We have observed before, what makes Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ policy timely for India is the fact that there’s this presence of a large pool of human resources in the country. This pool consists of a youthful demographic, with 66% of the population under the age of 35. This is an advantage, depending, however, upon the fulfillment of certain criteria, prominent among them being skill development.

In academic and professional qualifications, as per the Indian government’s last census, the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) was approximately 11.2%. Its target GER in 2020 is 30%. This leaves a yawning gap in educating and skilling our workforce. And even if academic institutions perform at optimal capacities, graduate professionals are not the only cogs in an economic wheel.

Considering the above statements in combination with the fact that the percentage of skilled labour in our workforce is less than 2%, there is an immediate need for vocational training. And for this training to fulfil its purpose – it requires large-scale delivery models that are on par with international standards.

Towards this end, the government is revising the skill development policy of 2009, and has allocated a budget of Rs 10,000 crore. The National Skill Development Council (NSDC) established under the UPA government will work towards offering a revised curriculum of international quality at the various industrial training institutes.

In this, NSDC will be assisted by industry inputs from the sector skills councils (SSCs). The SSCs have industry representation, which means apart from industry’s input on courses, defining potential job roles, as well as the skill requirements of industries are ensured.

While India has more than 11,000 ITIs, they alone have not been able to address the manpower shortage in our industries. 
The government aims to open 1,500 to 2,000 training centres in the next two years for vocational courses under the updated National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF). Here students will also be equipped with digital literacy and basic English fluency to help them compete in the job market globally.

Plans are also on to set up a National Board of Vocational Certification, which will work as per the guidelines of the NSQF, and ensure quality in large-scale training deliveries.

These are just a few steps that the government is taking in its long journey of skilling 500 million people by 2022. Fulfilling these conditions is mandatory if India seeks to achieve the status of an economic superpower.