The increase in economic productivity has raised the demand
for talent. Today, employers are gender agnostic when they are looking for a
skilled workforce to meet their requirements and are open to women even for job
roles that have traditionally been male-centric. As per the recent data, the
Female Labour Force Participation Rate is 37% against 23% five years back and
25% of apprentices are women. Various government initiatives and policies drive
women’s participation. Sectors such as retail, banking, healthcare, hospitality
and education have the maximum women workforce, but the most recent trend is
the rise of women workforce in the manufacturing sector in machine operations
that have traditionally been male-dominated. Across India, many manufacturing plants
are run by women and the trend is on the rise. The social taboo is being broken
as families are encouraging girl child education. As per the recent AISHE report, the female
GER is 28% which has gone up nominally by 3% Year on Year (YoY). Today, a little
over 2 crore females are enrolled in higher education.
Breaking the glass ceiling
Women bring in a lot more to the workplace than just the
skills. Being more disciplined, focused, and hardworking with a no-nonsense
attitude has a positive impact on the work culture and also raises
productivity. A woman often brings a blend of technical skills, knowledge and
personal traits to the workplace. To develop the talent pool, among the many
skilling, reskilling and upskilling initiatives, the industry is also
collaborating with academia to create a talented workforce.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 encourages such
collaborations to offer work-based education programmes such as degree
apprenticeships. Breaking the tradition of classroom learning, degree
apprenticeships are a blend of theory and on-the-job learning that are jointly
executed at the establishment of the industry in the real work environment by
industry experts and able faculty. Experiential learning is fundamental; it
builds both cognitive skills and technical knowledge. The programmes follow the
National Credit Framework (NCrF) and National Skills Qualification Framework
(NSQF). The cherry on the cake is the financing of the programme, which is done
by the industry and the student apprentices earn a handsome stipend. It’s not
just an apprenticeship or a degree programme, but a holistic career development
programme that helps organisations tap talent at the grassroots level.
Organisations are using degree apprenticeships to fulfil their gender diversity
agenda. Both technical and non-technical courses have been introduced to create
a talent pipeline. The scarcity of women ITI candidates makes degree
apprenticeship a preferred option in the manufacturing units for skilled women.
Also, instead of going for a regular college degree, a degree apprenticeship
can be a good option to be job-ready in services industries such as retail, IT/
ITES and financial services.
Essential for economic growth
Organisations are also making the most of the degree
apprenticeships for mobilising rural women and empowering them through skills.
A few run these programmes under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Interestingly, there is also pay parity under degree apprenticeship which makes
it favourable for young women to build a career.
To vocationalise higher education, UGC had introduced B Voc,
however, the nomenclature makes them less aspirational, and as per the last
three AISHE reports, the enrolments have dropped. Degree apprenticeship courses
such as BSc and BBA with industrial specialisation become more acceptable to
the youth and society. Women's empowerment is essential for economic growth. As
we progress towards a $5 trillion economy and prepare for a $30 trillion
economy by 2047, higher women participation in the labour force is imperative,
and degree apprenticeship is the key driver in creating an inclusive workforce.
(Email: vkmalout@gmail.com)
