Krishna Kant| Indiatimes
The Information Technology (IT) industry has created new economic opportunities for millions of Indians and changed the country’s image globally.
NASSCOM estimates put direct employment at around 10 million and indirect employment at 20 million by 2020. Even if we factor in the current global economic environment , the truth is that employment in the sector is growing.
The IT landscape led by cloud computing and big data (a World Economic Forum 2011 report phrased ‘data’ as a new economic asset, like oil) is creating value and differentiated opportunities for the country’s technical workforce. Thomas Davenport , a visiting professor to Harvard Business School recently called ‘Data Scientist – the sexiest job of the 21century.’ While new opportunities emerge, the challenge still remains one of industry-ready professionals.
In 2011, NASSCOM stated that only 25% of graduates working in IT are readily employable. While negative economic headwinds would have slowed business pace a little, the issue of ‘readily employable’ talent still remains a concern. This skill gap is even bigger in new cloud and big data. While the number of institutions offering courses is increasing, awareness still remains low.
