Onbench or out of bunch!!

Well as part of a large software fraternity(useless) to be precise,i now find the word onbench very troublesome and worrying.Well when you get your first job,the pleasure of earning by yourself and ofcourse a life full of aspirations does makes you feel good.But that very happiness goes into drain when your skills are not utilized and kept "onbench".Agreed there can be recession,downfalls in every company but keeping someone idle for almost 1 year and paying them for nothing is something like sweet poison.It is sweet in the beginning but later it is as bitter as it could be!!People may say what you have done to increase your skills.We try our best to be in touch with what we are good at but unless you have hands on experience of something then whats the point in mugging from books.Nothing is better than practical experience.You cant learn cycling reading from a book unless you learn by riding it,falling,hurting and then you learn!!Same for work.Only practical training will help you learn.Ofcourse onbench is an illusive word whose meaning nor does the heads of S/W co. know nor the employees themselves.And thats what makes you out of bunch where you are out of the group luckily who are having some work to do.