Skill Development in India: Challenges and Opportunities

Objectives: The Indian government’s ‘Make in India’ campaign and the accelerated growth in the economy has highlighted the demand for skilled manpower in the country. The objective of this article to understand the current state of vocational education and training and review the vocational training models of the emerging economies. Methods/Statistic Analysis:The Skill development model of India is studied in detailed with reference to the ‘Make In India’ campaign. The vocational training model of the China and Brazil is also reviewed for the study as they are a part of the BRICS countries and also the emerging economies of the world. Singapore’s vocational education model is also studied to gain additional insights on the skill development initiatives and policies. Findings: The “demographic dividend” explains for India being the youngest workforce country in the world. The country will have the lowest median age much below that of China and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Countries. It means that India can be the largest provider of workforce to the world. But still, India has difficulty to fill up jobs due to a shortage of applicants with the right skills and knowledge.It also brings out the difficulty the country faces with matching the jobs to the skills available. India is still behind countries like China and Singapore in imparting skills. The paper aids in analyzing the current skill gaps in the country and the areas where there is a huge scope of supply of skilled workforce. It aims to identify the challenges faced in development of skills in the country and highlighting the employment opportunities arising in the different sectors with emphasis on the Make in India campaign. Conclusion/Improvements: There is a huge scope of generating skilled workforce in the country and utilize the ‘demographic dividend’. The branding activities and active involvement of Public Private Partnership ensure a better supply of skilled workforce.