Skills Gap Hurts Technology Boom in India

India’s universities produce many engineers, but only one in four is ready for the global market, reports a study commissioned from the National Association of Software and Service Companies, based in India. Many engineering graduates lack technical skills or English – and the labor shortage comes at a time when countries around the globe increasingly demand India’s low-cost software and technology services. Available technology jobs are expected to double in the next four years and schools scramble to hire faculty and train students. With the haste, some quality is lost – and shortages have already lifted wages. Human-resource consultants travel the country, testing students and universities, scouting out new sources for recruitment. Companies urge India to allow for-profit universities to operate in a country where about 10 percent of young adults attend college. More than half of India’s population is under age 25, and one Infosys executive analyst urges the nation to invest in education or otherwise prepare to confront a large group bitter about limited career opportunities. – YaleGlobal