HR Talk : Indian Employees Want More Training

The importance of continued training and skills development has been
highlighted by a recent international workplace survey that shows approximately
nine out of 10 Indian respondents believe their current skills will be outdated
within five years.

The survey, by Kelly Services, found that more than a third of the
respondents believe the training currently provided by their employers will not
meet their future career needs.

The Kelly Global Workforce Index surveyed nearly 1,00,000 people in 34
countries including almost 5,000 in India alone.

Dhiren Shantilal, Senior VP-Asia-Pacific, Kelly Services said that in an
increasingly competitive global economy, investing in vital human capital can
become a key competitive advantage for firms. “Training may not seem a priority
in the present economic climate, but organizations that devote the resources
will be more likely to see higher productivity and profitability in future,” he
said.

The key findings of the survey include:

• Baby boomers (aged 48-65) are most worried about the level of training
  they receive, with 43 percent saying it is not sufficient to upgrade skills
  and advance their career
• 90 percent of both Gen Y (aged 18-29) and Gen X (aged 30-47) say that
  within the next five years their skills will need to be upgraded to keep pace
  with changes in the workplace
• Most Gen X respondents (72 percent) see the provision of training as a
  joint responsibility between the employer and employee
• Human resource professionals come under scrutiny, with almost a third (32
  percent) of all respondents saying their HR departments have not helped them
  to achieve their employ­ment goals

The preference among those surveyed is for on-the-job training (52 percent),
followed by professional development courses (33 percent), self-initiated
learning (13 percent) and formal university or college qualifications (3
percent).

More women respondents preferred on-the-job training, and men opted for
professional development courses as the best method to upgrade their skills.

Shantilal also mentioned, “The current economic environment has made people
well aware of their skills and whether they will be sufficient to survive the
recession and beyond, into a period of economic recovery.”

DQC NEWS BUREAU