Employability Enhancement for India’s Youth: A Case for Mainstream Integration with the Education System
Employability Enhancement for India’s Youth: A Case for Mainstream Integration with the Education System
Authors : Byomkesh Mishra & Christopher Turillo
Like many countries in the process of economic transition – from primarily agriculture-based to industrial or knowledge-based – India is currently facing a shortage of skills in its labor force as the education and training infrastructure struggles to keep pace with changing market demands. Based on current estimates, while over 75% of India’s labor force is employed in skill-based jobs, only 3% have received any form of technical or vocational training (Teamlease, 2007). This low average skill level in the workforce leads to lower relative returns to education, higher unemployment and underemployment, and increased inequality (World Bank, 2008). While these data are concerning, given the current demographic scenario in India – the working age population is expected to grow to from 720 million today to 950 million by 2026, adding between 10 million and 17 million people per year – the future situation may in fact be more alarming.
To address this issue, both public and private sector players have increased resources and training capabilities over the last ten years, however these efforts have been inadequate with recent estimates by the World Bank, International Labour Organization, and various private research firms putting the overall training output between 3 million and 4 million people per year (approximately 1.5 million in the public sector and between 1.5 million and 2.5 million in the private sector) (IDFC-SSKI India, 2009) (World Bank, 2008).
To read full or to save a copy click on the Download link below: