Much of India’s population- 62%- is 15-59 years of age. Political leaders topped by Prime Minister Narendra Modi have acknowledged that the country’s education system fails to meet the needs of the young. It is necessary to train the huge number of young people who join the work force every year. There is a hiatus between the demand for skilled labour and its supply. Lakhs of students turned out by colleges and universities do not come up to scratch in meeting the requirements of India’s growing economy. Competition globally is getting increasingly stiff. The proposed national policy for skills development and entrepreneurship is now on the anvil. The draft version appears to be on the right lines.
It is necessary to change the orientation on enrollment for vocational training. Skills programmes have shown an inability to pay rich dividends in the formal academic system of the country. It appears that application of skills in an area like carpentry calls for a minor socio-economic revolution. Vocational training needs to be dovetailed with studies done at school. Industry and potential employers have to be fully engaged in skills development schemes. The curriculum for vocational training has to be drawn up with an eye on the specific needs of the sector. Short term needs of employers should take the back seat and broader educational and economic imperatives have to be brought into focus. Arrangements should also be made to facilitate the reentry of dropouts in schools into the national education system. There should be mobility between diplomas, certificates, associate degrees and full degrees. The government should establish institutional mechanisms to remove hurdles to reaping the demographic dividends of the country.
