The Vice President of India Shri M. Hamid Ansari has said that Skill development is a critical ingredient for achieving faster, sustainable and inclusive economic growth. In a globalised and integrated world, skill development helps to create a workforce empowered with required skills, knowledge and internationally recognized certifications to gain access to quality employment and ensure competitiveness in the global market. It also aims at increasing the productivity and employability of the workforce and enhancing its capability to adapt to changing technologies and labour market demands. Delivering inaugural address at the “International Conference on Skilling in Schools” here today, he has said that India is blessed with the second largest working population in the world after China. It is estimated that by 2022, 63 per cent of our population will be in the working age group. This translates into a very large number in absolute terms.
He said that we are also one of the few countries where the working age population will be far in excess of those dependent on them, for at least three decades till 2040, as per the World Bank. It would be a potential source of strength for our economy provided we are able to impart and continuously upgrade the skills of our population.
The Vice President opined that as the Indian economy continues to transform and mature, large-scale sectoral shifts in the working population are inevitable, particularly from agriculture to manufacturing and services sectors. These sectors, however, need significantly different and often specialist skill sets, which require training and skill development. It is this skill gap which also needs to be addressed through comprehensive efforts, at various levels, including schools. There are constraints on supply side as well. The enrolment in school education level in India is about 227 million but net enrolment in vocational education and training courses is only around 3.5 million per year. This compares poorly with 90 million in China and 11 million in US.
Source: Press Information Bureau
