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Permalink Reply by ArunKumar H S on February 6, 2014 at 18:00

my questions also same think. why is not considered in many Institutions and experience from the same in not counted

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Permalink Reply by Shameer K K on February 6, 2014 at 18:26

RFID it's not  Remote Frequency Identification Device, it's Radio-frequency identification

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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on February 6, 2014 at 21:17

Dear Sri Abhilash Achuthan,

Thanks for your post and for raising a very practical and relevant issue for young professionals.

As far as I know, there is no specific rules under Central Government service that professional experience as Trainees/Apprentices should not be taken into account.

But, of course there are certain rules where full time salaried staff in a Time-Scaled Post are recommended. Say for instance, for the post of Library & Information Assistant, there is clear rule that Library Clerks with specific period of experience are eligible.

Besides, in certain cases, especially for mid-level staff, experience of specific period in particular grade is required according to government norms. In those cases, "In-Service" experience is counted. Say for a post of "Technical Officer-Library" in Scientific Research Institutes, 09 years' experience  is advertised. Now during sorting of applications, if applicant A has 9 years03 months' working experience as "Technical Assistant-Library" in a specific government Pay Scale and another one, say Applicant B has 11+ years' experience of which 3 years 07 Months as Apprentice or Trainee and 7 years 07 Months as "Technical Assistant-Library"  the choice is simple. The person with full time service experience in a "Time Scale" post will be included. Admittedly, it often happens that the left out person has better expertise as working experience but the sorter (as well as the employer) can not go beyond the rules. In case applicant A is discarded and Applicant B is included, and if aggrieved applicant A files a suit in the Court of Law, the employer will be in problem. As such, to be in the safe side, employers often have to confine themselves within the stipulated rules. However, in case, there is no such dictum, persons having experience as trainee are often preferred. As an interviewer I myself witnessed that trainees/apprentices in good libraries (meaning good infrastructure, good budget and, above all, good service)  are often the better choice than those working in underdeveloped libraries for several years. In case there is no dictum, for fair selection, the employer always wants to recruit the individual who is best suitable for the post; meaning who is already familiar with and has hands-on experience for the job to be rendered in the present post.

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta

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Permalink Reply by Abilash Achuthan on February 7, 2014 at 3:16

Dear Sir,

Thanks for clearing the doubts....

As you explained above Applicant B has 11+ years' experience of which 3 years 07 Months as Apprentice or Trainee and 7 years 07 Months as "Technical Assistant-Library"  the choice is simple. The person with full time service experience in a "Time Scale" post will be included.

Imagine if the applicant has only 3 Years and 7 months experience working as as Apprentice or Trainee in an Government Institutions, and the advertiser needs At least 2 years’ experience as Library Attendant  or in an equivalent grade in a Library of a University/Govt. or Semi-Govt. Institution/Aided College/ Research Institution.

If the Apprentice/Trainee experienced even from Government Institutions are not considered, here the total 3 +7 months experience is not counted. 

At least some points should be given for those job titles Trainees/Apprentice and at least they should call for the interview... 

Trainees/Apprentice are not eligible is totally demotivating for young professionals.

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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on February 7, 2014 at 20:12

Dear Sri Abilash Achuthan,

Thanks for your post.

I fully understand your sentiments.But you know,,in many cases, employers' hands are tied too! In case there is specific ruling, they have to abide by those rules. A simple RTI from an aggrieved candidate can go far too long!!  such rules thus have both good and bad consequences. Earlier the Diplomatic Mission Libraries (like British Council, American Centre etc.) used to recruit Trainees and in govt sector, they were of good demand. But as times passed by, new government orders started to pouring in; quite reasonably in many cases, to combat nepotism and autocratic activities of certain employers. But at the same time, it curbed the flexibility of choice.and thus recruitment of the ideal candidate. The situation is complex as you can understand.

However, it is also a fact that Trainees of present age are some what different than those of earlier years because, presently trainees are generally taken to complete some sort of (mostly IT related) particular pending jobs like computerization of backlog cataloguing etc as such they get little opportunity to become conversant with all the aspects of Library jobs. I need not explain the issue after the excellent analysis provided here by Sri Subees A.C. Thus, you can see it is not always correct that (unlike earlier years) today's Trainees get to know the entire job of the Library as a "system" But still, admittedly, by and large, the trainees as young energetic individuals often "edge past" the in-service candidates.

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta

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Permalink Reply by Subeesh A C on February 6, 2014 at 22:08

Dear Friend,

Librarianship is considered as a Professional Degree, it implies the requirement of an internship or training by doing to complete the degree. As you can see in any profession there are different learning curves. These learning curves cannot be met only through the bookish knowledge we inculcate at our university course work. To be a part of that professional community or to become professional (in its complete meaning) you needs to go through these stages of learning and develop or adhere to a continuous development strategy to stay in the profession. When we go through this training, (given we are utilizing the situational opportunities we are provided by the organization) we will understand a lot of things, sometimes we get to know the decisions we took at the early stages of our professional entry were purely amateur.

Through this training we are looking to improve our professional competence either behavioural or technical through practical situations with the help of immediately available latest technology. In a way it is an informal way of learning through service. Sometimes we may feel that, yes we are out performing the permanent employee there for years in that section. Of course students do some things better than seniors because of their memory, concentration..., but try to see the responsibilities both are having whether professional or personal and understand the situation. Utilise those areas in the HRD front (Understanding, Controlling emotions, Cover their incompetence through your brilliance, or by teaching them) instead of technical, always you will get something from your seniors.

It is not always technical that matter in an esteemed profession like Librarianship, because its roots are there in service for years. Like I said try to bring in some qualities like leadership, coordination, appreciation... with your training. Added dimension is always an advantage in our profession.

Instead of seeing training as an experience at the early stage try to see it as an another school where your source of knowledge is the real life situations where you have to work to achieve it with the help of trained professionals. When you complete the training, the assumption is that you achieved the ability to grasp knowledge from empirical facts using your senses like by hearing, observation... Here after you are assumed to be learning and doing things independently, some people do have that extra reach from early on. That's why experience counts after training, and considered as the father of all education.

I myself was a trainee a couple of years ago. Hope you can understand better.

Subeesh A C

Pune

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Permalink Reply by POONAM on February 9, 2014 at 18:13

These days it become the habit of all the big and small organizations to hire trainees and take all the pending as well as routine work from them, because they take a very small amount of stipend in respect of a regular staff having a post and in the end they just provide them a experience certificate but what about the issue that, that experience is not counted at all.

we should fight against this serous issue to save our profession.When we do all the works like the regular staff with complete responsibilities, why the experience is not counted???????

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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on February 10, 2014 at 1:33

Dear Ms Poonam,

Thanks for your post and the question you have placed before all of us.

This is indeed quite justified question.

Unfortunately in our country, nothing is taken seriously until the situation seems to go out of hands!! I presume that the authority will listen to it ONLY IF the entire system become jeopardize and by the time it takes effect, the young people of today  will be over-aged for service!!

I understand that one can sense sort of uncommon anguish in my statement but I believe that our generation has reason to be aggrieved just like you. The D.P. Chattopadhyay Commission for Libraries  was set up in the year 1987. It submitted its Report in 1990 and the recommendation was approved in the 5th. CPC in 1996 but the full implementation is still awaiting as on 2014!! A person entering into the service in 1987-88 at the age of 25 is around 50 years now!! If a person gets a Pay Scale which was due to him some 15-20 years ago, his/her enthusiasm just vanish. I know a gentleman working in a Central University where he was MADE  University Librarian when he was 55+ and prior to that the University kept a teacher as in-charge of the Library (Professor of a Foreign Language with extremely small number of Students enrollment) for around a decade & a half !! By the time the person became University Librarian all his energy, vitality were exhausted but I had seen him, a vibrant professional full with energy and innovating ideas in his hey days!! This is irony in our country specially. So all I can do is to say sorry for you people and that's all!!

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta

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