Why 'Agniveers' would be valuable for private sector

Many of the 75 per cent of 'Agniveers', who will not stay in the armed forces long term, will be a very good talent for the private sector, Sanjeev Bikhchandani, founder of Naukri.com, in a Twitter thread

Team Newsable

New Delhi, First Published Jun 20, 2022, 12:50 PM IST | Last Updated Jun 20, 2022, 12:56 PM IST

Even as the tensions continue to simmer over Agnipath, the new recruitment scheme for armed forces, there are some who believe that with just four years of experience, the 'Agniveers' who are merely in their early to mid-twenties will be trained and disciplined but not typecast and pigeon-holed into narrow roles in the private sector.

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They believe that many of the 75 per cent of 'Agniveers' who will not stay in the armed forces long term will be a very good talent for the private sector.

Here are some thoughts that Sanjeev Bikhchandani, founder of Naukri.com, shared on his Twitter account. Read on...

"The armed forces are very fine institutions and a great training ground. If a person does four years of national service in the armed forces, he or she will finish as a disciplined and trained professional with a college degree.

He or she will have a sense of service and commitment in his or her early to mid-twenties and can adapt and adjust and fit into any one of several careers -- whether in the state police forces or the central security forces or even in the private sector.

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And in the private sector, I am not merely talking about roles in security -- it could be in any of several roles -- sales, service, back office, operations anything. And I am not just talking about blue or grey-collar jobs. Several could also grow into management jobs.

In the past, we have seen that those who leave the forces in their forties and fifties are typecast into security and administration roles in the private sector limiting their options. But that is because they have been in the armed forces for two decades or more.

I speak from personal experience. Over the past decade and a half, we have engaged in conversations with the defence establishment more than once about placing retired defence personnel in organisations in the private sector. Our efforts met with at best lukewarm success.

With just four years of experience, these youngsters who are merely in their early to mid-twenties will be trained and disciplined but not typecast and pigeon-holed into narrow roles in the private sector.

They would have been trained but would be still very young and therefore will be mouldable and have many options open. In that sense (without being disrespectful to them or to the defence forces) they would have been through a rigorous four-year finishing school.

We have seen youngsters in countries like Israel and Singapore do two years of service in the army after high school and then pursue successful careers outside of the defence forces and government.

Every year, the best MBA programmes in the best business schools in the US admit several students who have served for a few years in the US Army. And they do swimmingly.

Discipline, focus and commitment are qualities that are valued by all companies. And they are proving to be increasingly scarce. I am willing to bet that many of the seventy-five percent who don't stay in the armed forces long term will be a very good talent for the private sector

I am sending out these tweets not to support or oppose any political party or government. And I do not wish to get caught in any political crossfire or get trolled (although I suspect this will be a forlorn hope given the nature of conversations on social media).

I am merely commenting as objectively and dispassionately as possible from my vantage point as someone who has had a bit of experience in recruitment, careers and human capital management. I look forward to civil discourse on this subject."

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