'School edu proving not enough for corporates'

BANGALORE, INDIA: Although there was a huge supply of labour in the market, organizations were looking for skilled workforce in the present day context, said Ashok Reddy, managing director of TeamLease Services said here on Thursday.

Unfortunately, "the knowledge imparted in schools is not sufficient to meet the needs of the corporate world, as productivity has become the focus," he observed at the All India Management Association's (AIMA) conference on Managing Human Resources in a Globalised Economy: Building for the Future.

On alignment human resources (HR) strategies and those of business to manage a globally competitive workforce, Reddy said that it was imperative to impart knowledge in workers through relevant programs. "The demand for skilled workers is also on the rise," he added.

At the event, Aquil Busrai, CEO, Aquil Busrai Consulting, who is also the chairman of the conference, said, "Transnational workforce could soon be a reality. Accessing people from different backgrounds, training people with multicultural background will be difficult, but dealing with them is required. The whole movement across boundaries will affect the talent management issues, at the same time, cost arbitrage, which is an advantage for India, will be replaced by quality arbitrage."

Identifying and developing talent in rural areas posed a significant HR challenge and the disconnect between rural upbringing and the requirements of modern economic life was also extreme. Also, the infrastructure and work culture in rural markets differed from those of urban centres, said Rekha Sethi, Director General of AIMA.

"Gender diversity is another area that is finally becoming a core HR concern. Indian companies are realizing that they cannot afford to let a significant chunk of talent to slip through when they are scrambling to get talent. Growth and globalization just do not allow that perverse wastefulness anymore."

The conference had about 150 delegates and eminent speakers exchange thoughts on the need for organizations to rethink their HR strategies, to embrace diversity amongst employees to promote cultural dexterity and growth, and to attract and retain best talent, which would help manage their resources in a more viable way for the future.