Editorial Analysis - 15th July

Skill India for Atmanirbhar Bharat

Context

The Prime Minister will deliver a video address on the occasion of World Youth Skills Day today. The day also marks the 5th anniversary of the launch of Skill India Mission.

World Youth Skills Day

On 18 December 2014, the United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus, a resolution, spearheaded by Sri Lanka, declaring 15th July as the World Youth Skills Day.
Theme for 2020 : “Skills for a Resilient Youth”
It seeks to generate greater awareness of and discussion on the importance of technical, vocational education, and training and the development of other skills relevant to both local and global economies.

Importance of World Youth Skills Day

Rising youth unemployment is one of the most significant problems facing economies and societies in today’s world, for developed and developing countries alike.
According to ILO’s report “Global Employment Trends for Youth 2020: Technology and the future of jobs”, since 2017 there has been an upward trend in the number of youth not in employment, education or training (NEET).
The World Youth Skills Day is an opportunity for young people, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, and public and private sector stakeholders to acknowledge and celebrate the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.

Skills for a Resilient Youth

World Youth Skills Day 2020 will take place in a challenging context.
According to the UN, the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures have led to the worldwide closure of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, threatening the continuity of skills development.
It is estimated that nearly 70 per cent of the world’s learners are affected by school closures across education levels.
TVET institutions play an important role in equipping the youth with the skills for employment, including those needed for self-employment. They also help in upgrading or re-skilling low-skilled youth.
In post-COVID-19 societies,young people will need to be equipped with the skills to successfully manage evolving challenges and the resilience to adapt to future disruptions.
Much before the current pandemic, the fourth industrial revolution triggered a paradigm change with digital technology driving the job market.
Remote working with increasing adoption of digital technology might continue to be the modus operandi for the foreseeable future.

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India’s Youth

The youth are the future of any country. India with about 65 percent of its population below 35 years and 50 percent below 25 years is well placed to reap the benefits of its demographic dividend.
With a huge, educated young population, India is uniquely poised to realise its demographic potential.
The fact that Indians are heading several MNCs shows that there is no dearth of knowledge and talent in the country.
According to “India Skills Report-2020” ,millennials constitute nearly half (47 per cent) of the country’s working population. This is likely to remain the largest chunk of the Indian workforce for the next 10 years.
However, the need of the hour is to upgrade the skills or upskill the youth to meet the employment needs of technology-driven 21st century and accelerate the pace of self-reliance.
Another important issue that needs to be addressed by all stakeholders is ensuring equitable employment through higher participation of women in the workforce.

The Pandemic and Indian Youth

One of the most profound impacts of the pandemic has been on workplaces as offices are functioning with minimum staff strength.
Most organisations are allowing their employees to work from home.
The uncertainty created by the pandemic is being seen by many as an opportunity to upgrade their knowledge and acquire new skills.
A host of skill sets — listening and communication, cross-cultural sensitivity, adaptability to changing work environments, emotional intelligence and social etiquette along with a good academic record — are important for those seeking employment in the emerging job scenario.
Artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, cloud computing and Internet of Things, among others, will be relied upon by companies.
With people increasingly resorting to online buying, companies will seek to adopt new online marketing strategies.

Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan and Skilling

With the twin objective of reviving different spheres of the economy in the short term and insulating India from any future global economic downturn, in the long run, the Abhiyan seeks to build capacities across sectors and promote local products.
The success of Abhiyan depends upon the skilled workforce.
The production of several lakh PPE kits, collaboration of automobile industries to produce ventilators, innovative apps and solutions like Aarogya Setu are few examples of the capability of Indian scientists, IT professionals and technocrats.
Based on the locally available resources, talent, and skills of the human capital, we must aim to gradually reduce imports in every sector from crude oil to heavy machinery.

Road Ahead

While remaining vocal about local, there has to be a paradigm shift in all areas for Indian products to be globally competitive.
The private sector and PSUs must massively step up investments in R & D and modernisation of technology.
We must endeavour to stay ahead in the innovation-led knowledge economy.
This is the time for 130 crore Indians to showcase the country’s collective resolve to overcome the setbacks caused by the pandemic.
We need to forge ahead by harnessing India’s human resources and technological capabilities.
To remain globally competitive with a well-assured future, we need to focus on “skills, scale and speed”.
India has the potential to emerge as the global hub for providing skilled manpower to other nations.
We can prove to the world that the 21st century belongs to India through self-belief, dedication and discipline.