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KERALA HAS EVOLVED INTO A HUB OF BUSINESS ACTIVITY AND THIS EVOLUTION TODAY PRESENTS SEVERAL PROSPECTS FOR JOB SEEKERS, SAYS TANYA THOMAS

Kerala, often known as God’s own country, today not only offers a haven for tourists, but also respite to job-seekers. Several industries are faring quite well in the state and to keep up with its growth, good talent is desperately sought after. “There is strident growth across both, industry and infrastructure. Last year, Kerala had achieved a GDP of nearly seven per cent (despite the recessionary trend). This reinforces the fact that industries in this southern state are performing well. In other words, there are plenty of opportunities available for job seekers in Kerala,” says Subrat Chakravarty, VP and head HR – business services, HCL Technologies. Hence, some of the biggest companies in India find themselves attracted to set up shop in Kerala. With the development of infrastructure and most educated population in the country, Kerala is being viewed as a highly sought-after corporate destination and the people here have a lot to look forward to. 

GROWTH IS INEVITABLE 


With some industries doing better than others at the moment, overall growth is expected from mid-2012. “At the moment, IT, BPO and service industries are doing quite well and also hiring at a good pace. This positive trend is expected to get better by the month of June. We are expecting interest rates to come down by then and also investment to increase. Presently, hiring of mid-level and senior-level employees has slightly decreased, while entry-level hiring has shot up,” believes Johnson Mathew, head HR, Popular Vehicles and Services Ltd. 
    With several tech-parks being established in different corners of Kerala, the state is becoming suitable for development. The IT sector in Kerala vividly reflects this positive growth trend. “Last year, the growth rate in the IT sector was said to be higher than in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Software exports from the state are expected to cross rupees 10,000 crore by 2015,” says Chakravarty. Aiding this is a good IT policy, which is focused on building a knowledge society. “The Smart City Project, an initiative by the Kerala government, which was stuck in the cans for many years has gotten a fresh lease of life with the project expecting to generate 1,00,000 jobs, which would hopefully retain skilled manpower in Kerala and prevent migration to other cities,” says Shajan Samuel, divisional head (south), IIJT. 

HUNTING FOR TALENT 


The greatest challenge today is finding employable talent. Educational institutes are churning out “unprepared” candidates. This has initiated a collaboration between institutes and the industry in order to better train prospective employees. Also, training and development of hired employees is taking centerstage. “In search for good talent, we need to scrutinise our candidates and sieve through them to strike gold. Only after two-three levels of interviewing and training supplied thereafter, are we assured competence. There are soft and hard skills lacking in our talent pool with regards to industry knowledge, communication, improper body language and the willingness to stretch oneself with hard work topping the list. There is scope for improvement,” says Mathew. 
    However, while the hunt for talent continues, a lot of effort is also being put into generating this talent, with industry and institutes working together to produce trained and well-prepared manpower. Career prospects are plenty for people in Kerala, and a lot of effort is going into matching the right talent with the right job.  

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/kochi/employment-exchanges-may-turn-training-centres-004 

Indian Institute of Job Training (IIJT), a career skills training organisation, which has turned the government employment exchanges in Karnataka to employment training centres, is in discussion with Kerala government to replicate the project in the state.

“We spoke to senior officials on the setting up of such centres across the state on private public participation (PPP) model.

However, we have yet to get a final word, and it seems state government is not keen on considering the proposal,” says Shajan Samuel, division head of IIJT Education, Bangalore.

According to him, the employment exchanges in the state that are in an appalling condition had lost its relevance with the changing times.

“ The state needs to turn these employment exchanges to employment training centres. The number of people getting employed through these exchanges is nominal.”

The first of its kind public-private employment exchange set up in Bangalore delivers the full range of services covering registration, assessment, counseling, training, certification and placement to ensure successful access to the job market for the youth of Karnataka.

“The problem of un-employability is bigger than the issue of unemployment. There is a gross mismatch between the people’s educational and vocational qualifications and their job skills," he says.

The Karnataka government has provided the infrastructural facilities and the IIJT provides training, certification and placement to all candidates registering with the exchange.

“We assure 100 per cent placement guarantee in these centres. Jobs are mostly offered in retail, customer care, manufacturing and automobile,” said Samuel.

According to him, the job fairs conducted by various private organisations are a huge success in the state because the government employment exchanges are a failure.