Nurturing talent

Human resources development is no longer a nice-to-have. Whether in technical fields or theoretical fields, the onus is on developing raw talent and polishing them in to gems. For all the plans drawn up, nothing can substitute the development of skills. There are challenges to be faced today but also the challenges of the future will change. The western world is focusing on developing robots to help an ageing population. But the human element in a care-giving relationship cannot be taken over by mechanical creations. Future jobs will require using the brain rather than brawn as more and more companies, piqued by an unwillingness of the populace to take on blue-collar jobs, run out of options.

Of course there is a cost element involved. Factory floor personnel have to be remunerated as per the standard dictates of the country concerned and the minimum wage is going up and not down. Sooner than later routine jobs will vanish as companies seek to cut costs and, as is evident, even Japan is revamping education by reducing the focus on humanities. The future could be more of a machine-like generation than a softer, thinking one and questions are already being asked about human interaction being compromised thanks to technology.
Strangely enough, technology hasn’t done what it was supposed to-reduce paper consumption. What it has done is degrade, further the humane side of man- the empathy and feeling. Everything at a distance, the touch and feel element is fast being lost. And yet technology moves on an on, relentlessly.
For a country where that kind of automation will take much longer to achieve, the signs of technology coming to good use are quite clear. Much more can be done, even to speed up manual processes that still require manning. It is in the area of softer skills in sales, marketing, teaching and training that require the human touch, where the divide is growing. Virtual classes are a great idea but the backward linkage is absent. In the 80s and 90s garments industries faced a similar headache and worked gradually to organise composite set-ups. It’s all very well to provide lap-tops to students but the apps that they need for furthering their studies, the portals where they will get information from are yet to be developed with local content. With the focus on software exports, there is a danger of missing out on local content that, whether business viable or not, must be ensured. Until then, we shall continue to hear illustrious personalities such as President Abdul Hamid and Chief Justice S K Sinha bemoan the businesses that education is drowning in.
Prothom Alo