Skills Indian Youth Lack

For the 688 million Indians falling under the working-age category, skill development is more like a major necessity. Most of them however remain jobless due to lack of awareness about the right vocational training and job opportunities.

Addressing this skill gap is of utmost importance, and calls for a concrete road map focused on major reshaping at the ground level.

The unemployment scenario of India

The unemployment rate, which is currently at a 45-year high, is putting the country’s demographic dividend at significant risk. What’s more shocking is that the rate of unemployment among the freshly trained graduates was even higher at 40%.

The root cause for this growing concern lies in the traditional education system that significantly lacks proper infrastructure and qualified teaching staff.

Millions of students in our country even after finishing schooling, remain devoid of hands-on learning and robust practical knowledge.

Moreover, a huge populace of students in India has grown up on rote learning, which has massively affected their learning outcomes.

Following this inaccurate, theoretical-only approach, many students have been found to score well in various exams but eventually end up having lower productivity levels in their respective jobs.

India needs an urgent reshape in the entire course of learning including the traditional curriculums and teaching pedagogies. We must integrate technology into various domains and thus empower the archaic learning modules to produce better learning outcomes.

Thankfully, there are a couple of edutech startups that are doing wonders in this space by leveraging technology and changing the way youth absorbs knowledge.

But the South Asian nation lags behind many of its peers when it comes to imparting these skills.

Fewer than half of India's graduates were employable, according to a study released in February. 

The India Skills Report 2021 found that about 45.9% of young people would be considered employable. The number was about 46.2% in 2020 and 47.4% in 2019.

India's unemployment rate reached an all-time high in 2020. There were several factors responsible for this, including the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

The report suggested that spending on secondary education with a focus on quality and relevance and the availability of teachers. Upgrading technology and supporting labor-intensive industries can also help in generating jobs.