Considering the toughest of competition on employment from growing expectations and challenges in industrial/business sector, it has really become difficult for the students to get placed in good companies without having some unique attributes to influence recruiters. This needs a serious imparting of employability enhancement elements on students in general and to passing out students in specific. Casual approach on developmental activities, dependency on exam results and waiting for “good” job opportunity is out dated approach now. Today proactive approach through continual development of student as responsible professional with desirable attributes to make recruiters notice one’s potential and capabilities is the new tag line of good placements. To be honest, an employment seeking student needs to have high EQ- Employability Quotient to qualify high expectations of good companies.
In line to the above, a model could be prescribed to enhance employability of the students as budding professionals for implementation in academic institutions. This can be possible only through properly planned activities so that imparting optimum blend of essential elements of Employability Quotient –EQ could become achievable. Enhancing EQ in budding professionals (the passing out students) has become vital in tough employment scenario worldwide today especially in presence of MNC & Global companies which believe in evaluating the job applicant under the scanner of high expectations not only on knowledge only but on many attributes of EQ. It has become essential for an academic institution to work on such expected EQ elements such as skills, Competencies, Communication, Attitude and Personality which at present is the prerequisite of any recruiter looking for multi-tasking capacities in professionals from the day one.
Today the expectations from employers is ever growing, under cut throat business competitions where no company can afford to commit a single professional mistake from their employees or wish to waste resources in recruiting non suitable professionals or want putting efforts on making the fresh stuff ready for their tasks/assignments. Now, industries want “industry ready professionals” from academic institutions on whom minimal efforts are needed to put them on tasks with highest of efficiency & effectiveness from day one. Employers want those employees
who get fit in and get along well with others at the workplace in quickest of time, with effective outputs. Judging such potential during selection process in normally done through EQ elements.
In recruitment drives, industries look for degree of employability of a fresher before selecting him, under the scanner of various related aspects. These aspects include essential elements like team building capacity, self-management, willingness to learn, positive attitude, thinking skills, resilience, communication skill etc. But it is not easy to judge those elements in a brief recruitment/selection process. So, in order to assess the presence of these elements, the recruiters assess EQ of the student through their assessment in aptitude test / potential ability test, skill test
, personality test, self assessment sheets ,one to one interview etc. which are designed to determine a person’s abilities and ability to learn in a particular skill / field of knowledge required in the particular industrial sector. As this “ability” is a complex aspect of many interlinked factors, it could only be understood through some key elements on which the assessment is done in most cases by the industrial recruiters.
In this context a model could be worked upon to impart essential elements of EQ during the journey of student in University to lead them to become an industry ready product from the University .
Although the employability is evaluated by the institutions and industry as well in final year students when students gets ready to appear in recruitment drives but in fact, development of employability under constituent elements starts with entry in the institute after schools. So, a model prescribed here could be followed by the academic institutions which could go as described underneath as a model of EQ enhancement. Such model will help in routing the requisites of employability quotient from day one, in the mindset, behaviors and attitudes of students. Here, I prescribe key EQ elements to be considered as under as the core model of enhancing employability in professional studies:
- Basic elements of developing professional readiness:
- Core elements
- Knowledge
- Attitude
- Personality
- Core elements
- Ability enhancing support elements to professional readiness :
- Skills /Competencies & Communication
- Behaviors
- Extension element of professional readiness to become employable
- Exposure to real world- interface with the industry
- Asking industry feed backs on the curriculumAdding industry professions in various programs ensuring industry involvement in academic culture.
- Adding rigorous and meaningful internship in all the program with additional credits
- Involving students for industry real projects under the supervision of the specialized faculty
- Exposure to real world- interface with the industry
Fig: The Model of EQ enhancement; enhancing employability
Imparting these elements and making a college student a professional; as new joiner to the industry; acceptable in the real world is a real challenge for the University. It requires orientation in the beginning of the professional program itself, giving new approach of study to students and new approach of delivery to faculty members. Students need to work towards thinking process as a ‘professional’. It will help change the thinking process as a new student to new thinkers. They must develop professional common sense in their approach. It will help them to understand that they not only require knowledge but also require to learn taking responsibility with accountability where self-discipline will be the core driving force at work in any company they join or get selected. This approach help enhancing IQ and EQ both of learning professionals. There are no options but to be committed to execute this to the maximum possible effectiveness.
With continuing efforts on the proposed model of EQ enhancement, it will be possible to not only boosting the EQ of the budding professionals but also we can unleash their potentials and make them grab appropriate opportunities in career.
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