The Book of Abstracts - Jivacareer.org

Message from Martin Luther Christian UniversityEducation, Careers and the New Economy in IndiaIndia though rich in human capital is poor in human development. The responsibility to reduce this gaplies with three major stakeholders: the government, the education system and the labour market. Theresponsibility of government is to develop the country, that of education to develop human capacityand of the labour market to develop productivity. These stakeholders have demonstrated little intentionto synergise their efforts.Given the patchwork scenario in higher education, it is hardly surprising that there is disconnect withthe world of work, especially the labour markets. There is no focused effort to create courses that areconsonant with India’s development needs, match course content with industry needs, or provide lifeor career skills to students. The reform of higher education is one of the three high priority areas listedby the All India Management Association in order for India to become an economic powerhouse.But no one is steering the ship.Despite the high growth rate in India, the pace of creation of work opportunities has not kept up. Theestimated number of unemployed today is between 50 and 100 million. The most disturbing fact isthat of these 74% are in the rural areas and 60% among them are educated.Little thought is given to careers or personal development. What passes off as career guidance isslanted towards commercial interests such as admission to private high-fee institutes and is providedby the institutes themselves or by self-styled counselling organizations which are often recruitingagencies for private colleges or industry.The Promise Foundation has led the development of careers sciences in India. Their research,approaches and inventory of resources have integrated culture, socio-economic divides and thedemands of a changing economy. The Jiva Program has created a landscape that is contemporary,scientific and Indian, and ensures that career counselling resonates with the felt career developmentneeds of young people.We congratulate Promise Foundation for hosting the IAEVG conference and wish the conference allsuccess.Glenn Christo Kharkongor,Vice Chancellor,Martin Luther Christian University, Shillong,Academic Partner: Jiva Project.4IAEVG-Jiva Conference, India, 2010