The Hindu Business Line : Kalam asks varsities to offer job skills

Hyderabad, Jan. 27 Former President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam called on universities to empower students with job-oriented skills suited to industry needs.

He felt such a move would widen the employable pool of students graduating from Indian varsities. By incorporating about six months of industry-relevant training, universities could add significantly to the large available pool.

“Currently, about 3 million graduates come out of about 300 universities and about 7 million-plus students drop out after class X and X plus II education. Having over 540 million people below 25 years, we have the potential to provide employable pool to other countries with ageing population,” he said.

Speaking at the Pan-IIT Entrepreneurship programme, organised by The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) and Pan-IIT alumni, in Hyderabad on Saturday, Dr Kalam said IITians and entrepreneurs should adopt villages and encourage and assist them to innovate. The event was Web-cast by a Hyderabad-based service provider, Sixteen Frames.

At the 16-city concurrent event, over 1,000 aspiring entrepreneurs are being mentored and guided to take their ideas to the next level.

Over 200 IIT alumni have volunteered as mentors for the programme, which was initiated to coincide with Republic Day.

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