Making The Right Choice

The never-ending debate of Skill Vs Degree has polarised the recruiters, some opt for skills, while others opt for a degree. Let’s explore what Indian recruiters want…

- Bhanu Pratap Singh

There have always been two types of successful people in this world, those who became successful purely based on their skills, and those who became successful, because they had the required degree, which helped them to climb the corporate ladder and lead the organisation. It has been a never-ending debate what is more important, skill or a degree.

Expert take

Even experts are divided on this aspect, some argue, that a piece of paper will only get you so far, it is the skill which will help you get to the top and remain there. On the other hand, certain experts believe that degree is important as it portrays a certain level of professional maturity.

“For any job role I would categorise that competency identification is really critical. Competency gives the detail of knowledge, skill and ability to complete a job or an assignment. The competency also defines the desired end state to be achieved which defines the scope of the output. Knowledge comes from the education and training programmes which help build the basic framework in order to develop a deeper understanding on the subject while skill is identified while an individual performs the task and utilizes the knowledge acquired,” says Vikas Khoka, Director – Human Resources of Zimmer Biomet India which manufactures and supplies healthcare-related products and services, adding, “Based on my experience, skill can be developed with coaching, mentoring and projects which incorporate a hands-on approach for any individual. In certain assignments, it is clearly observed that the skill can be improved with consistent practice and efforts to achieve desired results. According to me, knowledge i.e. education and skill go hand-in-hand for a desired productivity of the workforce.”

Value of educational qualifications