Centurion University Advances Conversation on Human Capital and Emerging Skill Needs

At its Future Skills and Human Capital Leadership Dialogue in Bhubaneswar, Centurion University brought together voices from Accenture, Infosys, Cognizant, Tech Mahindra, and other organisations, with speakers stressing digital fluency, continuous learning, resilience, and closer industry academia collaboration

Centurion University concluded its Future Skills and Human Capital Leadership Dialogue in Bhubaneswar, bringing together industry leaders and academic voices to discuss how India can prepare its next generation of professionals through skill focused talent development.
The event brought together participants from industry and academia to examine changing hiring patterns, workforce expectations, and the role of educational institutions in supporting India’s long term development goals. The discussions centred on the need for stronger alignment between learning outcomes and the requirements of a changing job market.

Opening the event, Dr. Anita Patra, Registrar, said the university’s approach is tied closely to national priorities and the need to equip students with specialised competencies relevant to a global economy. She said the focus should be on ensuring that students leave with practical capabilities rather than only academic qualifications.
The first session, moderated by Dr. Ajay Kumar Nayak, Pro Vice Chancellor, explored changes in entry level recruitment. Satyaprem Mohanty of Accenture and Sobby Pothen Kurain of ANZ Group said industry expectations are moving beyond academic scores toward qualities such as cognitive agility and digital fluency.

Speakers in the session said first time job seekers must adopt a continuous learning mindset to respond to technological disruption and evolving work environments. During the discussion, students also interacted with Dharmaraj Nayak of Tech Mahindra and Sridhar Reddy of Cyient on how artificial intelligence is shaping future roles.
The second session, led by Prof. KVD Prakash, Dean HRD, focused on leadership and organisational resilience. Manmohan Singh Kalsy of Inbrew Beverages and Bobby Pattnaik of Infosys discussed how organisations can build adaptable workforces in a changing market environment.

A key theme in the afternoon discussion was the role of stronger industry academia collaboration. Avik Chakraborty of Cognizant and Sudesna Nayak of ESSPL said universities need to work more closely with industry to improve talent readiness and make learning more relevant to real world demands. Sasidhar Ambatipudi of Pegasystems added that resilience has become a defining quality for high performing employees.
In his keynote, Debasish Panda, T and P Head, said the gap between potential and productivity can only be addressed through a future ready curriculum and stronger alignment between academic institutions and industry.
The dialogue positioned future skills, resilience, and practical learning as central themes in building the talent base needed for India’s next phase of growth.

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