Arvind Passey
Editor- Education Post
Education may not always assure employment but your skills do. Dr. Niharika Vohra, the Vice-Chancellor of DSEU or Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University expresses this fact well on the university website when she writes that “the human hand with its long dexterous fingers and opposable thumb gives it flexibility, ability to feel and communicate. The human hand is linked to the discovery of stone tools 2.6 million years ago. The stone tools made by the hand made it possible for humans to survive. The uses of hands are linked inextricably to the development of the mind.” The industry agrees and so do the basic tenets of the NEP that is already being implemented in most of our educational institutions today. Skill is obviously a double-edged sword – and can be both an asset as well as a liability. This just means that we are not talking about the kind of skills that fiscal bunglers and burglars of all hues apply with dexterity. We all know of the hundreds of people cashing in on the pandemic-inspired spurt for online workshops and courses and there are plenty of these where the only skill apparent is that of someone making sure that millions of skill-starved people pay up to get nothing but a cliched set of instructions. Then there are those skilled scammers who earn money by luring people to publish their sub-standard articles pretending to be research insights. There are others selling worthless awards or a chance to promote and sell ideas that have no relevance to anyone. One needs just a devious mind and not skills to do such things. Learning skills is way above all this and, once applied, has the ability to influence positive changes.
The other facet that higher education is turning towards is the development of an entrepreneurial mindset. A report by Forbes defines this as inclusive of those professionals who are managing their own businesses being happier than those who are employed. The report talks about work-life balance and a productive channeling of creativity to build something is the antidote to the stress of working for a living. This leaning towards skills and the entrepreneurial mindset is being adopted by a lot of educational bodies throughout the country and this is certainly a good omen. It is time for students to start choosing a vocation for life because this is what is going to sustain them for a long time. In every branch of study whether it is cosmetology or mental health, engineering or humanities, the focus should be on developing abilities that help a student understand the entire market scenario and the way new areas can be identified and stepped into. Lets call this entrepreneurial breakthrough. It is an intuitive understanding of the way things work and the way students can adapt themselves to skillfully approach and capture ideas that will work is what defines both employabilities as well their entrepreneurial future. Hoping that the spirit with which skill development and an entrepreneurial mindset is being endorsed, takes the country into a new era of mature professionals.
