Enhancing Employability: Initiatives from Higher Education Institutions

India has the world's second largest population and is one of the fastest growing large sized economies. It's population is advantageously placed in terms of working age size and profile, profile trends into the next 25 years. This unique demographic dividend can spur the country to being a developed nation and contribute to solutions for the country's poverty and well being. It's Higher Education system though the second largest needs to grow significantly and be aligned to the economy for productivity, competitive advantage and well being. Currently the employability of graduates from this system is estimated as very low and the initiatives are few and far between.

This paper seeks to examine the initiatives of Higher Education Institutions towards this end and the way forward. The study is exploratory and draws its conclusions from literature review. In this paper we start by attempting to understand employability, the status of employability in India and the key issues affecting the journey from education to employment. We thereafter examine the research on frameworks, models and factors, which influence employability in such institutions. We then look at the evidence related to tools and techniques which have made positive impact as well as the perceptions and perspectives gained from various research studies on what works and what may not. We conclude by offering specific recommendations on employability enhancement in Higher Education Institutions at leadership, faculty and student levels. It opens up the possibility of further research in specific areas, tools and stakeholders with specific reference to India.