Pearson and Apollo MedSkills join hands to bridge the healthcare skill gap in India and globally
New Delhi: Pearson, the world’s leading learning company today announced the partnership with Apollo MedSkills, the educational arm of Apollo Hospitals the biggest private integrated healthcare provider in India and wider Asia, to develop effective skilling programmes and training solutions for strengthening the healthcare sector in India and globally. As part of the collaboration, both companies aim to enhance the access to quality healthcare education and upskill around 15,000 health care workers in the country.
The healthcare sector has emerged as one of the most critical industries globally employing millions of workers and facing challenges in terms of shortages of skilled workforce triggered by the pandemic as well as continuous increase of Non-Communicative Diseases (NCDs) and aging population. The care sector represents 11.5 % of total global workforce out of which 381 million are care workers (65% women, 35% men). By 2030 International Labour Organization (ILO) expects an additional 117 million care jobs. At this stage, the collaboration between Pearson and Apollo will provide the much-needed impetus to the sector and contribute towards creating appropriate skill capacities for healthcare workers.
Commenting on the partnership, Dr P Srinivasa Rao, CEO, Apollo Med Skills said, “The healthcare industry is still dealing with the aftershocks of COVID-19 pandemic. Despite being the largest supplier of healthcare human resources to the world, India is currently facing a shortage of skilled workforce, including allied workers & support staff. This calls for closer attention to building up their knowledge of industry trends and digital innovations through up-skilling or reskilling programmes. As the use of digital solutions like telehealth, e-prescriptions or data analytics rises, training workforces in latest technology and best medical practices will be critical going forward. For this reason, we are glad to partner with Pearson, who has a prowess in creating world-class, credible & authentic content that will help us build a new generation of future leaders in India’s healthcare industry.”
On the behalf of Pearson, Siddharth Banerjee, MD, India & Asia, Pearson, said“ The pandemic has already led to automation & advancement in the healthcare and going forward, there will be a need for skilled professionals who can understand medical equipment technology and how it can be used effectively for a patient’s diagnostic or treatment purpose. This is where the need for skilling allied health professionals comes in. Recognizing our role as the world’s leading learning company which is playing at the intersection of offering quality learning content along with robust digital platforms, we are proud to partner with Apollo MedSkills, who has been a demonstrated leader in providing education and skill acquisition for the Healthcare Sector. Through our innovative educational content & training solutions, we will empower the healthcare ecosystem by focusing on new age skills, vocational training, creating employability opportunities and a robust career path.”
The partnership is initially signed for two years with the aim of long-term partnership. Wherein Pearson will provide Apollo Med skills training centers with up-to-date digital content, technical and vocational programmes, qualifications, and certification (including BTEC content, qualifications, and resources) to support Apollo Med Skills, Apollo knowledge, and wider Apollo Hospitals group. The objective of this partnership is development and enhancement of various aspects for group education, training, continuing medical education, workforce development and sustainable talent retention in India and globally.