JNU establishes Centre of Excellence to ascertain skill gaps

The research will entail conducting digital surveys, ascertaining skill gaps and related economic and sectoral skill requirements and publishing the findings in relevant fora.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) for creation of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) with research scholars pursuing their PhD, from JNU’s ‘School of International Studies’.

The research will entail conducting digital surveys, ascertaining skill gaps and related economic and sectoral skill requirements and publishing the findings in relevant fora. The CoE will research and publish data about mobility, harness sectoral data for creating economic and skill radar and developing a Happiness Index, to name a few. The digital survey will also be instrumentalised as an economic and skill radar for foreign companies in India and for the Overseas Indian Diaspora.

Prof. Santishree. D. Pandit, JNU’s first female VC, stated that the agreement was in sync with the government’s foreign policy of ‘development, democracy and diaspora’, wherein this exercise of collecting data will create a robust dashboard through the coordinated efforts and combined abilities of all partners’ abilities to deliver the best results.

Hoping that “we would have a new way of looking at policy”, she said, that the “research will help not only the Government of India, but also the migrating diaspora, with well needed, authenticated data and counter the malpractices in migration”. Lastly, she expressed confidence in the university’s ethos of “delivering excellence with inclusion, equity with integrity, and tradition with modernity.”

The data collected by the CoE from surveys, will be used for sector-specific skill gap analysis and demand forecasting to support the ecosystem of corporates, investors, academia and most importantly, the job seekers. One way to do this, will be through periodic newsletters supplemented with digital mediums like AI-driven dashboards, portals etc., to disseminate and bridge information gaps. Besides digital surveys, focused research-based studies will also be conducted for data gathering, publishing and analysis. It is envisioned that CoE will work closely with the Overseas Indian Diaspora to understand new and emerging employment challenges and opportunities.

A professional organisation will be appointed for the program management of the CoE. The organization will also liaison to work with various governmental agencies like the NITI Aayog, Invest India along with the Confederation of Indian Industries, etc., within the broader scope of the program. A team of relevant stakeholders will oversee the day-to-day functioning of the CoE.

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