MAY 16th MAY 21st

Scope of Vocational Education Training

With the increasing demand for more and more skilled workers, businesses around the globe have essentially helped create resurgence and renewed enthusiasm for vocational education. Vocational education as a whole is an incredibly diverse and detailed topic, involving research from a wide variety of sources and references to much more specific topics on occupational programs, training, and career paths. Vocational educators around the country believe trade schools are making a strong comeback because many businesses have a desperate need for skilled workers. With all these changing requirements, students are now beginning to get more and more opportunity to learn not only standard book knowledge, but how to apply that knowledge, get an actual chance to apply that knowledge in many cases, how to interact and be productive in the workplace, and how to be trained for the environment they will soon be working in. As per governments plans, of the 15 million students who need vocational education every year, about 5 million students would be provided initial training by strengthening existing VET (Vocational Education Training) Institutions and setting up new VET Institutions. The remaining 10 million students would be trained through non-formal/informal mode. The Government also plans to encourage the participation of the private sector and NGOs in a number of areas such as improvement of facilities and resources of VET institutions/centers, development of skills/standards, training packages, competency-based curricula and instructional materials, conducting tests, and providing joint certification. There are about 1.6 million people employed in Indias organised retail sector and another 2-4 million new recruits are expected in the next 5 years. Almost 90 per cent of these are expected to be in front-end jobs where vocational training is most required. The current in-house capabilities and outside training institutes are not equipped to impart skills to this large number. The biggest skill-gaps exist in areas such as: Sales and customer management Store maintenance Visual merchandising Mr. Sumit Bajaj, Head- Marketing i360 Staffing & Training Solutions Pvt. Ltd

Traditional V/s Modern Teaching

Today, teaching is becoming more a commodity freely available in the marketplace across diverse geographic locations; in ones own language, according to ones level of understanding, time available and increasingly becoming more pocket friendly for the learner. Also, educational governance is becoming more and more electronic in nature. We have the electronic frameworks for online admission, online learning, online testing, online recruitment, online fee payment, online certification etc. that have come up making the task of imparting the education a lot more easy for the learner as well as the educationist. This has helped to make education not a one time learning experience but a lifelong process promising every time to deliver the required results to the learner as per his requirement in real time and with a great ease.

While all this looks charming, the utility of traditional chalk and board teaching can never be undermined. It has a tremendous value of its own. Electronic training, no matter how much advanced it might become, can never match the capabilities of a good trainer. The Learner learns not only through what is taught to him by the teacher but also how it gets taught. Scientists are of the view that a learner typically learns 80% from the emotions. When any data is attached to the emotions, the chances of his remembering it are increased three folds.

A result oriented teaching methodology, thus, would be the one that makes a blend of the above two approaches i.e. traditional as well as modern teaching. At i360, we are gearing up for just that. The learner is being given a kind of an environment that enables him to develop complicated skills of English, Finance etc. at a very fast pace and in a very easy fashion. The short term courses of 1-1/2 months, 3 months etc. in English can be much more beneficial for the learner than those that run into years. The learner is able to develop confidence not only in terms of English grammar etc. but also in terms of its usage in the day to day activities. Similarly, in accounts, we are churning out computer ready accountants using the same methodologies. We are able to arouse the interest of the learner to such an extent that he begins to learn and develop himself on his own. No wonder, we have churned out many satisfied learners in the past many years. Rohit Venaik Head- Retail Sales i360 Staffing & Training Solutions Pvt. Ltd

Learning, and not Teaching, is the objective of Education

"Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth learning can be taught." -- Oscar Wilde Traditional education focuses on teaching, not learning. It incorrectly assumes that for every ounce of teaching, there is an ounce of learning by those who are taught. However, most of what we learn before, during, and after attending schools is learned without its being taught to us. Most of what is taught in classroom settings is forgotten, and much of what is remembered is irrelevant in the practical world. In most schools, committing something to memory is mistaken for learning. Why should children -- or adults, for that matter -- be asked to do something computers and related equipment can do much better than they can? Why doesn't education focus on what humans can do better than the machines and instruments they create? Education has been commoditised via the concept of teaching, which seeks to force the acquisition of certain knowledge on students. The aim of teaching as people are often told is to prepare them to work in particular sectors of the economy. These people dont have to like what they are taught as the ultimate goal is economic, i.e. to earn a living. Contrast this with real learning, which comes from within and is driven by a desire to create a perspective out of our world view. Imagine what would happen in a school where the faculty and administration considered their job to be empowering students to learn (not teaching). Empowering students to learn would put the responsibility for learning back where it always should have been - on the student. And it would require that the subject matter actually be relevant to each student rather than be forced upon him/her. Perhaps, it would turn around the horrendous dropout rate because now kids would be energized to achieve something they want to pursue rather than walk through the day (years) doing what someone has told them to do. When those who have taught others are asked who in the classes learned most, virtually all of them say, "The teacher." It is apparent to those who have taught that teaching is a better way to learn than being taught. Teaching enables the teacher to discover what one thinks about the subject being taught.

In the educational process, students should be offered a wide variety of ways to learn, among which they could choose or with which they could experiment. They do not have to learn different things the same way. They should learn at a very early stage of "schooling" that learning how to learn is largely their responsibility -- with the help they seek but that is not imposed on them. There are many different ways of learning; teaching is only one of them. We learn a great deal on our own, in independent study or play. We learn a great deal interacting with others informally -- sharing what we are learning with others and vice versa. We learn a great deal by doing, through trial and error. Long before there were schools as we know them, there was apprenticeship -- learning how to do something by trying it under the guidance of one who knows how. For example, one can learn more architecture by having to design and build one's own house than by taking any number of courses on the subject. In keeping with all historic attempts to revolutionize the social order, the elite leaders who formulated the strategy, and those who implemented it, perverted the language, using terms that had attracted a great deal of respect in new ways that turned their meanings upside down, but helped make the new order palatable to a public that didn't quite catch on. Every word -teacher, student, school, discipline, and so on -- took on meanings diametrically opposed to what they had originally meant. Today, there are two worlds that use the word education with opposite meanings: one world consists of the schools and colleges (and even graduate schools) of our education complex, in which standardization prevails. In that world, an industrial training mega-structure strives to turn out identical replicas of a product called "people educated for the twenty-first century"; the second is the world of information, knowledge, and wisdom, in which the real population of the world resides when not incarcerated in schools. In that world, learning takes place like it always did, and teaching consists of imparting one's wisdom, among other things, to voluntary listeners. Garima Gulia Head- Academics i360 Staffing & Training Solutions Pvt Ltd

Chartered Accountancy & its prospects

With the rapid growth in Indian economy and multinationals setting up operations in India, careers in finance and accounts look extremely promising. Aspirants, who truly want to make it big in the world of accounts and finance, must qualify as Chartered Accountants. Chartered Accountancy is a stressful, challenging and yet highly rewarding profession. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is both an examining and a licensing body. The institute conducts the Chartered Accountancy exam. The course involves a blend of theoretical education and practical training for a period of three years with an established auditor which run concurrently. This combination of theory and practice endows a student with the required knowledge and skills to function as a professional accountant and a finance head post qualification. CA course has three phases - Competency Professional Test (CPT), Professional Competency Course (PCC) and Final examination. The registration for CPT and PCC is open throughout the year. After passing the Professional Competency Course (PCC), candidates are eligible for registration as articled clerks/audit clerks for practical training. A candidate aspiring to become a Chartered Accountant must have passed the Senior Secondary Examination (10+2) before registering for the course. ICAI has nearly fifteen branches spread all over the country. A Chartered Accountant (CA) becomes an expert in

accounting, auditing and taxation. According to the Company Act, only a qualified CA in professional practice is allowed to be appointed as an auditor for limited companies in India. Qualified Chartered Accountants can expect a starting salary upwards of Rs. 30000 and can aspire to earn astronomical sums as they progress in their career to reach the top levels. A career in CA provides you a high pedestal for employment with big corporate houses. As a matter of fact, the chances of ascending the corporate ladder to reach top corporate positions are much better for a Chartered Accountant than even a Cost Accountant. Qualified Chartered Accountants are in great demand as the pass percentage in this tough exam is very low. Thus, Chartered Accountants are an enviable lot as they leave jobs frequently due to continued better prospects.

Ajay Arora Asst. Product Manager (Finance), i360 Staffing & Training Solutions Pvt. Ltd

The Changing Face of the Indian Retail Industry

India is fast becoming the retail destination of the world. According to the international management consultant AT Kearney, India has emerged as the leader in terms of retail opportunities. The retail market in India is anticipated to grow to 427 billion USD by the year 2010. However, the face of the Indian retail industry is changing. India is passing through a retail boom today. A number of changes have taken place on the Indian retail front such as increasing availability of international brands, increasing number of malls and hypermarkets and easy availability of retail space. With the Indian government having opened up the doors for FDI, the entry of foreign retailers into the country has become easier. India has come a long way from the traditional Kirana stores and is on its way to becoming a mall country. The emphasis has shifted from reasonable pricing to convenience, efficiency and ambience. The major factors fuelling this change are the increase in disposable income of the people, improving lifestyles, increasing international exposure and increasing awareness among the customers. India has a large middle class as well as youth population, which has contributed greatly to the retail phenomenon. The middle class is considered to be a major potential customer group. The youth are perceived as trend setters and decision makers. Tourist spending in India is increasing, which has also prompted the retail boom. Food and grocery are the two categories in the Indian retail sector, which offer the most promising opportunities. Apart from this, the other areas where there are vast possibilities for Indian retailers are jewellery, apparel and consumer durables. Indian retailers are also trying to create a niche for themselves in areas such as books, gifts and music.

The Indian retail industry is going through a period of golden sunshine.

Fibre2fashion discusses certain issues concerning the Indian retail industry with Mr. Andreas Gellner, Managing Director, Adidas India: Mr. Gellner, expressing his view on the present scenario in the Indian retail sector, states that by now, it is fair to assess that the outlook is very bright, but currently, the potential and dynamics are somehow over hyped. Undersupply of suitable spaces and manpower has driven both critical cost components to levels where it is very difficult for many retailers to make profits (not to talk about generating funds for further expansion). The service tax on rentals, of course, was the final blow to many profitability models. He went on to further state that the long-term future is very promising, but the next few years will remain extremely challenging. While speaking about the current mall culture in India, he believed that the malls are places to congregate and spend time for shopping and other activities have been well accepted.

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