Globalization has intensified the need to skilled professionals in developed, developing and underdeveloped nations of the world. If any nation needs to it in the global race then they have to promote skill development as their key area. This increases the foreign trade, gets new technology in the nation which boosts the economy of the nation. Thus the area of skill development has become a driving force for the socio – economic development of the nation and especially developing nation.
In India, the skill development area is a driving force. If the economy needs to move ahead by leaps and bounds till 2025 then a multi faceted skilled and highly efficient workforce needs to be ready by that time. Besides, if we go as per the present global scenario then by 2025 India has a big role to play in the global workforce pool. The increasing globalization and digital presence provide India a unique position to increase its share further in global market from current share of around 37% in the global outsourcing market. Hence such a scenario necessitates skill development for the workforce.
India is one of the youngest nations in the world with more than 54% of the total population below 25 years of age. India’s workforce is the second largest in the world after China’s. While China’s demographic dividend is expected to start tapering off by 2015, India will continue to enjoy it till 2040. However, India’s formally skilled workforce is approximately 2% – which is dismally low compared to China (47%), Japan (80%) or South Korea (96%). To leverage our demographic dividend more substantially and meaningfully, the Government launched the “Skill India” campaign along with “Make in India”
With the new government coming in India in 2014, the area of skill development is looked upon very seriously. The government has understood the need and importance of skilled labour. As a step ahead there were various sectors identified for skill development and opportunities for the same are being created by the government in those fields.
Potentially the target group for skill development comprises of all those in the labour force, including those entering the labour market for the first time. The current capacity of the skill development programs is 3.1 million. India has target of skilling 500 people by 2022. According to a survey 2 percent of the country’s workforce is skilled which is much lower when compared to the developing nations; there is a dual challenge of developing skills and utilizing them in a proper way.
The government has identified 20 high-growth sectors and services that have the ability to provide expanded employment in the coming years; of which 10 are in manufacturing and an equal number are in services. The most prominent sectors are manufacturing, textiles, construction, automotive and healthcare. It is necessary to develop proper skill training mechanisms, as the skill sets required in manufacturing and services sectors differ significantly from those required in the agriculture sector– the existing majority employer.
In recent days there have been a considerable initiative taken from the private institutions especially educational institutes in the field of skill development. There have been many good institutes in the nation who have set up skill development centres for their students with an objective of enhancing required technical skills of the students. They have also set up industry interface cells. These cells facilitate the students as well as the industry. There is a common platform for all the stakeholders and conduction of the skill development courses is very easy and economical for them.
The prime objective of is to make students self employable. The bridging of gap between industry and academics has been taken care of by the establishment of skill development centre. They try to provide all the necessary facilities and resources to the students that are required to be a through professional. The institutes should provide dedicated space for the most needed academic – industry interface.
In view of completing the mission towards skill development in India I propose a three-tiered, high powered decision making structure. At its apex, the Governing Council, chaired by the Executive Director, should provide overall guidance and policy direction. The Steering Committee, chaired by various faculties expert in their areas, review the activities in line with the direction set by the Governing Council. The Director ensures implementation, coordination and convergence of skilling activities across Departments. The Institute should provide a natural home for the Mission, organically linking all three decision-making levels and facilitating linkages to all.
We have to aim for 2020 and have a three-pronged approach to ensure such efforts lead to a positive shift in the sector:
- Create access for youth to a quality supply of training programmes
- Create access to funding for training and/or entrepreneurial opportunities
- Create access to market opportunities for jobs, services and products