2 hrs ago
India Needs to Rethink Skills for Changing Job Markets
India has many young people, but many are not learning the skills employers need.
A NITI Aayog report suggests that students should be able to start job-focused learning at school and continue it through college.
It also says training should match jobs that are growing, such as work in green industries and electric vehicles.
Many people still have no training, and many seats in vocational schools called ITIs are empty.
Some ITIs teach trades that do not match enough of today’s jobs.
The article says training should connect more closely to real workplaces through apprenticeships and work-based learning.
It also argues that workers need chances to learn new skills when jobs change.
Better courses and fairer access could help more people find suitable work.
A NITI Aayog report proposes vocational “Kaushal Tracks” from Class 9 and stronger links between education and employment.
The report says more than 7.67 crore people received skill-based training since 2014-15, but only 8.25% of graduates work in roles aligned with their qualifications.
About 65% of people aged 15-59 remain without any form of training, while firms’ on-the-job training provision remains limited.
Many ITI seats are vacant, and training is concentrated in technical and manufacturing trades despite growing demand in services and emerging sectors.
The article calls for industry-aligned curricula, apprenticeships, better vocational education investment, and training in areas such as AI and green technologies.
- Who
- NITI Aayog, students, workers, employers, and vocational training institutions including ITIs.
- What
- A report recommends reshaping India’s skill development system to better connect education, training, and employment.
- Where
- India.
- When
- The recommendations are in a report discussed alongside skill-development data through 2025-26; the article was published in 2026.
- Why
- The article describes a mismatch between workforce skills and labour-market needs, low qualification-aligned graduate employment, and uneven vocational training outcomes.
Current System and Expansion
Reform Priorities
Expanding training versus improving outcomes
Current System and Expansion
Training numbers, vocational institutions, and ITI capacity have expanded, and the article notes a large public allocation for skilling.
Reform Priorities
The article says expansion has not necessarily improved training quality or market relevance, and many ITI seats remain vacant.
Existing trade mix versus changing job demand
Current System and Expansion
ITIs continue to offer widely available manufacturing and technical trades such as electrician and fitter.
Reform Priorities
The article argues that curricula and trade offerings should better reflect services and growing fields such as AI, automation, electric vehicles, and green technologies.
Vocational access versus aspiration
Current System and Expansion
ITI participation by students from OBC, SC, and ST communities could appear to indicate inclusive access to vocational education.
Reform Priorities
Amit Basole cautions that this may reflect a fallback option for marginalised students facing barriers to other education, rather than an aspirational choice.
Key facts
- Report
- Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat@2047
- Kaushal Tracks proposal
- Specialised vocational training from Class 9 onwards, based on local and national job demand.
- Skill-based training
- More than 7.67 crore people have undergone skill-based training since 2014-15, according to the report.
- Budget allocation
- The Union Budget for 2025-26 allocated Rs 34,000 crore to skilling-related expenditure across central ministries.
- Qualification-aligned employment
- The report says 8.25% of graduates are employed in roles aligned with their qualifications.
- Training gap
- Close to 65% of people aged 15-59 remain without any form of training.
- ITI vacancies
- In 2021, more than half of seats in Andhra Pradesh and 58% in Assam were vacant; Delhi had 47% of seats occupied.
- ITI placement figure
- The article reports that 0.09% of ITI students were placed as of 2022, citing a NITI Aayog report.
Sources
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