The objective of Skill Development is to create a workforce empowered with the necessary and continuously upgraded skills, knowledge and internationally recognized qualifications to gain access to decent employment and ensure India's competitiveness in the dynamic global market. It aims at increasing the productivity and employability of workforce (wage and self-employed) both in the organized and the unorganized sectors.
Challenges in the skilling and entrepreneurship landscape in the country:
- Public perception that views skilling as the last option meant for those who have not been able to progress/opted out of the formal academic system.
- Skill development programmes of the Central Government are spread across more than 20 Ministries/Departments without any robust coordination and monitoring mechanism to ensure convergence
- Multiplicity in assessment and certification systems that leads to inconsistent outcomes and causes confusion among employers
- Paucity of trainers, inability to attract practitioners from industry as faculty
- Mismatch between demand and supply at the sectoral and spatial levels
- Limited mobility between skill and higher education programs and vocational education
- Very low coverage of apprenticeship programs
- Narrow and often obsolete skill curricula
- Declining labour force participation rate of women
- Predominant non-farm, unorganized sector employment with low productivity but no premium for skilling
- Non-inclusion of entrepreneurship in formal education system
- Lack of mentorship and adequate access to finance for startups
- Inadequate impetus to innovation driven entrepreneurship
Problems that we face in youths for skill development:
- Key skill gaps and shortage of quality workers are observed at the minimally skilled and semi-skilled levels
- Inadequate skill sets available
- Inadequate project management skills
- Inadequate orientation to develop and adhere to safety norms at construction site
- Inadequate work ethics
- Casual in work, absenteeism, unwillingness to work, etc. are observe
Focus Areas of the training:
- Practical Based training approach for better placement
- Soft skill/Life skill training under Employee Engagement
- Campus Interviews by potential employers
- Entrepreneurship Development Program
