Jaipur, February 5:
Emphasising the urgent need to align education with industry requirements, Dr Shweta Jain, Director, ICFAI Business School (IBS), Jaipur, said that industry–academia partnership has become essential for curriculum design. She stressed that curricula across disciplines must mandatorily include economic literacy, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, global awareness, civic literacy, health literacy and environmental literacy to prepare students for a rapidly evolving world of work.
Dr Jain was speaking at the inaugural session of the 10th HR & Skills Summit, organised by the FICCI Rajasthan State Council, with the theme “Reimagining Work, Workforce and Workplace.” She highlighted that industry must actively enter classrooms as mentors, facilitators, instructors and co-educators, co-creating an ecosystem from curriculum design to delivery and real-life work exposure.
Highlighting India’s education landscape, Dr Jain pointed out that while Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) is encouraging at the primary level (93–95%), it declines to 77–80% at secondary, around 56% at senior secondary, and further drops to 28–30% in higher education. Under the India@2047 vision, India aims to achieve 50% GER in higher education by 2035, placing significant responsibility on academic institutions. She added that nearly 71% of higher education institutions are in the private sector, delivering 60–62% of higher education across the country.
Speaking on “The Evolving Role of HR in the Future of Work”, Dr Aquil Busrai, Former Executive Director – HR, IBM India and Shell Malaysia, said organisations must move beyond traditional HR practices. He advocated customised, data-driven training programmes instead of annual training booklets and called for simplified, outcome-oriented succession planning models. Highlighting HR’s human connect, he said the COVID-19 pandemic proved the profession’s relevance through empathy, open communication and a humane approach during crisis.
Mr Manish Gupta, Co-Chairman, FICCI Rajasthan State Council & Chairman, Insolation Energy Ltd, said that employees today seek purpose, flexibility, well-being and growth, making HR a strategic driver of organisational culture and productivity. As Rajasthan strengthens its presence in manufacturing, renewable energy, MSMEs, services and tourism, the focus must shift from job creation to employability and continuous re-skilling. He identified artificial intelligence, robotics, electric vehicles and renewable energy as the four transformative sectors of the next decade
Delivering the vote of thanks, Mr Akshay Hada, Member, FICCI Rajasthan State Council and CMD, Akshay Infrasys Industries Pvt Ltd, said that AI can never replace human resources. He emphasised that HR remains the strongest medium of human connection—understanding emotions, resolving challenges and driving sustainable organisational growth.
The session was moderated by Mr Atul Sharma, Director & Head, FICCI Rajasthan State Council, who noted that the Summit comes at a crucial time as organisations navigate changing labour regulations, workforce expectations, technological disruption and emerging skill demands.
The Summit featured three plenary sessions:
Future Workplaces: Redesigning HR for the Future of Work
Contemporary HR: Leading People, Performance & Culture
Skill Development: Industry-Led Models for Employability
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