Emphasising that the era of lifelong jobs has come to an end, M. Karunakaran, Deputy Director of the Coimbatore District Employment and Career Guidance Centre, said continuous learning and constant upskilling are now essential for students and job seekers to remain relevant in the rapidly changing global employment environment.

He was speaking at a large-scale private employment camp organised in Coimbatore in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation, Roots Group of Companies and the Sri Ramakrishna Group of Institutions. The camp was held at the SNR Auditorium of Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts and Science, Nava India, from 9.30 am to 4 pm.

More than 70 leading companies, including several multinational firms, participated in the camp, offering over 500 job opportunities to students and job seekers.

Welcoming the gathering, Prof. Dr. Praveen Kumar of Sri Ramakrishna College of Engineering addressed the participants. S. Narendran, Joint Managing Trustee of the SNR Foundation, presided over the programme and urged students to continuously acquire new skills to keep pace with rapid technological advancements and changing business needs.

Addressing the gathering, Karunakaran cited a World Economic Forum report and said more than 1.10 crore new jobs are expected to be created in the future, while nearly 90 lakh existing jobs will undergo major transformation and about 50 lakh jobs will become redundant. He pointed out that sectors such as banking and education have already shifted significantly to digital and online platforms.

He warned that skills acquired through formal degree programmes alone have a limited lifespan. “If skills are not upgraded within two years, one risks becoming irrelevant in that sector,” he said, adding that the traditional model of working in a single organisation until retirement has ended, with individuals now likely to change jobs eight to ten times during their careers.

Kanimozhi, Programme Manager of the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation, highlighted the objectives of the ‘Naan Mudhalvan’ scheme, launched in March 2022. She said the scheme provides free government-funded skill training and certification programmes in collaboration with global companies such as Microsoft, Google, Infosys and IBM to enhance employability.

Delivering the keynote address, Kavitasan, PhD, Director of Human Resource Development at Roots Group of Companies, stressed that success depends as much on mindset as on ability. Emphasising the importance of creativity, commitment, competence, courage and character, he urged students to make full use of such employment initiatives.

The employment camp witnessed enthusiastic participation from students and job seekers, reflecting growing awareness of the importance of lifelong learning and continuous skill development in a competitive job market.