Skilling:Resolving the global skills gap

"Upgrading your skills is not an option but a necessity"- this was the basic propensity behind the bootcamps that Millionlights University started. There’s a mismatch between demand of skilled workforce and the supply of employable pool of people. Millionlights believes that we need to nurture talents and make them ready for the tech world, especially the ones coming from Tier 2 and 3 cities. The pandemic affected the world in ways that many could not even fathom- students the world over were negatively affected. We were forced to act and using the technologies available to us, the education fraternity did everything in its power to make sure that continuity is maintained. Despite the best efforts, the gaps are evident. It was a major setback for students in their final years of graduating college; all the more for institutes that were running online classes just for name sake.  

This article came out two days back in TOI https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/toi-editorials/babies-future-japan-needs-more-people-india-needs-more-jobs-skilling-and-quality-education/

and it resonates so much! Never before has there been more demand of up skilling than now. In my experience of interacting with the students and observing them during the online sessions, I have seen how they tend to get uncomfortable when asked to turn on their cameras. Many students have the fear of speaking in public which used to be addressed during the presentations in colleges, viva voce or other such events. We realized that it was not just the gap in their technical skills but other facets too which needed to be addressed. The students would falter and fumble with their words, thereby prompting us to come up with various rounds of mock interviews to help boost their morale and confidence.Online training is a great way to accomplish this because the courses are designed similar to what a student would receive in a college setting (assessments, quizzes, real-world scenarios) while still providing valuable professional development.  

Another challenge is internet connection in the rural areas. While some miss their live sessions when they happen to be traveling but there’s no choice when an interview is scheduled then. I remember one such episode when one of our candidates had to travel to his hometown and there were frequent disruptions in internet. He couldn’t control himself and let out an outburst of expletives thinking he’s “on mute” but unfortunately, he wasn’t🙂He learnt an important lesson that the interviewers do not only check your technical know-how but also how you conduct yourself in difficult situations.  

The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows and we at Millionlights feel humbled to be enablers in the field of technology. The bootcamps that we run are free. They are designed majorly for students coming from Tier 2 and 3 cities with limited access to awareness and exposure. There’s a lot happening in this space and I wish to let you know more about one such exciting program that is being launched, but in my next post🙂  

To be continued.....

#Millionlights #Upskilling # Reskilling #MCAP #Java #Cloud #Bootcamps #Makingadifference