With unfavourable data on India’s skilling and unemployment challenges often making headlines, what really are the core issues? Is it the unavailability of suitable jobs or is it low wages de-motivating youth? And can apprenticeships address youth expectations for ‘earning whilst learning’?
With potential salary hikes of around 15% for skilled individuals compared to their unskilled counterparts, the skilling landscape in India is rapidly evolving due to a combination of factors such as fee and grant-based schemes, modular learning, identification of high growth sector for jobs, recognition of prior learning, and a single new vocational skills regulator, among others.
Manish Kumar, CEO, National Skill Development Corporation(NSDC), shares his views on the interplay of jobs, wages, new age automation, vocational education in schools and skilling programmes such as apprenticeships. Mr. Kumar opines the private sector can play a more visible role in supporting skilling parameters such as decent pay for skilled work. He also calls for a nation-wide study measuring the impact of skilling on productivity which can play a critical role in motivating and persuading India Inc. to support skilling initiatives.
