Skills for All

Indian Skills Development Sector

The Skills development sector is a sector of oddities and extremities. The numbers of challenges are as much as the opportunities; the difference in the numbers of trainers and untrained individuals is as much as the difference in available jobs and available skilled laborers. To arrest some of the challenges India needs to widen the access and increase the demand of Skills. FICCI Skills Development Forum has been keenly working in these areas of concern and these thought pieces are a step in that direction.

Skills for All

The Indian economic environment is in an unusual phase. While it has been largely unaffected by the global economic downturn, it is still in a slump. On the other hand, economy’s robust competitiveness, its demographic advantages make India a land of opportunities. Opportunities, is where, India needs to work. The country has to put in significant measures and resources to ensure the creation and acceleration of opportunities for all. And, this has to be achieved by empowering the Indian youth with skills training and up-gradation.

Skilling India is one of the biggest challenges the country faces today. The magnitude of the problem and the importance of tackling it are evident in recently announced policy measures by the government. Government of India has set up its most ambitious target of skilling half a billion people by 2022. However, a motivated goal like this requires concerted efforts, by everyone – the government, the private sector and above all, individuals. Moreover, this goal cannot be achieved in patches. It requires a universal approach, a shared endeavor, a shared responsibility.

When we say Skills for All the above is what we mean.

Skills for All implies that skill development is everybody’s concern. This includes policy makers, employers, trainers, learners, and parents, with each having a part to play in delivering the skills agenda. As a concept, ‘Skills for All’ means that, any person who wants to undergo training is able to. The idea is to “empower all individuals through improved skills, knowledge, nationally and internationally recognized qualifications to gain access to decent employment and ensure India’s competitiveness in the global market”

With this view and through a series of blog posts – Skills for All: New Approaches to Skilling India we aim to present the challenges of skill development in India and new approaches that could be adopted to tackle them. These include:

Skills for All series aims to create a discussion that will evolve bigger and better ideas on overcoming the barriers in the skills sector. It further describes, through case studies and examples, how other countries are overcoming the skills deficit in their people. We look forward to your ideas  and comments.