CAREER PLANNING, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYEE UPLIFTMENT IN INDIAN HIGHER EDUCATION: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY
Dr. Madhvi Meheta, Dr. Smruti Ranjan Rath
This empirical study investigates the intricate relationship between career planning, professional development, and employee upliftment within the Indian higher education sector. With the rapid expansion and transformation of higher education in India, understanding the mechanisms that support faculty and staff development has become increasingly important. The research employed a mixed-methods approach, surveying 450 faculty members and administrative staff across 15 public and private higher education institutions in India, supplemented by in-depth interviews with 30 key stakeholders. The findings reveal a significant positive correlation between structured career planning programs and employee satisfaction, retention, and performance. However, the study also identifies substantial disparities in the availability and quality of professional development opportunities across different types of institutions and regions. Notably, private institutions demonstrated more systematic approaches to career development, while public institutions often struggled with bureaucratic constraints despite having better formal frameworks. The research highlights the critical role of leadership commitment, institutional culture, and resource allocation in fostering effective career development ecosystems. The results suggest that holistic career planning approaches, which integrate personal growth aspirations with institutional objectives, yield the most significant outcomes for employee upliftment. This study contributes to the literature on human resource development in higher education and offers practical recommendations for policymakers, institutional leaders, and human resource professionals aiming to enhance career development systems in the Indian context.
This empirical study investigates the intricate relationship between career planning, professional development, and employee upliftment within the Indian higher education sector. With the rapid exp...