skill development.
Science lab, Mathematics lab & even languages lab are learning resources that empower educators to foster proper understanding of theoretical concepts.
Through practical’s students internalize concepts which allow them to apply concepts in real life. Hence, education should be streamlined that it incorporates practical skills vital for innovation.
The Department of Science & Technology (DST), GOI, provides grants to educational institutions to carry out research in areas critical for India’s growth. These initiatives aim to nurture innovative skills vital for developing indigenous technology for the country.
Through experiential learning, education nurtures skill development because a proper understanding is vital for carrying out discoveries.
Science teachers play a crucial role in fostering problem-solving skills by conducting experiments that spark interest and facilitate students’ understanding of challenging concepts.
Likewise, through role plays & group activities, teachers develop leadership & decision taking skills vital for nation development. Further, the pedagogy has to be practical. We can enhance learning through field visits, e-learning, industry driven projects, digital inputs and so on.
Role of education in skill development in India
In India, education plays a crucial role in skill development, as it enables the creation of various job opportunities and livelihood paths through up skilling.
Even though currently the IT sector is experiencing a recession, it employs many skilled professionals.
Colleges should expose students to practical’s so that they gain hands-on skills vital for the job.
Just bookish knowledge is not enough because the ability to work out things on their own is vital for gaining 21st century skills.
Institutions should encourage students to do projects so they can apply theoretical concepts in real-life situations.
Practice makes a man perfect. From programming to communication, any skill we take regular practice leads to excellence.
Educational institutions should organize a coding hackathon so that coding enthusiasts can showcase their programming skills and become employable.
Similarly, those eyeing marketing profiles should get opportunities for debates, GD & extra-curricular activities so that they refine communication & feel confident.
Colleges should send STEM graduates on industrial tours so that they understand the manufacturing process, leading to the conceptual clarity of theoretical concepts.
In fact, India should have compulsory industrial training after 10th if it wants to augment its manufacturing sector.
Our graduates are educated but lack job ready skills, which compounds the problem of unemployment.
Hence, the curriculum should include skills like tool & die making, AC repair & maintenance, industrial automation, mechatronics, Python programming, & graphic designing to make our graduates job ready.
Unless we change our mind-set of scoring high marks with getting skilled, the problem of joblessness cannot wane away.
Hence, science teachers should explain concepts through TLMs/lab experiments that correlate with real life.
If the Chinese can do it, so can we.
Importance of skill development in education
As already discussed, education should make one ready for life so that they can earn their livelihood.
Hence we should include courses in fields such as Hospitality and Tourism, Handicraft, Healthcare, Textiles, IT, Retail, Banking, & Insurance that would interest students to learn from.
This way students can get skilled from school itself, which they can further improve through professional courses in college. This way students will not bunk schools because they are learning skills for a better life.
A lot of students drop out of schools because teachers cannot correlate concepts with real life usage, leading to a lack of interest. Educators should teach in a manner that arouses interest for the learners to pay attention.
In professional courses, colleges should make students do live projects so that they develop practical skills for the job. This way, they can apply theoretical knowledge in real-life situations, leading to skill enhancement.
For marketers, communication, negotiation & strategic thinking skills are important so they don’t miss any opportunity to capitalize on. Likewise, for healthcare workers, empathy, service bent of mind & time management are vital to help their patients recuperate fast.
Without teachers exhibiting empathy, school students don’t ask doubts because they fear being reprimanded.
Hence, educators should empathise that a child’s mind is developing & requires an extra effort to help them grasp the concept.
What is skill development?
Institutions should focus on imparting soft skills along with hard skills because both play a vital role in career growth.
Hard skills or functional skills like coding, industrial skills, nursing etc help one do their job with perfection. Whereas interpersonal skills or soft skills like behaviour, empathy, people management helps one climb the corporate ladder faster.
Institutions should hire industrial trainers who can teach programming, cloud computing, cybersecurity, industrial skills so that students are ready for the job.
Colleges should adopt the mentor-mentee concept where industry mentors impart job ready skills to make the students employable from day one.
