Archive · 20 Aug 2026
NITI Aayog Urges Earlier Vocational Training and Employability Education
NITI Aayog wants students to start learning job-related skills earlier in school.
It suggested teaching basic employability and entrepreneurship skills from Class 6.
It also proposed special vocational learning tracks from Class 9.
These tracks would let students learn skills connected to jobs in their communities and across India.
The report said that fewer than one in 12 secondary schools currently offers vocational subjects.
It recommended giving vocational subjects equal importance in board examinations.
The report also called for colleges to work more closely with employers and offer more apprenticeships.
It said apprenticeships should become a clearer and more trusted way to move from learning into work.
The plan is intended to support India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 goal.
NITI Aayog proposed universal employability and entrepreneurship skills from Class 6 and structured vocational tracks from Class 9.
It recommended continuing General Employability and Entrepreneurship Skills as a separate subject in Grades 11–12.
The report called for vocational subjects to receive equal weightage in the Grade 10 and Grade 12 board-subject structure.
Fewer than one in 12 secondary schools currently offer vocational subjects, according to the report.
NITI Aayog urged stronger industry partnerships, apprenticeships, applied degrees, and flexible earn-while-you-learn programmes.
- Who
- NITI Aayog issued the recommendations in its report, Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat@2047.
- What
- It proposed employability and entrepreneurship education from Class 6, vocational tracks from Class 9, and stronger job-linked higher education and apprenticeships.
- When
- The recommendations include measures linked to the Union Budget for FY 2025–26; the articles do not provide a publication date for the report.
- Where
- The proposals apply to India’s school, tertiary education, and apprenticeship systems.
- Why
- NITI Aayog said early, demand-driven skilling is needed to improve employability and align education with labour-market needs.
- Report title
- Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat@2047
- Employability skills
- General Employability and Entrepreneurship Skills are proposed for all students from Class 6 through Class 12.
- Vocational tracks
- Structured Kaushal Tracks are proposed from Class 9 onward.
- Current provision
- Fewer than one in 12 secondary schools offer vocational subjects, according to the report.
- Training since 2014–15
- More than 7.67 crore individuals have been trained.
- FY 2025–26 allocation
- The Union Budget allocated Rs 34,000 crore in skilling-related expenditure across multiple Central Ministries.
- Apprenticeship schemes
- The report cited the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme and National Apprenticeship Training Scheme as existing programmes whose participation remains uneven.