As part of the collaboration, both companies aim to upskill around 15,000 health care workers in India. Source: Pixabay
Pearson, a learning company, and Apollo MedSkills, the educational arm of Apollo Hospitals, have collaborated in order to co-develop skilling programmes and training solutions to enhance access to quality healthcare education in India and around the world.
As part of the collaboration, both companies aim to upskill around 15,000 health care workers in India. 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 the total global workforce out of which 381 million are care workers (65% women, 35% men). By 2030, the International Labour Organisation (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 and support staff. This calls for closer attention to building up their knowledge of industry trends and digital innovations through up-skilling or re-skilling 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 will help us build a new generation of future leaders in India's healthcare industry."
Siddharth Banerjee, MD, India & Asia, Pearson, said, “The pandemic has already led to automation and 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.”