Failure in vocational training can jeopordize growth: study

Mumbai, Aug 7 (UNI) Fundamental failures in the education and vocational systems could dampen the entrepreneuial spirit in India and result in acute shortage of skilled manpower, jeopardizing the country's growth, revealed a study carried out by the National Knowledge Commission here today.

According to the report conducted among 155 entreprenuers and 45 stakeholders in various fields across the country, reduction of cumbersome and irrelevant government guidelines and increase in the involvement of the private sector in the educational and vocational sectors was the call of the day.

''The vocational training system is still stuck in the late 19th and early 20th century mode. The government needs to realise that vocational training cannot remain in their hands. The private sector must take the initiative out of the hands of the government,'' said National Knowledge Commission, Member, Dr Ashok Ganguly, at session organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to discuss the findings.

Dr Ganguly expressed his surprise that a majority of management schools do not have courses on entrepreneurship, but said that the private sector has understood the need to involve themselves in education to get quality manpower.

He also criticised the attitude of most B-school aspirants as '' job and salary'' oriented with little or no spirit to break out of the mould.

Other hurdles faced by entrepreneurs were corruption, difficulty in getting access to bank during startup, liscense, tax, and lack of information.

The study also revealved that 99 per cent of entrepreneurs were averse to routine jobs, 74 per cent were supported by their families while starting out and 63 per cent were self-financed. Among the female respondents, two-thirds said gender did not play a part.

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