'With Work Transformation, its Time for Skill Transformation'

The impact of this pandemic has been unpredictable and long-lasting and has created fundamental economic, social and behavioural changes. This presents an opportunity for companies to build the competencies they desire – to be more digital, data-driven, cloud-native, to have more variable cost structures, and agile operations. In an exclusive interaction with Ms Lakshmi Mittra, VP – Center of Excellence (CoE) and Head - Clover Academy, Clover Infotech, it is found that the technology has not just emerged as a winning quotient in dealing with Pandemic but also have created it's a strong position.

SMEStreet:  According to you, how is the current job scenario evolving and its implications for businesses especially considering the restart phase from COVID-19?

Lakshmi Mittra: The pandemic has transformed the nature of jobs, not just shifting growth trends of industries but also impacting roles and job profiles. Some sectors have been impacted brutally, some are sailing through and some have even flourished. There has been a paradigm shift in terms of job expectations, skill sets requirement which has redefined the entire perspective and deliverables. However, now with lockdown rules getting relaxed, businesses are expected to return to normalcy. The challenge is that the “restart” phase requires more than returning to normalcy. The impact of this pandemic has been unpredictable and long-lasting and has created fundamental economic, social and behavioural changes. This presents an opportunity for companies to build the competencies they desire – to be more digital, data-driven, cloud-native, to have more variable cost structures, and agile operations. Enterprises need to invest in reskilling and upskilling of their employees, so that they can seamlessly transition from ‘Physical Workplace’ to ‘Virtual Workplace’.

SMEStreet: According to you, what is the future of jobs and what kind of skillsets future-ready employees require?

Lakshmi Mittra: The ongoing lockdown is definitely putting a strain on the global job market. However, if we look at the bigger picture, despite the threats posed by the current scenario, the future only looks bright. COVID – 19 has put digital transformation at the forefront of organizations’ planning and strategy. Technology has emerged as the biggest enabler for business operations and this trend will continue to grow. This will put technology jobs in high demand. Talent with skillsets in digital technologies such as cloud, data analytics, RPA and cybersecurity will be most sought after.

SMEStreet: As a common perception, India is witnessing a challenge of Un-employable Graduates. How this issue can be addressed?

Lakshmi Mittra: I wouldn’t say India is suffering from the problem of unemployable graduates. However, I would add that there is a huge discrepancy in what is being taught in schools and colleges and what industries actually demand in terms of knowledge and skillsets. After graduation, most of the freshers have only theoretical knowledge, so there is a gap between the fresher’s knowledge and industry’s expectation.

We have faced this concern in the IT industry early on and conceptualized Clover Academy – our knowledge and training arm, to prepare the next-generation IT workforce. We hire fresh talent, train them in industry-relevant technologies, work on their overall skillset development, give them exposure to real-life projects and make them future-ready.

SMEStreet: Please highlight Clover Infotech’s customized upskilling and reskilling programs which are executed through partners.

Lakshmi Mittra: The objective at Clover Academy is to make young talent industry-relevant and future-ready. We have carefully curated skilling and training initiatives for our employees to help them emerge as all-round professionals. 

Our initiatives such as ‘Aspire’ - A unique platform wherein Clover Academy Alumni interact with the current trainee batches to share industry experiences, advice on the progression from Clover Academy to the industry and how it has enriched their professional life, and ‘Emerge’ - An interactive platform that brings together Clover Infotech’s technology experts and the trainees at Clover Academy. Each Emerge session sees one of our technology experts sharing their industry experience with academy trainees. They also share their views on dealing with customers, ensuring professional conduct and representing the Clover brand well at all times. These initiatives empower fresh talent with knowledge and skillsets to envision a career path and prepare for the same.

SMEStreet:  Also, please highlight the Business priorities of Clover Infotech for next one year.

Lakshmi Mittra: We have been very clear in what we see ourselves as. We consider ourselves as partners to our customers and not just a vendor. Hence, our teams are trained to go the extra mile to understand the customer’s business, the industry it operates in, the revenue streams and its engagement with the end customer.

We have always believed that technology is an enabler, and the “thought-process” is the true disruptor. We have channelled our energies through our teams to enable customers to charter a seamless digital transformation journey, adapt new-age technologies such as cloud, and completely modernize their applications and infrastructure to be business and operations efficient.