The first session of the conclave started at 11:45 AM.

The theme for the first session

was Skill Building. The first speaker of the session was Mr. Anish Philip, Associate
Vice President HR at Mindtree Technologies. Mr. Philip talked about the paradigm
shift occurring in the field of skill development. This has been accelerated with the
launch of Skill India Initiative. In this shift the challenge for corporate citizens and
institutions is whether to wait for the Governments aids and guideline or to
independently adapt to new ways of learning. Mr. Philip explicated the new trends in
learning that replace the conventional methods. Self-paced and virtual learning,
transformational learning, and skill certification are some such emerging trends.
Subsequently, Mr. Philip enlightened us with the newly formed Kalinga Training
Centre at Bhubaneswar, where focus was placed on creating four types of agilities in
young professionals. They include:
Mental agility i.e. diversity of thoughts and ideas
People agility i.e. assessing personality traits of others and modifying self
Change agility i.e. adapting to change in the VUCA environment
Results agility i.e. completion of work and responsiveness
Importance is also given to holistic development, building readiness, as well as
physical and mental fitness. Later Mr. Philip cited an example of how Mindtree
adopted a Taluk, with its 157 schools. Mindtree was responsible for taking up
education and training costs for ultimately creating technically sound professionals.
Concluding, Mr. Philip advised HR professionals, to be an active part of the changing
trends, rather than waiting for government policies.
The second speaker of the session was Mr. Abhay Kapoor, HR Leader at Escorts
Ltd. He explained how the three important initiatives Make in India, Skill India,
and Digital India can be successful only with talented and trained individuals. In
the interactive session, Mr. Kapoor highlighted the skills required at each level in an
organization. He talked about an immense need for leadership skills at the 3 rd level.
He highlighted the importance of skills such as resourcefulness, ability to give out
appropriate feedback, digital confidence, as well as having a collaborative and
global mindset, required at the top-organizational level. At the 2 nd level i.e. the
operational level, Mr. Kapoor focused on presence of problem solving, analytical,
and interpersonal skills. At the 1st level, where professionals were employed in
greatest amounts, technical knowhow and practical skills were given utmost
importance.
Mr. Kapoor highlighted a new trend of talent building where multinational
companies set up their own institutes and training centers to eventually hire these
skilled professionals. He explained how talent building was a healthier option in
contrast to talent buying i.e. poaching of previously trained individuals from other
firms. Also, responsibility of firms would not stop at attracting and hiring new
talent; but continue building and rebuilding talent and create value. Another trend
he highlighted was building an interface between institutions and companies with a
focus on rebuilding curriculum according to needs of the latter. Mr. Kapoor
concluded saying that knowledge and skills go hand-in-hand and must be given
equal importance at institutional level.