In today's competitive world, technical knowledge and skills possessed by an individual play a definite role in his career choice. In today's fast growing economy, central and state governments are faced with a major challenge to create a sound manpower position by preparing today's young adults to meet current and future needs. Experts are of the opinion that 90 percent of the educated youth today lack employable skills and skills that are highly needed for today's and future employment.
To overcome this critical situation, the government has proposed to start special courses in the curriculum by allocating Rs. In fact, four years ago in 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed the view that the 'Skilled India' policy introduced by the central government was the key factor in fighting poverty in the country. In the same process, around 2009, it was decided that by the end of 2020, forty crore resources with employable skills should be created. In 2016, this reputation experiment took a proper shape and by the end of 2019, 5.2 lakh citizens of India will have upgraded their skill level and out of them, 12.60 lakh (24 percent) will have got jobs.
The Central Government is proposing to integrate the policies in all departments and states to involve the states in national manpower development. If the program proposed above is implemented at the right time and place, India will have a national development like China's policy, with special emphasis on the education sector.
India's neighbour, the Republic of China, has implemented a 9-year integrated education policy, in which at least three years of education focus on specific skill development studies. Accordingly, when children complete secondary education, they also emerge as trained workers without an academic degree. Due to this, the country can develop the economic status of the country by establishing resources in industries, markets and workplaces. According to an international survey, South Korea, Germany and the UK have been able to successfully invest 96 per cent, 75 per cent and 68 per cent of their resources in skills and employable persons. Unfortunately, in India we have been marginally successful with a margin of five percent.
According to a survey conducted by UNICEF, by the end of 2030, India's working class population is projected to reach over 96 crores. It also states that out of 31 crore educational graduates, only half (15 crore) are skilled and employable. India ranks 53rd in the list of 63 countries in terms of skills and professional intelligence. This should be of great concern to us and our future generations.
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Another survey indicated that 70 percent of Indians are not aware of the various skill development programs proposed and launched by the government. Spreading general awareness is very necessary and the need of the hour to reach every citizen who aspires to lead a dignified financially autonomous life. There is an equal need to integrate such programs into industry and the job market, which will pave the way for professional and skilled workers from the student age.
As America has long held, it is pertinent that the youth should be exposed to a variety of skill development and vocational courses that will enable them to lead independent and dignified lives. Unfortunately, for us Indians, this seems like a distant dream, as we have no connection between what we study and what we do later in life. Without exposure to the skills required for employment, the educational degrees our children acquire prove to be of no use when it comes to employment. This creates a huge skill requirement gap between entrepreneurs/employers and unemployed youth, which is only widening day by day. According to one statistic, 70 percent of employers are skilled, Professionals are looking for workers while 58 percent of educational certificate holders and 62 percent of degree holders are facing unemployment problem. The problem of unemployment is spreading like a wildfire, forcing young people with Masters and Ph.D degrees to work for meager salaries and in positions reserved for inter and high school graduates.
Ginny Rometty, Head of International Data Management, says it's more important for employees to be professionally skilled than academically. In today's competitive era which lives on the digital transition of knowledge and information, having skills in artificial intelligence, data analysis, block chain, robotics, cyber security etc. plays an important role in getting a good job.
There is an urgent need to rethink and reform the high school curriculum to include the above-mentioned skills so that children can face tomorrow's competitive world with utmost confidence. Only then, like in Germany, Norway, Finland and other countries, when the government invests in developing the youth urgently and spontaneously for a brighter future, India's youth, with high skill resources, can challenge the world.
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