Ninety per cent of developing economies, including India are falling behind or are at risk of falling behind in critical skills related to business, technology and data science, revealed a report by US-based online education company Coursera. The report, titled Global Skills Index: 2019 (GSI), which analysed skill trends and performance data for 60 countries, revealed that in terms of business skills India ranked at 50th spot, 44th in technology, and 51st in data science.
India was also found to be lagging among the 16 Asia Pacific countries, which signals a great opportunity for more focused upskilling efforts on key competencies.
“This report comes at a critical time as the Fourth Industrial Revolution of automation and Artificial Intelligence are transforming the world of work,” Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of Coursera, said in a statement.
“The global skills landscape is under major transition. With technology advancing faster than humans, the skills that once fueled careers, industries, and entire economies will no longer suffice,” Maggioncalda added.
He noted that in order to keep pace with this change, governments and businesses must upskill their workforces to build, manage, and leverage new technologies.
The report can help governments and companies understand how their workforce stacks up against the world and take action on any critical upskilling opportunities, he added. In a bid to help bridge the knowledge divide in India, Coursera is also launching 10,000 scholarships for Technology, Data Science, and Business courses.