Skills Versus Education

WE MUST SHAKE OFF THE HALO AROUND FORMAL EDUCATION AND ALLOW VOCATIONAL EDUCATION TO RISE TO A LEVEL THAT WILL CREATE VALUE IN AN INDIVIDUAL’S PROFESSIONAL LIFE. IT’S ABOUT TIME INDUSTRY AND INSTITUTIONS CONSIDER EDUCATION AND SKILLS INTERCHANGEABLE.

- Gayathri Vasudevan

Dr Rahul Dev is a popular general physician with a flourishing practice in the suburbs of Mumbai, Maharashtra. One can find a beeline of patients outside his small chamber holding tokens and waiting for their turn. Dr Dev keeps his chamber open throughout the week, although at different timings. Today, however, the place has a deserted look, except for a few disappointed patients who are standing outside the closed doors of the chamber. A printed note taped to the door reads, “Attending a 10-day workshop in Singapore. Will attend to you on my return on 10th April. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

An MBBS degree holder, Dr Dev began practicing medicine soon after completing his residential internship at a government hospital in Mumbai 10 years ago. His gentle manner and accurate diagnosis soon made him popular in the area. Patients began to pour in and there was no looking back for the doctor. However, he hasn’t allowed himself to become complacent. He would keep looking for opportunities to upgrade himself and stay abreast of the latest advancements in drugs, treatments and diagnostic procedures. Being a general physician, people come to him with all sorts of complaints and some of them need referrals to specialists for further treatment. Dr Dev wants to make sure that he understands the root cause of the problem and prescribe the right treatment that matches with the latest medical practice.

Learning needs to be a continuous process for every individual in this evolving industry. Be it the case of topmost professions or junior factory workers, each one of us needs to go through this process in order to stay relevant in our respective jobs. One slip or a miss can actually mean losing a lucrative opportunity, or in Dr Dev’s case, his reputation.