Employability in year 2011

As we get ready to usher in 2011, most parts of the world are staring at economic reality and uncertain future. No one knows for sure in India, how many are employed for a livelihood. Last cited information indicates a total of 459 million people with 7% ( 26 million) under organised employment. A recent reference by the Ministry of Labour indicates that Contract labour is 130 million. The rest would  presumably be self employed and or engaged in agriculture. While this is where we stand today, future forecast states that India would be needing 240 million new work force by 2022 and  another 80 million by 2015 as per CII estimates. So, what is happening on ground. Most employment surveys indicate, that hiring has improved , doubt remains if that is actually creating the millions.

If this is the demand side, let us look at the supply side. More than 240 million would pass out from schools and vocational education would be needed for 170 million students. The remaining may need higher education. The current capacity of our infrastructure is barely 3 million students in higher education. Shortages of trainers, vocational education infrastructure is apalling . All the major private players in vocational education space can barely address intake of half a million a year.

I wonder if the Government is actually serious in doing something about this gap. Take a look at skilled resources who are retiring out of defence forces every year. A backlog of nearly 2 million retirees already exist, and yet they have hardly any meaningful resettlement plans while the industry is supposed to be starving for skilled talent. Simply by using this abled work force by transferring their current skill set into corporate requirement can help in mitigating some of the acute shortage that industry is clamouring e.g., in the Automotive industry a significant population can be absorbed in franchise network across the country.

The government seems to be more worried about assessments and certification. Since government is not likely to be the largest employer , certification should be driven by industry. Most businesses are looking at rural economy. I am sure opportunities exist in all parts of the country. Creating , mini cooperatives by enabling entrepreneurship can spar rapid economic development. We have seen in the past. AMUL did wonders to Gujarat. China did it 25 years ago, and they have a GDP 5 times of India. L&T realising need for skilled labour in construction has set up a school where training is imparted on the job/ apprentice model. The pass outs are placed suitably. They have stated in ET, that Rs 24000 is the cost incurred by L&T for training vocational skill. Team Lease , a staffing solution provider has plunged into this business. They see it as a natural integration to their core area. They are charging Rs 30,000 to Rs 60,000 per candidate. This means, cost of imparting vocational education is not going to be cheap. Surprisingly Government of India seems to have provided Rs 15 per hour for modular employability courses. Such prices will make a mockery of skill development. These Government run institutes have facilities but no faculty. Some are languishing with out dated equipment and teaching processes.

It is high time , that a cooperative model is created between the private sector and government institutions with least red tapism, if one has to seriously do something about creating employability and entrepreneurship in the Indian sub-continent a partnership model is a must. The key enablers would be to draw out a curricullum based on industry needs, faculty with industry experience ably supported by performance and learning and development experts. While this can come from the private sector, the Government , should make available their current resources and facilities. Industry can augment investment in technology and tools for the prepare phase and support employment post training. Such a model can address the needs

Micro Learning

It appears that organisations realise the value of continuos education, but are constrained to let people dedicate time and effort for the same purpose. The reasons for such a paradox , vary from resources to loss in business productivity. These are some real testing times for L&D folks. Adding fuel to the fire are the learners - the texting folks, who value independence as opposed to compliance.

Since training , is an intervention step to make a behavorial change, getting the new age workforce to recognise the importance of doing a job effectively and efficiently is a challenge.

Since much of learning is based on observing, conversing, trial and error, coaching and searching a system that can create a very short duration learning track covering some of the steps above may work.

Ray Jiminez's has an interesting solution to this - "One idea -one action". This has a deep seated connection that learning needs to connect with learners context. Try looking at a picture in a group, and what each one sees may be at variance to what others may see. It is also known that people create own strories out of the information stored in their mind. Remember Inception and dream within a dream. Very often, we leave this process alone in any kind of learning. Conventionally, we let people to form their own opinion after tabling an idea or a proposition. If this were to be reversed - show a picture and than ask a question ( more of thought provoking kind) , the idea gets planted by finding answers to questions asked. Or better still, Reverse it by getting the learner to ask those questions based on the image. This process triggers a connection between ideas, images and actions quite instantaneously. Some have opined that learning is not a linear outcome of an image , process and behaviour. Learning can happen at anypoint.

I like this idea , as it is based on natural learning principles of observing, conversing and trial error. As the modules can be extremely short (may be couple of minutes) , and one idea one action at a time, it is possible to build a whole repository reflecting various situation.

It is known that informal learning aligns with our natural learning ability. However, leaving learning completely open and self paced may not match organisational outcomes. Therefore , creating short cycle learning helps to give an informal flavour to a formal requirement. This helps in developing bite size learning chunks, and therefore an interesting step.

Is training a performance enabler or a measure of employee welfare?

Most organisations cut training expenses, whenever cost reduction is an imperative. During the recession, training expenses, manpower and associated costs bore the brunt. Now, when economic revival is visible, are companies spending on training? It appears that many organisations are following a cautious approach and training budgets are assigned after high degree of scrutiny and diligence. Decisions are now being taken at an executive level, even for a minor expense. Consider this paradox; most training expenses are booked as a measure of employee welfare rather than skill development solution. These days, several international training companies are doing good business, while the Indian ones are struggling to keep afloat. It appears that the certificate brand as perceived by the employee, as opposed to actual operation effectiveness and business impact is a key decision consideration. Often, training vendors are requested to submit a proposal to impart 1 day training as a part of a business meeting. No ADDIE here, period.
How did we get to this state of affairs?
In the earlier times, management trainee scheme was employed as an investment for developing the employee – using on the job exposure and classroom training, with a graduation like ceremony for successful completion and final placement. This was practiced in segments like Banking, FMCG and diversified groups like Tata’s. The businesses valued knowledge and skill in their command and control based organisation. With emergence of IT and OA in the early 80’s, Customer interactive skills like selling and client handling gained ground as a trend setting strategy used to educate the market- picked up from the pharmaceuticals. In the 90’s, when Indian economy opened its door, operations training through compliance requirements like ISO, six-sigma, CMMI, led corporate training as a measure to improve business competitiveness. As India moved ahead in this millennium, and information management driven through technology acquired high importance, measurement of performance got the focus. Since most business processes got automated (by-product of ISO and business process management) with better metrics management, training as a performance enabler got detached from the business performance. The metrics captured the outcome, but failed to capture the in process measures e.g. ., if “x” no of calls led to 1 order, (this got captured) but definition of a call standard was not. Since training enables better performance through modified behaviour (skill development), the enabling measure was missing. In the earlier days, this was well aligned. Take for example a repair technicians performance measure when post training intervention could impact repair at first call performance based on an acceptable standard. We now have a situation, that what get’s measured reflects the results but no further drill down is possible, because some of the process steps are missing. For training related intervention, many CEO’s fail to see the connection between training and performance due to absence of credible analytics.
How does the future hold?
Training will continue to be viewed as a dispensable performance enabler. Given the global business trends, the IBM CEO Study of 2010 indicates that people skills have reduced its importance from 2nd most to 4th position. It appears that training and development needs to redefine in the changing scheme of things. Focus , will shift from how well you do something to how well you know something, given, that further technological advancements may trigger solutions requiring little or low skills.
My two cents?
L&D must make the first move by talking metrics and talking performance. Vendors and training departments must collaborate to ensure that a feel good employee welfare workshop is not labelled training. Every Rupee spent in training must be measured for returns like any other investment. The function must necessarily help create and or facilitate measures that can accurately convey the impact of the training intervention by aligning skills to the business process. Take for example a measurement of a business meeting. The end outcome of this meeting could track participation index, decisions arrived, post meeting actions executed on time. If all of this is developed into a work process, a training intervention will reflect results. The important thing here is to get to this stage so that measures are aligned to the work process.

When the going gets tough the tough get going - applying it to Learning and Development

When recession set's in, training department budgets get slashed and sometimes, severed. The last few years have been challenging for all , except for those who thrive on complexity and uncertainity. Most training managers and professionals have responded in predictible lines - scaling down activity and meeting expense budget. Many chose to deploy technology and evaluated options to use Communication and collaborative tools to prevent non-classroom expenses like travel, board lodging etc. The technology companies have used this cycle to push in their products to highlight importance of trackeability ,measurement and content creation.

Are these examples of real innovation in L&D which can meet the needs of learning, and performance?

Learning manager of a small sized financial company in the USA has chosen to follow a unique approach. His mandate was to make learning and development integral with minimal or no cost. Using creativity, and leadership buy-in, a program was carved out for high potential talent development. The CEO mandate, was to ensure that performing talent especially senior management, is developed and retained. A program was designed for a 18 month duration which covered all subject and domain areas that was considered neccesary to groom these performers. The curricullum was designed by inhouse subject matter experts with executive management group taking lead incharge. Faculty was inhouse developed and the executive managers conducted these sessions (90 minutes duration) on a pre-scheduled calendar. A graduation ceremony concluded the program. Participants were selected by a screening process cmparable to a university admission program involving detailed response on the interest, essay writing and senior management interaction , manager recommendation,and a buzz got evolved. Did this porgram succeeed , the answer is premature for final impact , but some benefits did accrue:-

• The executive buy in was high as they themselves developed and delivered classroom sessions
• Mutual expectations of role and performance got clarified.
• Executives indicated that their line of thinking got clearer
• Potential awareness of people capability through classroom interaction
• Porgram buzz created competition for getting in the program
• People could align learning with everyday performance

ALL OF THIS AT A MARGINAL COST

Who says innovation does not exist ?

The person is Robert Friedman - Dean Learning and Development of Motley Fools

listen to him here

http://www.humanresourcesiq.com/video.cfm?id=348

Proficiency - a real measure of performance

A rough calculation indicates that for every hour of training , the final implementation in performance is less than 10% ,after 3 weeks, if transfer of learning to performance is not taken care of. In essence this is a frightening situation, that for every training dollar invested, the potential leakage is very high. What is the problem ?

Very often, the measures highlight the end result, e.g., Number of calls made, Satisfaction scores, and at higher management, the measures tend to be more summative. Since training, is an intervention for enhanced performance, measures pertaining to observed behaviour change do not get the attention, that it deserves. If a sales person's job is measured in terms of calls made, and the training intervention calls for an enhanced behaviour of pre-call planning for every call, a measure to check and report this behaviour may become more relevant over and above the call quantity report. Likewise , the behavorial competencies of the role may need to be profiled for potential performance.

From the time a person gets trained till the time proficiency sets in , their exists a gap. This can vary from a few months to some years depending on the job complexity. A systemic approach can help save costs and improve productivity. This stage calls for mapping a learning path, best suited for proficiency development. It calls for a blending of training, post training transfer of learning, supported by informal learning which is tailored to suit skill development, supported by a measurement system, which can track and measure the observable behaviour. The concept can draw some parallel with TQM , where, measures such as quality , cost and deilvery are used for measuring a process. Going further, the entire skill development from induction to proficiency can be measured with process control measures to monitor degree of control and variation. A path which can accelerate this capability can also be implemented using the same concept. It is high time that an end to end process that not only measures the results but also tracks the observable skills at various points , is implemented. This calls for taking the first step by getting the L&D folks trained in TQM.

Training Certification or Certificate

Discussions are going on whether we should run after international certification when Indian ones could do the job. In training and development India's ISTD is the sole institution for awarding certificate in training and development. This establishment has been largely managed by Government and Public sector officials. For a country as large as India to meet the demands of a growing economy , Certification of domestic or international recognition is a necessity. So having a certification does make sense.
Training in India has evolved today. Most trainers follow pedagogy as a core principle. Since education in India has been more heads up than hands on (engineering colleges exist where labs are non-existent), it is not difficult to imagine the dismissal of applied knowledge or skill development training for the same fundamental indoctrination.Hence, discussions about certification usually range about the IQ aspect. A Wharton study had indicated that Indian managers scored the least internationally on managerial effectiveness. The score was 2.65 on a scale of 5.0, the benchmark was at 3.1.Most training and development leadership professionals are not qualified , unlike the west , where qualification and certification is considered important to step into the role.
While India has exported life changing transformational skills like yoga,and spiritualism , without any certification criteria, why should we be wanting certification now? I would think, the principal reason would be to go back to our roots and gurukul. This system of education recognised proficiency - look at music, dance where levels of proficiency is linked to experience and expertise. The ultimate being the acknowledgement of Pandit title. Since , we had it , let us regain it. Let us not be blind to the contribution of the western world on training and development. To play one against the other is like living in a fool's paradise. Opportunity lies in collaborating and blending both the streams for overcoming weaknesses in an exponential age.

Puzzles in training

A webinar conducted by Thiagrajan on Puzzles in training , brought some interesting perspectives. He drives home the point that most people like to be self absorbed and self contained while working on puzzles. These may range from solving crossword , sudoku , series and other types. Why do people take pleasure in solving puzzles self directed ? Somewhere , people like to solve problems and get a sense of accomplishment and achievement. A positive stroke , if you like. Some like it as a memory jogger exercise. Puzzles are connection exercise to develop thinking skills , be it lateral or rational.

As a training format , the trainer has a great tool to expand and use depending on the learning need and performance relevance. Anything emotional sticks. Hence , facilitation becomes key here and care must be taken to assure learners of success. Review this recorded webinar

http://bit.ly/Thiagi-PuzzlingOpportunities

Now, outside the classrooms, people need encouragement to perform. It does not mean hand holding continuosly. It means, create simple puzzles that can help the learner to make the transition from guidance to self absorption. The little puzzles can help to develop experimentation and thought process. Puzzles can provide vital reinforcement based learning and create the interest towards self directed learning. For the learning manager, this is a useful tool to help learners remain focussed and can be offered as a blended option post formal classroom training. From transfer of learning perspective this offers great promise.

Non Formal learning

Heard a recorded webinar from Dublin Consulting about formal learning, informal learning and now non-formal learning. The concept hangs on to a position where learning is informal but intentional. As most people are concerned and Jay Cross has substantiated , training needs to translate into performance from classroom to the job over a period of time. We would go by the 20 - 80 data that has been widely referred between formal and informal learning. Research , if any , may indicate more startling data i.e a wider gap in terms of investment from corporates , the largest chunk being in favour of classroom / formal learning.

For training to translate into performance, we have over emphasised on the routine skill e.g., Selling skills. Since technology is creating disruptive interventions and innovation, wonder how the future will hold. In my mind , access to validated knowledge, access to expertise and ability to work boundary less will be the sole determinants. The technology will take care of the rest. Therefore, training needs to be more contextual and scenario based. The focus should be on creating complex performance support systems that can make extremely simple and purposeful support for the activity to be performed consistent and error free. Japanese were able to do this years back through implementation of systems like KAIZEN, Lean Manufacturing and the Toyota practices. I saw a Circus today , and what struck me was the degree of perfection each performer displayed individually, and collectively as a team. The performance support system consisting of men, equipment and job aids were introduced in synch with the event. This was a perfect example of how rigours of training , and learning is leading to emotionally stirring and captivating performance of the highest order. A classic integration of head, the hands, the sounds, and space . Can we ask for any better example of training to performance .

Lean Service

Read an interesting post on Lean Service , a concept which draws parallel with Lean Manufacturing , popularised from Toyota experience. In the manufacturing world, complexities arise when disruption in smooth flow arises. Historically , and several decades ago, what was manufactured got sold. It was a sellers market. With progress in technology, skills and processes, people got smarter and consumers were enticed with better offerings. Take, our own automotive industry, when Maruti came in , on road performance far exceeded the expectations of the then genre of Indian cars. Those no longer exist. The point here , is about a new standard of product performance. Likewise, when the automotive industry in the west was struggling with large sedans , Toyota showered the market with a choice of colours and options, tailoring more closely to the buyers needs. This was possible with Lean Manufacturing system which introduced the concept of waste in processes and elimination of the same. Not only did it result in improved cycle time but also resulted in higher quality due to simplicity of processes and was able to meet product variation with minimal alteration of processes.

So, how does this relate to Lean service in a Services business ? Experience , shows that processes which were simple were made complex with the advent of IT. More than 93% of processes generate information as outputs with only 7% of process touching the client. So , when processes are developed with IT in mind , cycle times can go off the roof or result in policy level contradictions that can get resolved only by escalation processes. Each of which will be disguised seperately under approval sub-processes. Try changing an insurance plan or even redeem your credit card points , airline mileage points etc., and you would have your answer. Consider an alternate scenario, as I experienced in Walmart , where the touch point of only one interaction, resulted in a product replacement in less than 5 minutes with minimal documentation and process steps. The process consisted of the following :-acceptance of the product with proof of purchase, reference of the new product, and raising of the new invoice. Routine steps, except that a floor guide pointed out the appropriate counter resulting savings in time and spinning around across multiple locations. Customers do not wish to pay for flab. They desire value and soon, we will see times when services will be redefined to meet customer demands for increased performance. Pre-Paid mobile charge card is a great example of such new initiatives. This is a classic case of learning and performance of demonstrated capability.

Make learning relevant to enhance performance

It seems to me that training is evolving . At the time it was initiated , the core objective was to bring employees and workers upto speed through a consistent set of practices, replicable for implementation by all. Look at armed forces - they have institutionalised training to performance, very effeciently and effectively. Regular , knowledge and skill enhancement is critical to create combat readiness and edge. They have perfected the art of blending competencies, subject expertise, applied skill and behavorial skills needed to create a well orchestrated fighting force , battle ready for cohesive functioning - perfect link between performance environment and learning environment. All learning moments are taken care off.

Do we see this happening in the corporate world ? Opportunity exists in making this alignment happen. First , the similarities : Both business and defence environment calls for high level strategic planning and thinking- addressing risks and uncertainity. This needs perfect execution through efficient work processes . The difference arises where skills are involved. Army has a bank of skill inventory with proficiency measurement system ranging from a novice to a instructor level, coroporate world hardly has one. Alignment to the performance environment is at best fuzzy.That is where the trouble is. Most corporates view training as a program and not neccessarily integrated with the work. Army sees it as an integral process and critical to survivality. Time has come to study the performance environment more closely and develop knowledge and skill solutions that can meet the performance needs.

The missing links of performance

In one of his talks,Elliot Blaise opined, that the way people learn will determine how performance will be impacted. Among other things, he highlighted the concept of nano-learning. As we all know, that nano-technologies will have disruptive impact on what we do and how we do, meaning as Thomas Friedman says that through these technologies we are making the world flatter. Post the fall of German wall, India unshackled from a license based regime to a globally integrated market based free economy , setting exemplary standard for the world to notice.So how did we achieve this performance. We had to learn and learn fast. How? We learn while we work by slotting some time out of that schedule. It could be for a whole day, or several days or it could be for an hour or less. The scale of time will be determined by needs and priorities of the skill and it's potential impact on success requirements. The complexity may increase given that a Gen Y learner may have high levels of impatience and distraction . Therefore , we cannot have learning and development tracks that do not respond to these current challenges. This calls for having nano-design, of instruction material , which can provide bite size learning chunks. Performance is less of an event and more of a process. Therefore, addressing the process milestones with a variety of learning tracks ranging from a formal course to a discretionary audio talk or a quick tip needs to be balanced for providing more access to a wide range of content repository and links for seeking expert coaching when needed. The organisation needs to move out of a training only focus to a learning for performance impact. This calls for a paradigm shift from how we see training today to what we can do better and diffirently. Think nano, think learner and think performance. Remember , we have moved from hierarchy to wirearchy.

Getting managers involved in learning and development

Since the time Jay Cross highlighted the relevance of informal learning on performance , discussions are rife to undertand what is informal learning, and how does it work. Most of us at work have received valuable tips, from colleagues, bosses, peers and others. A formal study of managers done by GoodPractice confirms that 76% of managers feel that they are not well supported by the Learning and Development development and further 75% of the managers also train people for performance. 82% of the managers will consult someone to solve a tricky performance problem as a learning activity and they 55% would follow trial and error as a learning activity. Two things are highlighted in this i.e., a. need for learning on the job and b.need to follow self directed learning. Performance is an outcome of proficiency or the lack of it. As we move forward, it is important to accelerate the capability mechanism in the organisation. Which means training people, coaching people, creating engagement process that allows people to narrow the gap between standards of performance and actual results.Over a period of time, self directed quest for knowledge and competence allows experiementation to raise the bar. Only when the blend covers all these elements can we have a measureable impact on performance and sustainability.Therefore, informal learning is extremely important. So where is the challenge ? To begin with it is important to see the entire chain from training to performance in a holistic manner.

A Learning Country -China

A few weeks ago a noted Chinese rising star politician Li Yuanchao stated that China is transcending into a learning country. We have heard of a learning organisation - Courtesy Toyota Corp and Peter Senge's 5th Discipline - but a learning country !!! But let us see how. The Party leadership has mandated learning and development as foundation to integrate in a globalised world. They read books by thought leaders and have absorbed technologies to search for new knowledge. This way they are aware and informed . The same politician visited Google and the attending offcial was surprised when he indicated that they browse the net regularly to update their knowledge. Reading books is encouraged and in some meetings they read the books collectively followed by intense discussions. From the era of Den Xiaoping they have systemically embraced learning and technology as their planks for innovation and leadership . "We believe that a ruling party only remains viable and vibrant when it masters state-of-the-art knowledge," Li said. Post the earthquake in China , a plenium was held to discuss lessons learned and how to respond better. Learning is not isolated from real world experience.Imagine this position , when the political body is driving learning can the rest of the administration lag behind ? "In a 2009 international computer competition--sponsored by the super-secret U.S. National Security Agency (for obvious reasons)--China fielded the most finalists (20), well ahead of second-place Russia (10) and far ahead of America (2). The worldwide winner of the algorithm-coding contest was an 18-year-old Chinese student" says Robert Kuhn in an article published by Forbe. This is true reflection of a knowledge based performing society. Can we institutionalise learning and development from a unstructured discretionary environment to a structured and systemic society ? Yes we can, because , despite our political systems, we have evolved and learned in our own unique way. In the process , we got several things wrong but by serendipity we also got lot of things right. Behind our indigenous system is respect for knowledge and respect for ascription which are propelling us forward. Our dissatisfaction is we are not able to translate it into performance which really matters. Therefore while China had the foresight to see ahead and prepare capacity and capability, we are lagging far behind. Their population is barely 10% ahead of ours but the GDP is 2.5 times greater. The difference between a learning country and learning organisations is clear.

Overladen Children

My son's class mate - a grade 7 student - came the other day to check on some course material. Casual conversation indicated that he puts in 9 hours of studies on holidays. Wow, this is real hard work. Further probe revealed, that parents are preparing him to be competitive and IIT degree is the aspiration. In the last few years , we notice that the intensity to excel has increased exponentially. The same student does not depend on the school academics alone. Off school, most of his time his spent jumping from one tutor to another. What about games ? What about a life outside of books ? For the available free time, sitting in front of a computer and chatting in a social networking site or playing violent computer games seems the best recreation. It is interesting to note , that many proponents of computer games opine that such participation enhances a child's mental agility. I will add one more to this one - also improves keyboard dexterity. School principals are extolling the academic performance of their students on number of toppers. It seems that the child only has to live above his neck. Is this the world we are creating now in middle class urban India ? A great example of education based hierarchial caste system. Where do you think the problem lies ?

Our education system needs a major overhaul in every count. While this may take pages of elaboration, let me reflect on two major ones for the existing set up. When did we last review the B Ed curicullum in India ? How much investment is going towards teachers skill development ? India has a close to 7 million teachers covering all types of education . Your guess is as good as mine that most are ????? Now let us look at the other concern . Are we ever going to see some overhaul in Instruction Design . Howcome , in this digital age tons of text books are the only recourse to learning. Why does a child need to carry a sackful of books to school ? Many educationists seem to be concerned about it, yet , year after year, this remains a lip service issue. How do we still encourage chalk and talk teachers in the classroom ?

The tools of Learning

I was quite taken aback to see some discussions going around tools of learning. Some have opined on how power point actually originated for trainers and today it is being labelled "Death by Powerpoint" as people sit through boring meetings to see power point slides. In a similar manner another discussion is on where, comments about E-Learning authoring tools being made so simple that anyone can use. Likewise, some are struggling with newer resources like Social Media web 2.0 and discussions are more about the issues as opposed to anything else. From the great educational technology breakthrough of the 19th century (THE BLACKBOARD) to slide based presentations using transparencies to CBT , a constant change is visible.

The funnel from one to many ( the typical classroom format ) to one to one is emerging. I was amazed to see guitar tutorials being offerred by kids -barely into their teens over youtube. Students can learn to play irrespective of where the tutor is. This has taken learning into one more high, you can now at your own pace and in your own time learn from anywhere. All you need is an internet access and a device that helps you to browse. One can use a multiplicity of learning formats to best address your needs of interest, time and access . Content available is presented in media that can appeal to your favourite learning style.

Happily we have a problem of abundance allowing immense flexibility to the learner. The issue is not use and mis-use but one of application. This has happened in the past in other categories (take telephony and communications integrating to enhance applications) and newer paradigms are emerging(now the same technology is integrating commerce and entertainment. I see a similar upheavel taking shape where technology will allow people to add knowledge and skills aiding competency development with minimal specialised instructional development and deployment skills. Research has established that 70% of coroporate professional learning takes play through informal means such as discussions, coaching, information update etc., and in future the trend is likely to remain similar. If we break up phases of learning into exponential requirements (needed when new to a job/role) and incremental requirements (when needed for augmenting and maintaining existing knowledge) it is possible to have different tracks. Professionally validated learning systems designed,developed and deployed by qualified experts may be neccessary while the incremental learning may be added on by anyone. One major stepping stone is to create pool of professionals who are knowledgeable and familiar with all the nuances of training, learning and performance so that they initiate the process and act as core change agents.

Drop in training spent in the USA

A recent report on Talent Facts 2009 issued by Bersin and Associates indicate that in the USA Training Spend dropped from $ 56 Billion 2008 to $ 48 Bill 2009- (14%). The number of training professionals per 1000 employees have also dropped from 7 to 6.2. While the reasons seem obvious it appears that some major developments are taking place. The per participant spent has dropped from just above $1000 in 2008 to about $750 (approx). It is difficult to imagine that people development would receive such a back seat. The management is getting more demanding is evident for every dollar spent,and this forebodes well. Linkage to performance is a priority. In India, we have accepted that training and education are essential for success. Budgets are very rarely denied. As businesses, we can draw a close parallel with our education system - which has a hierarchy of top 10% quality and the remaining 90% quantity. Most companies are very happy to impart training . Has it shaped our porfessionals better? Those who have come out of quality institutions have excelled anyway. What about the ones who come from the remaining 90% ? A study conducted by Wharton had indicated that Indian Managers scored 2.65 in a scale of 5 (the least among developed and developing country professionals). The corporate training is still a ritual which ties in well with our culture of knowledge and ascription. Applying it as a skill remains to be a challenge. Here lies the opportunity to develop systems which help in skill development as opposed to knowledge enhancement only to drive performance . With higher focus and demands on returns , I am sure we can pro-actively accelerate in this curve as we have demonstrated well in IT. This calls for applying thought to what we do and how we do to implement what we must do. Given our historic opportunity we cannot afford to straddle all hope on the top 10% world class Indian leaders, we need to widen this base. We can achieve this by being focussed on Performance.

Can subject matter experts train ?

Came across an interesting observation about subject matter experts training. Many have opined that training and knowledge expertise are often disconnected . I am a bit confused, that the citatedels of high intellect often miss out on the expertise of imparting knowledge or skills. It appears that most of these experts are blessed with knowledge absorption and assimilation capabilities, which is one side of communication, but have a challenge on dissemination. A stuttering cousin of mine , went to consult a doctor for his stuttering problem. The doctor told his parents (my uncle and aunt), that his mind works faster than his speech and hence the mismatch. Much , that I laughed then, i continue to do the same at my ignorance today. The same cousin qualified as a scientist from a premier Indian university , served as a research scholar, went to Canada and taught in a prestigious university before settling down as a scientist in a innovation center. For major part of his work , he has been interacting , educating and leading teams all of which requires communication and engagement skills. As long as the SME has a people centric approach and attitude, with minimal skill development they can become very good trainers. Going back to SME's- they are experts because they have the knowledge , skills and experience to create coherent understanding . With a training on how to engage learners , they may be able to do a great job. Most of the Indian IT companies have been immensly successful from this approach. Therefore, it is possible to have subject matter experts as great trainers. A word of caution here , my focal point of discussion is based on classroom experience . Not so sure , how they can create content based on Instruction Design principles. I am assuming that in most cases these trainers would be engaged in pedagogy and hence actual contextual requirements for experiential learning may be minimised.

Can you guarantee training impact ?

A raging discussion is on ,in this topic . I am alarmed , that opinions are being shed by our professionals where understand of the word training is suspect. Business houses have been TRAINING people for both explicit needs and implicit reasons. Many a time , as vendors , we have been called to do a training program just to address the needs of an event (timed with a conference). The explicit need being to get people under a roof and undergo some thought leading input. Does it leave a professional impact? Difficult to say. If you look closely, the need was more implicit -in this case of building awareness; and the training function doing a cursory job of building training mandays like a ritual. We seem to have forgotten that by definition training is a process of modifying actions and behaviours aligned to effective best practices that have been known to deliver results. By this definition , it may be evident that training is a time consuming process. The process does encompass a series of interconnected events that offer relevance to the learner as a replication of everyday work. By this expansion, it assumes that the modified behaviour is applicable in the work arena and hence the event is a simulation for the learner to engage , absorb and apply. Most trainers are trainers of the head i.e they appeal to the body above the neck. Very few appeal to the hand (symbol of action), which is where the challenge lies. Now let us go back to the starting point - what should he or she be able to do differently after the training that can guarantee resultant success for the participant. The debate should therefore be focussed on how we can make a difference to the learner as opposed to debating on the result.

Looming large a great opportunity

The Indian L&D industry seems to be in the crossroads. Some original thinkers have cropped up, and most of these are using the wealth contained in religion, and mythology. Not a bad idea considering that a vast majority of Indians have heard the grandma tales for generations and have grown with a deep belief in symbolic manifestation of life and it's nuances. What is good about this approach is that the tech savvy youngsters undergoing tectonic changes in beliefs values and attitude may have some traditional influence to retain the Indian character.

Our ancient sages and seers were qualified to use different learning techniques ranging from Gurukul discourses, to debates in kingdoms, from Self control to mind control, from active team effort to individual competency besides using all learning methods such as visual through art forms, auditory through songs and bhajans, kinesthetics through dance form and plays, festival participation such as rituals creating a knowledge bank which has survived the vagaries of time.

While the western world has provided concepts , we have perfected the art of systemic execution.

Time is ripe to marry the best of both worlds.

One more train accident

This morning one more train accident took place. Wonder , how many more do we need before we can be woken up from our deep slumber. Every successive government introduces populist programs and of course indian railways steal the show. Look at comments after every railway budget, and you will see introduction of new trains (hopefully to ministers home state/town), tinkering with fares and subsequent roll back after a so called debate. No discussion takes place on safety. Ofcourse, life is dispensible in our country. The overburdened tracks, high pressure work , zero/insignificant investment in technology , poor quality disaster training are some of the known malaise. How do we get over this ? Making people do a thankless job and then train them for some barebone civil etiquette was thought as a solution for transforming the railways by a previous minister. The new minister lost no time to present a dismal picture of the previous one. One common thread ties them both. More people continue to die everyday on accidents.

I think , we need to speak up and train ourselves to resist from resigning to fate with every passing day.

Transforming India - a skill view

It is scary to live through these times. Look at these kids with back breaking backpacks plodding to school. The college kids with sling bags go to college , as if in defiance , to say "I am happy and I am out of school". Out off canteen, and enter into some pre-employment career coaching institutes trying to get a toehold in a career , that is horribly at a mis-match. With every passing day we are becoming slaves of a hierchial education system that was valuable for the industrial age of the 19th Century. India , seems to have got obsessed with competitive education , by happily discarding the timeless storehouse of knowledge given to us from our seers. In CII meet 2007 January , Gordon Brown (then FM of UK) had cited that India had more engineers then technicians, which meant more people with heads were available and less of the able-bodied people, forcing foriegn investment to take a back seat. Our great education system throws out 3 million graduates with less than 5% being employment ready and compare this to Singapore where 85% are work ready? How do we change this? More education ? I am afraid to mention that according to Ma Foi survey more than 10 million people are engaged in education with a half a million higher education teachers. We love white collar jobs and despise Blue collar . It is time that a systemic approach towards moving from head to hand is developed before we miss the bus of development and sink in the quick sand of poverty