Bridging the talent gap: Why industry and academia must work hand in hand

Indian Express

6 hours ago

Written by Dr Sanjiv Gupta
The buzzword in most technical institutes is 'jobs are not available', while in corporate offices it is 'skilled staff is not available.' Indian industry faces a major challenge: the availability of talent to meet emerging requirements. Talent fuels growth. It drives innovation and keeps companies alive.
A recent study across the HEI sector (Higher Educational Institutes) reconfirmed that the gap between availability and requirement persists across parameters—academic, social, human and soft skills. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasised the need to revise teaching pedagogy towards experiential learning, which can be imparted through practical laboratory work and field projects.
With my unique experience of thirty-seven years in the corporate sector and eight years in academics, I have noticed a common refrain among teachers: the curriculum must change to enhance collaborative student participation. Yet, when data was collected through a questionnaire, it revealed that over 70% of teachers had never visited an industry except for routine student trips. Faculty with teaching experience ranging from two to thirty years agreed that before reworking pedagogy, teachers themselves need firsthand exposure to the industrial world.
The key question is: does experiential learning apply only to students, or should it extend to teachers as well? While it is widely asserted that students need hands-on training before employment, little thought has gone into training teachers to stay updated on innovations and new technology. If a faculty member learns something new, hundreds of students benefit. Basic concepts illustrated through real-life examples are easier to grasp. Students retain classroom learning better when they encounter its challenges in the real world.
A survey under the Centre's flagship PARAKH programme (Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development) revealed that while schools offer skill-based courses from Grade 9 onwards, very few students opt for them. Similarly, many teachers resist enrolling in professional training programmes. This inertia may prompt the government to design a structured, ongoing professional development model.
One solution is to introduce a clause in industry-academia Memorandums of Understanding mandating refresher training for faculty in industry for at least a week annually. Another is to ensure regular interaction between faculty and corporate leaders on the latest technologies. Industry, in turn, must open its doors and mentor faculty, helping them understand technological trends.
India's economy is racing toward the $5 trillion mark, and the manufacturing sector alone must achieve 15% annual growth. The emerging Industry 4.0 ecosystem is defined by automation, digitisation and data-driven decision-making. Add to this the rapidly shifting geopolitical and macroeconomic environment, and the need for strong industry-academia partnerships becomes urgent.
AI, machine learning, blockchain, augmented reality, and digital twins are already part of everyday life. The future will demand quick redefinition of roles, responsibilities, expectations and deliverables. Employers today seek skills beyond technical expertise: leadership, teamwork, ethical decision-making, creativity, communication, ownership, cognitive agility and empathy.
But the big question remains—how do we inculcate and measure these skills? While some, like ethical decision-making and communication, can be taught in classrooms, others—like creativity and ownership—cannot be boxed into a textbook.
An equally large challenge lies in evaluating these skills. India's diverse markets and sectors make it difficult to design a uniform framework. Here, Bloom's Taxonomy offers guidance, helping educators set learning objectives and assess outcomes. Such an approach could also provide recruiters with reliable benchmarks when evaluating candidates.
To bridge the talent gap, four immediate measures are critical: first, the curriculum must be revised annually to incorporate emerging technologies, with students encouraged to participate in capstone projects and hackathons; second, faculty must undergo continuous professional development, with progress linked to their annual reports; third, a clear methodology is needed to inculcate and evaluate soft skills among students; and fourth, classrooms must become more inclusive, reflecting both industry realities and diverse learner profiles.
The future hinges on academia and industry working in trust and alignment, with institutional success measured not just by research papers but by the entrepreneurs it nurtures.
(The writer is Professor of Practice J.C. Bose University of Science and Technology, Faridabad)