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Aug, 05 2014

Schematic shift in skill development

India is witnessing a revolution in the knowledge economy today. Skill development institutes across the country are educating, training and providing jobs to people all in the same breath. The education sector is also undergoing a huge change due to the

The classrooms have become a playground for technology and this is just the beginning. Innovation is also making vocational training accessible to a population that was earlier unable to reach out due to multiple factors. Some of the facts really startle us like India today with a population of more than 1.25 billion people which is more than 17.5 per cent of the world's population, by 2025 is going to be the world's most populous country surpassing even China by 2050.

However, what is more interesting is that more than 50 per cent of its population is below the age of 25 and more than 65 per cent is below the age of 35. In 2020 the average age of an Indian is expected to be 29 years as compared to 37 for China, 45 for Western Europe and 48 for Japan. India is ready to lead the skilled labour market for the world. Not to forget that millions of people migrate aboard every year in search of a promising job. However, there are some challenges that may be turned to opportunities given the right resources.

The Government of India has a mandate of skilling 700 million people by 2022 in more than 21 sectors that require not only the right skills but also the right attitude. However, with a training capacity of only around 4.3 million, there is a requirement of quality infrastructure in different parts of the country based on the inherent skills of that demography. This cannot be just left to the government; it requires partnerships, participation and commitment from all stake holders - from the industry, academia, vocational training providers and most importantly the society.

There are more than 60,000 schools and 33,000 colleges in India with more than 20 million students that pass out every year from these educational institutions. However, only 15-20 per cent of the total number of students land up getting employed. Their learning needs to go beyond getting them a degree or a certificate. I see education as a must that empowers a student to live what they learn and not just a stamp of literacy that does not help them at all.  India needs to wear a lot of hats all at the same time. On one hand is the challenge of adequate and quality infrastructure and on the other side there is a constant cry for experienced trainers, latest industry endorsed curriculum, engaging content, student lifecycle management systems to manage the scale of the opportunity. With technology ingrained in our lives the way students learn has also changed. Today, they learn from everything around them. The role of the guru now needs to move from a teacher to a mentor. We have to prepare students for jobs that have not yet been created, technologies that have not yet been invented and problems that we don't yet know will arise. 

As India lags behind in imparting skill training compared to its international counterparts, only 10 per cent of the total workforce in the country receives some kind of skill training. Further, 80 per cent of the entrants step into varied industries with zero skill training. The net enrollment in vocational courses in India is estimated at around 5.5 million per year, while that in China is 90 million and in the US 11.3 million. This scarcity of skilled talent makes it impossible for the talent supply chain to operate effectively. This growing concern if left unsolved will become uncontrollable. Population researchers are already warning us of a time when in the year 2026, 64.8 per cent of India's population would be in the working age of 15-59 years increasing the working age population from approximately 761 million to 869 million during 2011-2020.

This acts as a huge opportunity for entrepreneurs looking to take part in this revolution that is bigger that it has ever been before. With the opportunity of this scale along with the disruptive technology advancements, innovation is the need of the hour in skill development. Be it in marketing, training, assessment, train the trainers, up-skilling services, ERP services, online training, online tutoring, placement programs, international placements, industry partnerships models etc, there is a need for several such model to emerge and are emerging everyday but many more are required. No one solution or model can be fit for India. Every state, every city, every district, every village needs their own model to emerge successful in the race for skilling talent for the future of India.

The Indian Information Technology (IT) as an industry has not only transformed India's image on the global platform, but also fueled economic growth by energizing the higher education and vocational training institutes (especially in engineering and computer science). The industry has employed more than 12 million people which is going to rise to more than 3-4 times in the next decade and has contributed a lot to social and economical transformation in the country. However we need even higher achievements in all other sector be it agriculture, infrastructure, healthcare, automobile or textiles.

At Jetking this is what keeps inspiring us. With hundreds of locations across the country and thousands of students passing out every month, we constantly innovate and come up with more and more new ways of teaching students. Our patented SmartLab+ training methodology not only teaches students to become technology wizard but also become a whole rounded professional by providing skills to perform at their job from day one. We constantly strive to drive the change and growth to provide our students with not just the latest technology training but also in the most engaging and fun way.

The total employment in the country from 2004-05 to 2009-10 grew by just a mere 2.7 million, compared to over 60 million during the previous five year period (1999-2000 to 2004-05). With the new government in place the skill development and the employability of students is looking far more optimistic than ever.

India is witnessing a revolution

The Indian Information Technology (IT) as an industry has not only transformed India's image on the global platform, but also fueled economic growth by energizing the higher education and vocational training institutes (especially in engineering and computer science).

There are more than 60,000 schools and 33,000 colleges in India with more than 20 million students that pass out every year from these educational institutions. However, only 15-20 per cent of the total number of students land up getting employed.

The total employment in the country from 2004-05 to 2009-10 grew by just a mere 2.7 million, compared to over 60 million during the previous five year period (1999-2000 to 2004-05).

Avinash Bharwani, Vice President, Jetking Infotrain Ltd

Avinash has played a key role in building and creating Jetking. With more than ten years of experience in franchising, Avinash has worked on multiple fronts to provide the right environment to nurture and grow franchisees. He has worked with Jetking for ten years with a focus on franchisee growth, strategy, marketing, new innovations and HR. He is also a founder of HAS Juice bar with multiple outlets and franchise unit operating in Maharashtra.

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