Expert Speak: Distance Learning Only Solution to Knowledge and Skill Upgrade

Prof. Shanath Kumar
(19 years in IT, currently HOD Management & Commerce, SMU)

Gone are the days when one could take time off to upgrade one’s skills and consequently improve performance at the workplace. In today’s rocket age where an employee’s life virtually mirrors project delivery schedules, learning new skills and upgrading knowledge has become very much a part of the workflow process one follows in the office.

So, what does one do if truth dawns on us one day that our future growth depends solely on our ability to upgrade to the next level? From coding computer language to managing teams and from managing teams to presiding over a P&L centre is something that each of us needs to prepare for and seek out the skills for.

As a trainer who coached employees from a wide array of companies ranging from HP to Infosys, I have noticed that the only aspect that separates distance education vis-a-vis regular college is the academic rigour. Companies originally valued the latter because of the higher level of interaction and rigour involved. Today things have changed as virtual classrooms provide as much if not more of both these aspects.

Distance education today needs better synergy with the industry and this is where technology plays a major role. It can help reduce the distance between students and the faculty support more by way of interaction and inculcate academic rigour. Several institutions including the Sikkim Manipal University of Distance Education have been regularly adding more industry oriented processes and practices to ensure that more people from the workplace have access to skill upgrades.

A word of caution for those seeking Distance Learning... students should take time to check the processes in place at these universities, the alumni support that they boast of and the online tools that they provide to encourage interaction and execution of academic rigour. One should keep in mind that integration of interaction between students and faculty is very crucial.

Distance Education is not just the choice for corporate India. Given that more than 60% of our population is young and seeking knowledge, and more than half of them reside in small towns and villages, how else can we impart the skills required to expand their careers? Therefore, DE is the only solution as it is both affordable and accessible.

From the corporate perspective, money is not a criterion and nor is access. But despite having both of these in abundance, they do not have the time to leave their jobs and complete additional courses. This is where distance education comes in handy and is the only way ahead if India is to have a constantly upgrading workforce, a pre-requisite for global success these days.