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What is ‘The Training Ecosystem’ :

The well-depicted diagram you would see above, doesn’t leave much of an opportunity for my imaginative greycells to weave together an appropriate story of the message being conveyed! However, steadfast that I am, would still plunge forward to render an already-not-required description of the depiction!

Here’s hoping that I would get a call from a certified freelance trainer of SWIFT NET once this write-up is live!

And, indeed, if this is what it takes to scout for trainers in the other ‘hard-to-find’ skill areas, I wonder if I should already give up! Alternately, having wizened after my harrowing experiences of identifying the right trainer for the right audience, I could easily give a few pointers to the Delhi Police on how to zero-in on the ‘Right suspect’ as well.

A recent report by NASSCOM reveals that more than 75% of the engineers graduating from colleges every year in India are not employable. This piece of information definitely makes me more than edgy with discomfort….. A recent drive on National Highway 2 (Delhi-Agra) was more than an eye-opener, with more institutes (Engineering, MBA, MCA, Dental, Medical etc etc) on the sides of the road than the trucks being crossed on the roads! With students spilling onto the highway and clustering next to the tea stall at their institutes’ periphery, I could not but help notice the future doctors, engineers etc of this country soon to take up their ranks at various stratas’ of the society.…..Recent news (Apr 2010), of the Medical Council of India (MCI), chairman being arrested for doling out ‘Recognitions’ to institutes not meeting the basic criterions for considerations in hard cash (the last deal was pegged at 8Cr)... before the CBI caught up!

In my meagre professional career spanning for over a dozen years, I have been often caught debating to myself the efficacies of corporate trainings. Recalling those days when me and my brethren used to squirm at the thought of attending day-long training sessions – particularly when an impending client deliverable is within eye-ball distance!! It hurts even more when you are made painfully aware that the client deliverable is to be still met (what??? even after a day-long training session on ‘effective soft skills’???) – That you didn’t want in the first place!! Those days always made me wonder whether the so-called training sessions are really a desirable need??

“A pool of abstracted, highly scalable and managed computer infrastructure capable of hosting end-customer applications and billed by consumption” – Forrester Research

For many of my brethren (non-technical-mortals), the above ‘alien-transcript’ would have made as much sense as an illuminated…. D-UH?? The predicament will get even more intriguing (read frustrating), if a good Samaritan were to highlight, that the above code language has the capability to drastically affect my business dynamics in the times to come – if I choose to!!

'Mater artium necessitas’ (Latin, dated year - 1519) – in simple english translates to ‘Necessity is the mother of Invention’ succinctly expressed by Victor Hugo in the year 1852!! Closer home, translated to the famous Indian geek word – ‘Jugaad’ – A survival tactic!

Ever experienced a situation, when you WANTED to pen your thoughts but were unable to even think of anything remotely stimulating? When there is so much to say and words don’t come easy? When there are blog ideas germinating all the time, but hey! You draw a blank when u actually schedule your blog time accordingly. If yes, then I’d rather congratulate you on being normal! It happens to the best of us! The most avid blogger is at times fumbling through the corridors in his head to figure out his communication. This is a typical symptom of Bloggers Block!

The job market in India has bounced back to its aggressive best over the last couple of months... (atleast) if the newspaper headlines are to be believed! If seeing is believing, then expansion (in sheer volume size) in the likes of Times Ascent, HT jobs and the other brethren would be sending out the right messages...and in no uncertain terms that too! The Naukri Job Speak Index for May-10 at 913 is 29% above the May’09 levels indicating that hiring activity has been forging ahead strongly over a period of time. Key industry sectors like IT- Software, Banking and Auto are all back to the pre downturn levels with the job index moving up by 56%, 47%, 40% in May’10 over May’09. Professionals in HR, ITES, IT- Software and Accounts and Finance witnessed a comeback in the recruitment scenario with the job index moving up by 68%, 21%, 54%, and 22% in May’10 over May’09 - These trends are clear indicators of the change - that is ubiquitous!

In our day-to-day lives we come across many role profiles of individuals in their own capacity representing either themselves or their organisations. The petrol pump filler, the gym instructor, the mistree, the flight staff, the cab driver, your own driver there are multifarious roles that individuals and organisations (being reflected by individuals) play in our daily routine/s. It is only by the end of the day when you would reflect upon the days’ hustle over a mug of beer, would there be a recollection of 2 distinct set of memories. The first, typically being the unpleasant experience/s while the latter being the pleasant experience/s of the hours gone by.

Every now and then while, sitting and sipping on a coffee during those long education and training conclaves, seminars, roundtables etc, the discussions inevitably revolve around the chaos this industry is in. All the experts (and non-experts!) that I have interacted with in the field of training across different category zones right from the Trainee, Trainer, Training Manager, Training Institute or even Training Vendor feel that there is an urgent need for curbing the undercutting tactics in the training space. It is, they say very unhealthy for the industry as a whole to be on an eat-you-eat-me trend. It is particularly disturbing and depressive when the

5 T’s Concept- Identification of Social Causes/needs identification

Trainer

• - How to improve on my saleability
• - Where to project, where should I be seen
• - Certification – necessity and desire
• - Certification – Need and Assessment
• - Am i adequately loaded with my skill sets
• - What are the ‘right skills’ to have for my career progression
• - How and Where should i look for the right advice on my skill enhancement
• - Is it a big deal to improve upon my existing/imbibe new skill sets
• - Will i have better job opportunities
• - Limited sources to do a market option study (friends/peers/net )