Fresh graduates entering the Indian job market are finding that their college degrees don’t easily translate into jobs in the real world.

They are not wrong. A report prepared by the Centre for Sustainable Employment at Azim Premji University found that unemployment among the well-educated stands at three times the national average.

This is because the Indian education system fails to prepare students to be job-ready and sometimes easily transferable skills are not enough to lend the candidate an edge over others. Hiring managers prefer taking a chance on candidates who bring with them some degree of experience.

Now, as the current crop of youth readies itself to enter a recession hit and pandemic battered market, businesses are even more invested in putting together a skilled workforce that can help in the re-build.

Those without relevant skills face the risk of unemployment. This is why the entry of new-age start-ups that help impart skills through easy-access tech-enabled platforms is a welcome move for the nation’s youth.

Taking a steady step into your future

There is no need to remain unemployed, waiting endlessly for something worthwhile to turn up. The new-age technology enabled solutions available today empower you to gain industry-relevant skills, driving up your demand in the job market. Employers, faced with the challenge of a scarcity of desired talent, have shown a willingness to hire candidates with previously acquired skills, making them more easily deployable.

There are a few tips for young people seeking to orient themselves on the job market.

●        Find Trending Industries

First, study the market to research which industries are thriving in spite of the current slowdown and the kinds of jobs that they have to offer. Edtech, E-commerce, med-tech and logistics are some of the sectors witnessing a sharp surge in demand, holding the promise of long term career growth.

 Mapping skill requirements for jobs in demand and pursuing job oriented courses after graduation will prepare you for a career in the preferred field.

Take for instance the logistics industry which is slowly becoming a mainline sector instead of being a supporting one. With the rise of e-commerce, logistics is well placed for exponential growth. As the sector matures, there is a simultaneous rise in demand for skilled candidates to fill various roles. However the industry faces the challenge of a mismatch between the demand and supply of talent. Candidates with degrees in warehousing & distribution or supply chain management will find career opportunities thrown open for them.

●        Get on-the-job training

Fresh graduates might ask how one gets on the job training without first landing a job? For instance, if you aspire to work in the logistics sector but lack specific degrees, you have the opportunity to skill yourself through some of the online skills training platforms available today. This makes you easily employable for roles that are in-demand in this industry.

Through these app-based training programs, you can gain access to industry-relevant content, getting a glimpse through audio-visual content and virtual reality into an industry that you had never been exposed to before.

These platforms also deliver useful content through interactive research-backed methods like gamification, simulation and bite-sized modules to drive retention such that the imparted skills are just as good as learning on-the-job. Their on-demand, easy access and measurable nature allows flexibility and control to the candidates. Given the ready talent pool these platforms are able to build and their expertise in training, many leading organizations acknowledge skills training imparted on these platforms, helping to open previously shut doors for interviews.

●        Career progression and staying future ready

For youth who care about ‘career’ and not simply about landing a job, career progression is a driving factor in staying motivated and happy. This is why organizations that can provide structured and consistent avenues to help employees reach individual career goals see better employee retention. A 2012 Deloitte survey, Talent 2020 revealed that a lack of career progress over the next 12 months topped the list of reasons for employees to look for new employment opportunities.

But it is possible that your current organization is not as invested in training programs as you would like them to be. As consistent disruption and technological advances keep widening the skill-gap, the lifespan of skills is rapidly declining. This might stall your career aspirations.

The online skilling platforms recognize that skilling is not simply a conversation to help candidates land the desired jobs—re-skilling and up-skilling are equally important in order to remain gainfully employed and future ready. Providing an always-on approach these platforms help you access a lifelong skill enhancement mechanism that empowers you to chart your own career trajectory.

Not only can this open fresh avenues for promotions and transfers, entirely new career prospects in new and emerging industries altogether can also be confidently explored.

Gaining popularity globally, these professional platforms are helping to bridge the skill gap, solving for many challenges with their online skill enhancement solutions. They are low-budget, yet create a high impact and provide an equal opportunity platform for students and job-seekers in the metro cities as well as in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. They provide effective meaningful training that guarantees a foot in the door for job interviews. Businesses benefit from receiving access to skilled talent, lower employee turnover and the access to experts to meet the internal skilling needs.

Job-seekers! You are now in the driver’s seat of your career journey!