The decline in job opportunities and placement rates in certain sectors stems from industries prioritising skills over degrees—skills often missing from the curricula of even top institutions like IITs and IIMs.

This issue was a focal point during the session “Classroom to Corporate Office: Preparing for India Inc” at the ThinkEdu Conclave 2025 on 28 January, where Prof Himanshu Rai, Director of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore, and Dr Suresh Ramanathan, Dean & Principal, Great Lakes Institute of Management, stressed the importance of skill-based, multidisciplinary education and innovative teaching methods.

“The job market is a little tough everywhere, I think you might have read the report that 23 per cent of Harvard graduates are still not employed after six months. So, we are not talking about the job market of India, we are talking about the global job market,” said Prof Rai.

Echoing this view, Dr Ramanathan emphasised the need for multidisciplinary education, urging institutions to foster a broader perspective among students.

“I’ve had numerous conversations with corporate recruiters in India, and one recurring theme is the large gap between what people graduate with and the skills industries need. We are moving in a very blinkered way in how we think about things,” he said.

Lauding the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s multidisciplinary approach, the Dean added, “We need people who can think out of the box, who have creativity. I am very encouraged by the intent of NEP, but it is important that it is implemented in true spirit.”

Reimagining the Classroom

Both educators called for a shift in how classrooms operate, especially in the context of modern distractions. Dr Ramanathan observed, “You’re fighting for the attention of a student distracted by their smartphones. Engagement is the new currency.”

He emphasised the need for interactive teaching, where students are encouraged to participate and co-create learning experiences. “If we engage our students more, they will feel involved. However, getting all faculty to endorse this change is still a challenge,” he acknowledged.

Prof Rai, too, spoke about the evolving nature of education, emphasising the need for humility among educators. “The one skill I’d like teachers to have is humility—the understanding that we know nothing and that there are multiple ways education needs to be imparted and learning needs to happen,” he said.