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Vocational study – A step towards career enhancement  (View Comments)

Sheetal Srivastava

Posted On Monday, August 24, 2009 at 12:20:33 PM

Vocational study exchange is a trend that is fast catching on. Not only does it provide outstanding professionals opportunities to study their profession in another country but also helps them enhance their long-term career path

Are you currently employed full time in any business or profession and have worked in your vocational field for at least two years? Do you wish to travel to another country to study your profession? Do you want your travel experience to have a significant impact on your professional career? Well, a vocational study exchange is the right choice. There exists a huge gap between the educational system prevalent in the country and the skill sets required to make learners employable. A vocational study exchange program aims to bridge this gap between the learner’s background and the employable skills required by the industry. “The current education system has a stark contrast between what the employer needs and what the employee has studied. Vocational education is fast catching on and has a significant impact on one’s professional career. Not only that, vocational study exchange programs also play a huge role in career advancement,” says A P Srivatsan, managing director, Vocational Academy.

“It is no longer sufficient to work hard but the need to work smart is felt more strongly than ever. Vocational studies that focus on skills and more importantly on applicability of skills is extremely important if managers and professionals are to keep abreast with the fast evolving work place environment,” avers Romit Dasgupta, director, Globsyn.

Ajay Oberoi, director general and trustee, AICAR Business School feels that a vocational study exchange program helps professionals enhance the scope of international positioning. “Such programs enhance perspective and scope to a great extent in whichever field you belong to. Spending some time in a developed country gives a totally different exposure to the work culture, market trends etc.,” adds Oberoi.

While it is true that a vocational study exchange program has a significant impact on one’s career, what role do corporates play in making such a program more useful to professionals? Says Kurien C K, GM - Marketing & Relationships, Future Learning Development, an education company, “Vocational courses are usually positioned for entry level positions. This forms the stepping stone to anybody wanting to start in a particular industry. Like many of the programs on offer at Future Learning Development the learner is offered a guaranteed job in entry level positions on successful completion of all the requirements of the certifications. It also sometimes works as a building block for specific skill development that is required for career advancement.”

Organisations are becoming increasingly aware of the need to help their managers and professionals pursue vocational study in their respective streams. “At Globsyn, we have institutional processes to help our faculty pick up on varied domain skills and knowledge components. We regularly take part in the faculty development program (FDP) etc. We also encourage our faculty to pursue research activities and attain PhDs. in their respective domain,” adds Dasgupta.

A vocational study exchange undoubtedly calls for grooming of one’s self as s/he is required to exchange ideas, participate in discussions, meetings etc. AICAR Business School has introduced special grooming sessions where future managers are groomed to enter into the corporate world. “We impart training to professionals in terms of cultural awareness, accent as well as mannerism in order to be able to get accustomed to the tradition and culture of another country,” adds Oberoi.

In today’s work scenario, management professionals need to deliver on challenges that require solutions that lie beyond the well laid out theoretical and structured courseware in the traditional education system. Vocational study exchange equips them with the right approach and skill set which allows them to deal with situations. Armed with these skills and abilities they are able to offer a competitive edge in the professional work space that helps them enhance their career growth in the long run.

Although the economic slowdown has brought the jobs of many to leaps and bounds, a vocational study exchange offers a ray of hope to those who wish to better their career prospects.

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