Education equips students to earn a degree but is these students job ready, is a million dollar question. After being recruited practically all the companies in India offer training to these graduates. Though the demand and supply are relatively proportional, the demand is unmet, especially with regard to the skilled workforce. Intense research is being carried out to understand the ground realities. A platform to publish those empirical research findings is the need of the hour.

Ed Gordon, author of “Winning the Global Talent Showdown” and the upcoming “Future Jobs: Solving the Employment and Skills Crisis,” believes the education to employment to talent creation system—from first grade through college through career training—needs to be revamped. “It’s not a skills problem; it’s a talent issue,” he asserts. “People don’t have the liberal arts and thinking skills and specific career training they need in today’s technologically advancing world. We need the skills to keep this very complex technology working. This includes medical technology, aerospace, automotive, etc. We need people to build airplanes, keep the lights on at the Super Bowl, fix high-tech cars and plumbing systems, and teach kids writing skills.” Gordon predicts if the structure doesn’t change, there will be 14 million to 25 million vacant jobs by 2020 that we won’t be able to fill.

Intense research is being carried out to understand the ground realities. A platform to publish those empirical research findings is the need of the hour. Researchers can also do research to decipher, What is causing these skills gaps? What can and should employers and their Training departments, employees, and the education system be doing differently?