April - 2010 issue > In Focus

By si team

There are gaps that exist between the expectations of the employers and certain skills of MBA graduates. The results are based on a survey conducted to systematically evaluate if there are gaps in the expectations and performance of newly hired MBAs in the Indian BFSI sector.

The core topics covered by the Skills Gap Survey, conducted by Higher Education Forum (HEF) are the knowledge, skills, and attitudes employers expect from these new MBAs and their performance vis-à-vis these expectations. The research is the first step in understanding the gaps between industry expectation and the performance of newly hired MBAs in the sector. Only a small sample of the many, diverse BFSI organizations was taken up for this study.

“The Skills Gap Survey found that gaps do exist, particularly in skills such as listening, teamwork, and collaboration; attitudes such as self-motivation, self-discipline, commitment and dedication; and knowledge such as understanding the organization and the process, products, solutions, and services; and consumer behavior,” says Manish Panchal, Director 1SOS and Vasudha Narayanan, Vice-President, Westat India, who conducted the survey for HEF.

A purposive sample was compiled starting with members of HEF and moving outward from there. In all, data were collected from 113 individuals from 74 organizations in the BFSI sector. The survey found that industry has the highest expectations from newly hired MBAs in the area of attitudes, followed by skills, and finally knowledge. The consensus view, as shared by one respondent, was clear, “We hire people for attitude and train them for the skills,” Panchal adds.

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