Almost half of the Indian youth will not have the right skill set needed to be employed by 2030.In 2030, this number is projected to increase to a whopping 47%, according to UNICEF’s latest report.
Daily, about 1,00,000 South Asians enter the job market “and almost half of them not on track to find 21st century jobs,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director.
Fore added that, “South Asia is at a critical juncture, with a limited window during which it can reap significant demographic dividends from its talented and capable youth. Get it right, and millions could be lifted out of poverty. Fail to do so, and economic growth will falter, youth despair will rise, and further talent will be lost to other regions.”
With almost half of South Asia’s population of 1.8 billion belowthe age of 24, led by India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, South Asia will have the largest youth labour force in the world until 2040.This offers the region the potential to drive vibrant and productive economies. If strong investments in skills development are made, the region is poised to maintain strong economic growth as well as an expansion of opportunities in the education and skills sectors in the coming decades.
A separate new report commissioned by UNICEF identified major obstacles to addressing the youth skills gap in the region. These include the low quality of education and suboptimal vocational training which do not give students the desired skill levels the labour market demands, among others. Compiled by Ernst & Young India, this report identifies a total of 30 already-in-operation solutions to the youth skills crisis.
This is where institutes like CEDP Skill Institute can train the youth to be ‘skill ready’, ‘employable’ and relevant to the future. The Institute trains and educates individuals across the walks of life to be ready to face the competitive job market.
On the subject, Ms. Shaheen Khan, Founder & CEO, CEDP Skill Institute said, “Technology-driven transformations are happening rapidly and people are not upgrading themselves at the same pace. We help in bridging the gap through finishing schools which comprises team building, analytical thinking, collaboration, customer service, and customer experience in the sectors of aviation, hospitality, automobile, healthcare, and fire & safety industries. Our aim is to raise the employability of the youth in our country. Our curriculum is in sync with the requirements of the sectors we cater to, thus helping young minds to multitask more efficiently. We create a value-based education that develops communication skills to ask questions, collaboration to learn and analytical skills for reasoning. It also contributes towards developing a positive attitude and become consistent to be more accurate, and most importantly, become persistent to achieve goals regardless of any setbacks. Our role is not only limited to imparting training but also ensure they are employment opportunities available for them.”
Other than UNICEF, unemployment concern has been raised by AzimPremji University too. In one of its report, it concluded that India’s unemployment rate has increased by 8.45%. The report added that India’s unemployed are mostly the higher educated and the young. Among urban women, graduates are 10% of the working age population but 34% of the unemployed.
The age group 20-24 years is hugely over-represented among the unemployed, something that even UNICEF highlights in their latest employment report. As per AzimPremji University’s State of Working India 2019 report, among urban men, for example, this age group accounts for 13.5% of the working age population but 60% of the unemployed.
In addition to rising open unemployment among the higher educated, the less educated (informal) workers have also seen job losses and reduced work opportunities since 2016.The rate of open unemployment among the educated in three times the national average.
Hence, the need for the youth to train themselves in the skill sets needed for the sectors they want to pursue.
