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Scientists Harness Mysteries Of Brain
A young woman, confined to a wheelchair, is told to think
about moving another wheelchair in front of her, first to the left and then
forward. As if by magic, the wheelchair follows her mental commands. "She was
controlling the chair with her imagination", said Timothy Surgenor, president
and chief executive of Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems. Surgenor was using
the video of the woman, who was paralysed by a brain stem stroke, to demonstrate
a technology called BrainGate to some 900 researchers, physicians and investors
attending a meeting at the Cleveland Clinic earlier this month. The woman had a
tiny sensor that analyses brain signals implanted on the part of her brain that
controls hand movement.
(Ref : Economic Times dated November 30, 2006)
Healthcare Firms To Lead Job Creation
It's a welcome forecast for professionals in healthcare,
tourism, retail and construction industries. Job opportunities in these sectors
are expected to see an exponential rise. This is a significant shift in
employment patterns. Till now IT was the ticket to success. While IT will
continue to grow, it will be these four other sectors which will see a rapid
expansion till 2010.
Interestingly, healthcare jobs are expected to more than
double in number compared to IT. This growth will be fuelled by an expected
increase in government expenditure on healthcare, greater private participation
in health services, opportunities like manufacturing outsourcing, clinical
trials and drug discovery in the pharmaceutical industry.
Adds Rituparna Chakravarty, vice-president, Teamlease, a
temporary staffing solutions company, "The next decade will belong to healthcare
professionals because these is a huge potential in terms of domestic demand as
well as possibilities of supply globally. India has the inherent skills sets to
grow functions like doctors, nurses, hospital administrators and other
healthcare professionals".
A recent CII Study of Employment Potential for 36 identified
sectors, undertaken for the planning commission, revealed that the healthcare
industry could see an additional 6.1 million jobs created by 2010. Similarly,
construction could employ 9.9 million more people, while retail and tourism
could employ 9 million and 19.6 million respectively. In comparison, the IT
industry is expected to add 2.2 million jobs. Kewal Handa, managing director,
Pfizer, says, "This is because the growth in the IT industry is more mature".
Retail is expected to boom given the number of malls being
developed and the increased levels disposable income. It is estimated that 85
tier - II and tier - III cities will see a boom in retail over the next few
years. Says Sudhakar Patnaik, president & principal associate, Resources Centre,
a Delhi based HR firm, "The trend of people moving to retail and real estate is
gaining momentum considering the growth of organised retailing and
infrastructure activity in the country." Workers in the IT - enabled service
industry are beginning to shift to retail.
Tourism will also be a big opportunity given the economy's
growth, the number of airlines being floated and the resultant additions in the
hospitality industry and support functions. Says Urrshila Kerkar, chief
executive officer, Cox & Kings India, "The challenge will be related to the
shortage of skilled manpower and the need of the hour will be to ensure people
are able to multi-task across various functions." So if you're making a career
decision, you might want to look at these options.
(Ref : Times of India dated November 30, 2006) |
