india's urgent need for
skill based education
About a decade ago India’s growing population was a huge cause of concern for the country. Nobody realized back then that the population could turn out to be the country’s biggest asset today. With a size of over 500 million plus workforce, India is destined to become a leader in the global skills-based economy.
However, the biggest challenge that plagues the country is the shortage of skilled laborers across all sectors. Each year over 60 million plus students graduate and more than 70 percent of them are left unemployed because of lack of requisite skills. This could be addressed by introducing a skill based training curriculum to close the gap between unemployment and education.
As per statistics, 75 percent of India’s population falls in the working age group of 15 to 59 years. By 2050, the nation’s estimated working population is said to grow in excess of 1 billion in numbers which means more job seekers and a bigger employment crisis. Currently, we have only 10 percent of the youth population of India that possess proper vocational training. It is therefore necessary to convert the existing opportunities into a reality for youngsters by addressing their needs at a massive scale across fields including engineering, technology, architecture, pharmacy, management, applied arts & crafts. This could be achieved through vocational education. These courses are designed to provide dual advantage of education and skill development which will better career prospects for these individuals.
JANUARY 2018
28