There are a number of professions which have emerged over the several millennia of human civilisation. They would include the doctors, the engineers, the teachers, the seaman, the household help, the aviators, the civil servants, the trainers, the drivers, the sailors and the list can be nearly endless. Some are relatively silent professions because they are not expected to do too much talking. However, they all need to communicate. Illustratively, the engineers are amongst the more silent professionals. In fact, conventionally they are supposed to be weak in communication. The typology apart, there are professions where talking and communicating has a much higher requirement. Amongst this would number the teachers, the trainers and their ilk. Obviously, the requirement has led to learned researches in the act of communication and the outcome has been in the form of articles, papers and books. Like in any profession, these also have their specialised journals. Much time is spent on the art of communication and the craft thereof.
This is clearly important. There is a need to look at the sub-structure of this super structure.
The super structure consists of the craft of the profession. The sub structure is the basic human typology. All persons have an orientation of the mind, style, the need to talk and more.
Consider an introvert as a trainer. Any person, who has difficulties, by temperament, in communicating, would find it very difficult to adopt a profession which has communicating at its core. Unfortunately, this consideration, to name just one, is conspicuous by its low profile presence in the elements considered for making an effective trainer. This makes a difference.
Add to it the entry requirements to a profession. A doctor or an engineer needs at least three to four years of a formal certification education to become a doctor or an engineer. The entry to some of the other professions is also clear and one might also add rigorous.
Consider this along with what can be termed, (for want of a better phrase) ‘walk-in professions’. Being a trainer is a domain open to almost anyone who fancies himself as a potential or a good trainer. All he needs is a space, a voice and an audience (however limited) and he is on. The other obvious easy entry livelihoods are in travel, tourism, politics, hawking and the likes. These professions and others like them also need skills. However, these skills are neither universally defined nor have standards that are set and accepted. They are by themselves a very skill requiring professions, however, operationally, the standards, as said before, are not universally shared. This ensures that the delivery channels of the making of a trainer or more remain fuzzy and the profession itself does not gain the currency which it needs to gain.
A strong nation and community can only be built on sound learning and growth postulates.
These are serious problems of skill formation which have yet to be sufficiently recognised. This affects business and the making of a business manager. To put it simply, even the acquiring of a degree such as Master of Business Administration does not sufficiently ensure the making of a good business manager.
Clearly, administration is different from management.
These are simple requirements for the growth of any healthy society. Even national education policies are strangely silent on several aspects of these concerns. Very often each ‘revised’ national education policy is a qualified rehash of what has existed earlier. Alterations, such as they be, are representative of the world view of those who actually put words to the policy.
It all begins with clarity on the sense of direction. A civil society is meant to exercise conscious choices and a sense of endeavour to all aspects of human life. It may be worthwhile to ponder about what else one needs to do, as an entity, in India to respond to these needs.
Obviously, it is for the government to operationalise the framework. However, a government is part of the larger society. The society as a whole needs to do its thinking and find a sense of direction. The intellectual centres like the Universities, Institutes and learning institutions have to play their role in this. The civil society cannot be left behind.
However, for any movement to become a reality the general acceptance of a need is a must. As a nation, we need to give more energy and time to addressing these concerns.
All societies, institutions and entities interested in learning and development will need to respond. The requirements is of nurturing a good, healthy and a futuristic orientation on these matters while addressing the present needs.
A strong nation and community can only be built on sound learning and growth postulates.
