The Hindu Business Line : Catching the eye

Youngsters at the lower end of the education ladder may land good job openings - if their knowledge of their core subject, be it math or English, is strong.

Your child is not fiercely ambitious about studies, and is headed, you worry, towards the bottom rung of the education ladder.

Is it the end of the road for such youngsters, in today's competitive world? We may not be able to give a categorical answer. But the good news is that some doors are opening to such people too - provided they are strong in their core subjects, the courses they opted for.

Employers looking to hire feel that if the job seeker's foundation is strong, he or she will be able to learn the finer details, but not so when their knowledge of the core subject is vague.

Take Kavitha, for instance, who made no effort to improve her academic record. She opted for a three-year course in Literature more out of lack of choice than interest.

Her parents were worried but as luck would have it, she managed to prove her strength in the English language and got placed in a medical transcription company.

Kavitha at least had a degree. What about those who could not make it to college at all? Do they stand a chance?

"We have people who after completing the plus-two examination pursued a short-term (3-6 months) course in DTP.

Though we are reluctant to place freshers, we have no reservations about absorbing them after they gain some exposure in related fields for, say, one or two years," says Guru Prasad, head of Graphics Systems.

Guru Prasad, incidentally, runs a hi-tech digital printing press and all his boys, picked mostly from the Southern parts of the country, have only undergone a certification programme. "Some of them earn as much as Rs 12,000 a month," he says.

No matter what subject one pursues, if he or she develops interest, an inclination to learn more and hone skill sets, getting a job will probably not be a nightmarish experience.

In the IT context too, companies seek to gauge a candidate's strengths in, say, C+, networking, Java, etc, as per his/her claim of proficiency.

ITES firms ask candidates to take a written test in English Grammar, precis writing, comprehension .. whatever be the core subject (whether arts or science), to find their comfort level in English.

There have been instances of candidates managing a decent placement based on their core competence or domain knowledge, and not necessarily the best communication.

Demand strong but...

The growth in the retail sector, FMCG, banking and financial services, IT and ITES companies and manufacturing sector, among others, signal bright job prospects. Scenarios at career fairs too highlight the growing requirements.

The opportunities, no doubt, are aplenty, but the concern is in identifying the right talent.

Industry sources express concern over the mismatch between the employable and employability factor.

`The concern is over the last mile unemployability. The candidate might have the education and skill set. The missing link could be `attitude', which is not addressed by our educational system today,' says Ashok Reddy of TeamLease, HR consulting firm.

What do companies do? Compromise or wait to pick the right candidate?

The manufacturing sector is not averse to training novices rather than turn them away, for skilled manpower is still a concern.

IT and ITES companies, by and large, do not give in.

Stress on quality

"Quality is our watchword and timely delivery is an indication of our capability. So we cannot afford to compromise on either of these," says Suresh Nair, CEO of Spheris India Pvt Ltd, operating in the medical transcription space. Spheris established its presence in Coimbatore over a year ago after evaluating the talent pool available in the city. Nair had then stated that he would ramp up the headcount to 1,000 in six months to a year, but the company has been able to place only half that number.

Nair concedes to the pathetic conversion rate.

"We are able to spot just 6 in every 100," says Surya V Ciryam, Vice-President (HR), Spheris. Why? Aren't we good at communication? "Yes, we are good in verbal communication, but awful at putting pen to paper. The situation is the same across the country," says Ciryam.

For Nair, the challenge is in retaining the talent pool and luring potential job seekers into joining his company. How would he do that? The company, for the first time, organised an employee reach-out programme in Coimbatore by inviting family members of employees to `Spheris Family Day'. The huge party, the elaborate lunch, the games and freebies, Nair hopes, will attract prospective employees to consider medical transcription as a career.

Big players such as Tata Consultancy Services and Cognizant Technology Solutions naturally go by skill sets.

"Recruit-train-employ is core to us. We will continue to enhance our presence here. It will be a long-term, sustainable, community-led relationship," the TCS CEO, S. Ramadorai, reiterated a couple of months ago, when he announced the company's plans for setting up its first offshore development centre in Coimbatore.

He indicated that the company would create space for 5,000-plus people over the next 3-5 years.

The company's Executive Vice-President (Global Human Resources), S. Padmanabhan, during one of his informal chats, conceded to IT creating a certain imbalance in other areas.

"It is important to address these neglected areas. Look at the Math graduate for instance.. We can pick the talented ones and ask them to work on mathematical simulation," he said and this is exactly what TCS is trying to do. Tap talents from other streams such as computer science, mathematics and management.

Both TCS and Cognizant have strengthened their presence in Coimbatore considerably within a short period and are looking to expand further. They have generally found the talent pool from this region `quite good'

Going places

Whom would you choose? A candidate with excellent academic record or sound domain knowledge, we asked the DGM of ABT Info Systems, Mahendra Kumar.

Quick came the reply - sound technical knowledge and the ability to understand the customers' needs.

Located about 40 km away from Coimbatore in Pollachi town, within the MCET campus, ABT Info was primarily started by the Sakthi Group to extend a helping hand to the natives of the soil.

Students were encouraged to do part-time projects and earn sums to meet their pocket expense. But the entry was not easy. They were required to take qualifying tests.

While some did it for fun, candidates like Senthil and Loganathan preferred to accept the offer on completion of their course, notwithstanding the location.

These boys had little exposure to city life. But within two years of joining the company, they have made overseas trips, to Germany and the US, a couple of times, to work on projects.

"We are happy to stay near our home, content with the recognition, which would have taken years or not at all in bigger organisations," says Senthil.

This exposure has enthused some of their classmates to look for placements in smaller companies.

The buzz around tier 2 and 3 cities is obviously growing, but Global Research firm CB Ellis perceives the talk about the massive expansion to be `somewhat exaggerated.'

"While tier 2 cities offer several advantages such as cheaper operational cost and lower attrition rates, they still face challenges in terms of identifying the manpower and right skill sets.

Further, the creation of new office space is relatively small compared to the incremental supply coming up in the metros," says a study. In all, while the current trend signals opportunity for all, the winners invariably are those who learn what they learn well!

lnr@thehindu.co.in

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