Mumbai, India, September 18, 2019: IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology) India is all set to organise a one-day event on the Future of Work at Taj Land’s End in Mumbai on October 22, 2019. Engineering the Future of Work conference is conceptualised and designed by The IET, one of the world’s most reputed professional societies for engineers that completes 150 years of existence in 2021. Spearheaded by its steering committee and chaired by Mandeep Maitra, People Practitioner, Leadership & Transformation Coach, the event aims to provide a neutral, credible and inclusive platform to discuss the Indian workforce, one of the largest and most complex in the world.
The Indian jobs and skills landscape is undergoing a significant shift. It is predicted that 37% of skilled employees in India will be in jobs that need radically different skill sets by 2022. Nearly 1/4th of Indian Medium and Small-Scale Enterprises plan to replace permanent employees with contract employees. Organizations, employees, academia and government are faced with multiple challenges to navigate the change.
The one-day event will kick start the movement to solve the biggest jigsaw in the future of work. The first edition will focus on the future of education, organisations, professionals and frameworks. The IET’s Future of Work platform will launch India’s first Future of Work Playbook – an exclusive guide to navigating the ever-changing world of work. Topics like new staffing models and gig economy, impact of automation and AI on jobs, future of blue-collar jobs in India will be discussed for the first time in an event. The day-long conference will include Super Keynote addresses, panel discussions and fireside chats.
Mandeep Maitra, Chairperson, IET Engineering the FoW Steering Committee 2019, said, “The Indian jobs and skills landscape in the country is undergoing a major transition. Skill sets that are sought after today might be less necessary two years from now. Similarly skills and organisation structures which are building blocks for success might be the ball and chain that will pull down productivity in a very short interval. It’s a perplexing time for the Indian workforce as well as the industry. The IET’s Engineering the Future of Work steering committee believes there is an urgent need for all stakeholders to come together and discuss the evolving Future of Work landscape in India. With a holistic mind-set we plan to look at all aspects of the Future of Work jigsaw, including the input system of higher education (and the change required there), the management and structures of organisations(what will work and what will hinder), the learning path of the individual( and how that will change), and the new frameworks that have to be devised for the success. We look forward to the exciting takeaways from the event and how we can work together to help in this transition.”
Shekhar Sanyal, Director and Country Head, the IET India, said, “India, with its diverse and layered workforce, is one of the most interesting and challenging markets in the world. From a Future of Work scenario, it presents the biggest jigsaw, and if we don’t solve it right, it could lead to disaster. The pieces of the jigsaw are scattered and not connected. The IET’s Future of Work platform and the event is trying to get all the relevant stakeholders who hold the various pieces of the jigsaw to come together and create a road map in a joined up process. As of now, the key quadrants of the jigsaw, we have identified are Higher Education, Organisations and their construct, Individual skills and growth patterns and Future Frameworks for skilling, regulations and legal.
We also plan to release the 1st ever Playbook to Navigate the Future of Work for India. Over the last decade, the IET led think tanks in India have been at the forefront of constructing neutral platforms that work closely with academia, industry and the government to create feasible road maps. With this event, we aim to do the same. We at the IET are excited to see the outcomes of the event being implemented to ensure a smooth transition into the work environment. We look forward to more people joining in on the conversation in India with the IET’s Engineering the Future of Work”, he added.
