Career Integration in Higher Education

India is the world’s fastest growing major economy, as per the Central Statistics Office, New Delhi. All industries, ranging from traditional Infrastructure to the new-age Information Technology, are witnessing phenomenal growth. The fast growth and the resultant career opportunities are drawing large talent pools into these sectors. Following the course of numerous possibilities, education sector is also experiencing an upsurge to produce the required skilled manpower. Vocational courses and skills based learning is catching up in a big way as is online learning. The higher education sector, especially, which focuses on career integration is rapidly growing. According to an IBEF report, India’s higher education sector is the second largest in the world with over 70 million students, and it has expanded its capacity to cater to another 40 million students in the last two decades.

Now this brings us to the question of relevance of skill based training in the Indian context. Many scholars have touted career integration in higher education to be equally important as relevant exposure for students pursuing higher education. But what exactly is career integration in higher education? It is a concept which aims to derive most meaningful experiences for students in the classroom and within the educational environment to prepare them to transform as professionals. Career integration in higher education simply means that academic, global and professional development experiences are provided as a coordinated effort to prepare students who are globally ready for both their professional and personal lives.

A higher education degree, such as in international management, human development, marketing, or even an MBA require a student to learn skills which are not simply relevant for the workplace and the academic environment, but also soft skills and personal skills. So a career integrated degree or course focuses on imparting experiences to students through which they can practice and imbibe skills such as:

• Problem solving, conflict resolution, and effective decision making for prowess in the workplace
• Subject matter expertise and ability to apply theoretical concepts to real life scenarios through stimulating academic environment
• Emphasis on personal skills, including integrity, ethics, and initiative
• Soft skills pertaining to networking and communication, and team work

Career integration in higher education has a wide of scope of relevance within the Indian educational context. The largest share of population in India is the youth. This is a great advantage for the country to revolutionize the tertiary sector. Human resource development is highly significant in this scenario and it can be successfully achieved through career integrated educational programs.

• Career integration in higher education provides a means to bridge the gap between educational institutions and the industry. This would result in expansive curricula and plenty of opportunities for students to gain practical knowledge through internships and extracurricular activities. Many multinational corporates in India have started flexible programs for students to augment their skill sets while they are still studying. For instance, IT firms in India provide certifications in cloud computing, IT infrastructure management, cyber security, etc. Further, prominent management firms invite students for summer internship programs and workshops to familiarize them with their global approach to work and management
• Career oriented programs focus on holistic development of an individual. Traditional methods induce only linguistic and logical intelligence, whereas new programs which are industry based induce multiple intelligence in students so that they are well prepared and aware of the needs of the industries
• India has experienced heavy brain drain in the last four to five decades. Career integration in higher education can reverse that phenomenon. Courses focusing on imparting excellence and all round development within the country itself will increase equity between education providers in India to those abroad. Various corporations based abroad have collaborated and invested in Indian start-ups focusing on education. These investments would lead to enhanced infrastructure and accessibility of learning means to students even in the remotest parts of the country
• Universities and colleges have the autonomy to start specialized courses, especially in new and emerging areas where job opportunities exist. Such integration can result in hundred percent placement guarantee after completing formal education. When one steps into the professional world equipped with a recognized degree and requisite skills, success is naturally assured

• India has signed pacts with the Canadian government to facilitate collaboration between various sectors in the two countries for capacity development and the establishment of national occupation standards. These memorandums encompass sectors, such as aviation, sports, automobile, and construction. Many other such government initiatives have been laid out to focus on skill development of young individuals and make them “world-savvy” for the employment opportunities that are present in India now