How apprenticeships may revolutionize the way people develop their skills

India's demographic sweet spot—its median age of 28 compared to 39 in the US and China—will support development and income in the upcoming years.

However, to fully realize India's enormous economic potential, inclusive advancement must take precedence over exclusive growth and a responsive focus on enhancing young employability and skill development. We have significant skill gaps; only about 5% of workers are regarded as officially skilled.

The report 2024 states that just roughly 50% of young Indians are employable. According to the World Economic Forum, only one in four management professionals, one in five engineers, and one in ten graduates are employable.

Furthermore, in order to succeed in a highly competitive and fast-paced work environment, future employment will require both advanced technical abilities and softer, transferrable skills.

As a result, businesses are finding it difficult to build a talent pipeline that is sustainable, and young people and students entering the workforce are not acquiring the skills that businesses need.

This calls for a move toward the holistic, skill-based education envisioned in NEP 2020, which places an emphasis on the development of skills in addition to academic knowledge.

EDUCATION HAS TWO PILLARS

The two pillars of education are theoretical and vocational. But historically, the emphasis in our educational system has been more on credentials than on abilities.

In contrast, conventional vocational training produced one-dimensional skill sets without using education to reinforce the base. Long-term human capital development is absent, and the labor force lacks both functional and cognitive abilities.

THE APPRENTICESHIPS CASE

Apprenticeships are essential for increasing the employability of our youth since they help young people make the transition from school to the workforce while simultaneously boosting the economy.

Apprenticeships give people organized training programs that combine classroom instruction with real-world work experience, giving them the industry-specific information and practical skills they need to succeed in their chosen industries.

This practical training improves employability and spurs economic growth, productivity, and creativity. Additionally, by providing people with meaningful employment opportunities and equipping them with the skills necessary to thrive in today's competitive job market, apprenticeships lower unemployment rates.

INNOVATIONS AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

Numerous projects have the potential to expand the reach and efficacy of India's apprenticeship ecosystem. To expand the scope of apprenticeship to a much wider network, we are collaborating closely with all the stakeholders, including the government, business, academia, skill councils, and the younger generation.

Enabling apprenticeships under the National Credit Framework's (NCrF) life-long learning provisions is one of the main initiatives we are putting out.
The NCrF is a single meta-framework created in collaboration between UGC and high-level government committees.

Its purpose is to unify credits obtained from schooling, postsecondary education, vocational training, and skill development. It's critical to incorporate apprenticeships into lifelong learning to support reskilling and upskilling for individuals of all ages, in line with changing work and learning dynamics.

In an effort to improve employability, our educational system is progressively moving its emphasis from formal education to the development of practical skills in accordance with the recommendations made in the NEP 2020.

Apprenticeships have the potential to transform the way that education, skills, and employment are connected by combining on-the-job training with academic degree programs or vocational study. They guarantee better results for adolescents and provide businesses with a large return on investment.