International Conference on ‘Changing Nature of Careers’ at XLRI

NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 24: XLRI – Xavier School of Management recently organised a two day event ‘International Conference on The Changing Nature of Careers - Implications for a Sustainable World’.

Dr. R K Premarajan, Chairperson, Centre for HRD, XLRI, speaking on the occasion,  expressed his views for the need of industry-academia collaboration for effective career and talent management.

Dr. R K Premarajan, said, “A woefully inadequate focus on industry-academia collaboration is indeed holding back effective interventions premised on sound theory in the field of career and talent management. With this Conference, we sought to balance inspiration and implementation by linking practitioners from the world of corporate careers and scholars from the world of academics to share their ideas and experiences”.

The conference, anchored by the Centre for Human Resource Development (CHRD) of XLRI, was also co-chaired by Prof. Michael Arthur (Suffolk University, USA) and Dr. Anneleen Forrier (KU Leaven, Belgium).

The event had kick-started with Fr. E. Abraham S.J., Director, XLRI, speaking on the inaugural session, where he expressed hope that the conference would provide the platform to re-invent traditional career and workplace models, thus making it easier for people to utilize new skill-sets and leverage new roles within organizations. He said, “Discussions about the employment impact of change have often been polarized between those who foresee limitless opportunities in newly emerging job categories and prospects that improve workers’ productivity and liberate them from routine work, and those doubting Thomases that foresee massive labour substitution and displacement of jobs.”

Dr. Anneleen Forrier while delivering her address said “The nature of the employment relationship itself is becoming more short-term and flexible, leading to the emergence of contingent work and the so-called 'gig economy'. Hence, the Conference aims to examine how these changing work relationships impact careers.”

The event witnessed eminent scholars from India and other countries and industry practitioners brainstorm on the changing nature of careers through paper presentations, expert talks and panel discussions.

The occasion also saw a book signing event by Michael Arthur of his recent book ‘An Intelligent Career Taking Ownership of Your Work and Your Life’ co-authored with Svetlana N. Khapova, and Julia Richardson.