As the global business landscape witnesses rapid and tectonic shifts, is our workforce keeping pace? “12 million Indians are joining the job market every year,” said Florence Verzelen, Executive Vice President, Industry Solutions, Field Marketing, Global Affairs, and Communications, Dassault Systèmes.
This year’s Forum started with Plenary Sessions by our senior executives and industry leaders, followed by the 3DEXPERIENCE Pitch by startups and the 3DEXPERIENCE Playground, where we demonstrated how technology could positively reshape our future.
After lunch, we turned our attention to specific industry problems – particularly, questions around workforce sustainability, innovation readiness, and people-centric, outcome-led growth.
An Imminent Gap Between Industry and Academia
Koodli Subramanya, Director, Special Projects, Dassault Systèmes inaugurated the discussion track, setting the stage for industry experts covering a variety of sectors and business verticals. In a candid conversation among Akshay Singhal, CEO & Founder, Log 9 Materials, Cmde (Retd.) C D Balaji – Chairman, GoK COE, and Mr. Jayesh Kalavara, Head – competency development center, Human Relations, Continental Automotive Tech Center, we considered the industry expectations from academia.
“There are very few colleges or institutions who are working on innovation as a competency development right now,” said Jayesh Kalavara. A pragmatic understanding of products and transitioning from colleges to real-world work environments are the other concerns facing young professionals today.
Building New Synergies for Future-proof Employability
To address these expectations, academia must explore emerging models such as experiential learning, Virtual Twin as a Service, and problem-based learning (PBL). This was explained by Dr. Fulambarkar, Principal, Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering, Dr. Prabhat Kumar, Associate Professor, CSE Dept., and PI-IT Services, NIT Patna, and Dr. Sameer S. Nanivadekar, Dean, A. P. Shah Institute of Technology, in a fireside chat.
“As Benjamin Franklin once mentioned, if you tell me, I will forget. If you teach me, I may not remember. But if you involve me, I will learn. That is the power of experiential learning,” said Dr. Sameer S. Nanivadekar.
Inspiring Innovation from the Ground Up: Starting With Students
At 3DEXPERIENCE Forum 2019, students displayed their entrepreneurial spirit and eagerness to meaningfully contribute to society, with full-scale sustainable vehicle design. The self-propelled cable car presented at the Forum combines ergonomic design with fuel efficiency and locational flexibility.
Further, Rabindra Sah, CTO, Centurion University presented a “one-of-its-kind go-market in 100 days” program designed to bridge the gap between academia and the industry. Another key element of the workforce of the future is the student experience. Sustained employability begins with positive and meaningful student experiences. At Forum 2019, students from Tier-II cities and remote parts of India joined us and shared their unique experiences.
At Dassault Systèmes, we are committed to steering India’s promising talent and young innovators towards productive and sustainable directions. At 3DEXPERIENCE Forum 2019, these issues are at the forefront of the discourse, unraveling the path to progress and an inclusive future for all. Watch this space for more updates as 3DEXPERIENCE Forum comes to Delhi.