RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Analysing The Impact of Skill Development Programmes as an Instrument
For Positive Economic Growth.
SWARNA RS
PGDM – Rural Management
Welingkar Institute of
Management, Mumbai
rs7swarna@gmail.com
ABSTACT:
Knowledge and skill are the driving forces of an economy and social progress for a country. Countries
that possess higher levels of skills react better to opportunities and handle challenges more effectively.
As India moves towards turning into a knowledge economy it becomes vital that the country focus on
the advancement of skills that are relevant to the emerging times.
It is not possible for skill development to happen seamlessly without a reliable and well-established
system in place.
INTRODUCTION:
Honing skills, right from a young age, is vital to channelize them for future opportunities. Education
and skill development are central pillars for the employment. They improve one’s employability
which leads to a better living standard and contribute to sustainable development.
Need For Upskilling
The 2021 World Economic Forum report estimates that as a country, India has the second-highest
additional employment potential estimated to be around 23 lakhs. A strong investment in upskilling in
the country can cause the Indian economy to realize potential gains of up to Rs 570 billion in the next
decade. By 2030, the country can add a whopping 2.3 million jobs.
It is largely perceived and significantly stated that India's overall traditional higher education
ecosystem fails to meet quality standards and the needs of various sectors, resulting in the creation of
a non-employable or low-skilled workforce. India’s higher education and training institutions must
evolve and transform into a stronger, experiential ecosystem, with a strong thrust on digital and
technological learning.
There must be a conscious effort to bring extensive collaborations between various industries and the
higher education sector.
Expanding Beyond Urban Spaces
While it is essential to take quality education beyond urban spaces, upskilling initiatives too must
expand to tier 2, 3, and 4 cities, as well as make inroads into rural areas. As India rises to its Digital
India Mission, with aggressive policy interventions being initiated, which includes the expected
implementation of 5G network and government programmes such as Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas
Yojana, a tie up with private organisations can expand the programmes to interiors of the country,
where more people are looking for specific skilling opportunities.
Key Government Initiatives
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)
PMKVY is the flagship skills training scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship.
Objective: To enable and mobilise many Indian youths to take up outcome-based skill training,
become employable and earn their livelihood.
Key Components of PMKVY:
Short term training
Recognition of prior learning
Continuous monitoring
Placement Assistance
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gramin Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY)
DDU-GKY is a scheme under the Ministry of Rural Development. It is a placement linked skilling
programme for rural youth with help of various stakeholders.
Key Components of DDU- GKY:
Promote livelihoods by placement linked skilling.
Focus on social inclusion
Existing Challenges
Government has now revealed out of 64.27 lakh people who trained under Modi government's
ambitious Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), only 14.43 lakh people got placements.
This indicates that only 22.45 per cent have secured placement under PMKVY.
This could be due to various reasons such as insufficient training capacity, employers’ unwillingness
and so on.
LITERATURE REVIEW:
Ansari and Khan (2018) studied the “Role of Education and Skill Development to Promote
Employment in India”. The objectives of the study were to highlight the contemporary education with
respect to skill development and to provide recommendations based on the observations and analysis
of the study. The study is based on secondary data collected from published reports, surveys, books,
prominent sites, media reports etc.
In conclusion the study says that to sum up skill development for India is critical from both the socio-
economic and demographic points of view. It is an important tool for reducing poverty, enhancing
competitiveness and employability and to promote the self-entrepreneurship among youths
Agarwal S. (2016) has written a research paper which illustrates the importance on “Central Pillar of
Employability: Skill Development”. In this paper he tries to understand the present skill capacity and
the challenges faced by skill development system in India. To assess the level of skill capacity of the
Indian workforce with the help of education and vocational training. The study also found that both
the government and its partner agencies have launched various measures/initiatives for the effective
implementation of the skill development system in the economy. Despite such efforts skill
development faces several undetermined issues/challenges that need immediate attention of the policy
makers. The study also finds that these programmes are not able to create opportunities for casual
workers and are not of the magnitude required.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES:
To analyse the need for skill development programmes in India.
To understand various skill development programmes in India.
To learn about the gaps in the existing programmes and come up with suggestions.
HYPOTHESIS:
H1: Existing skill development programmes do not create a positive economic development.
H0: Existing skill development programmes create a positive economic development.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:
This is a qualitative study with focus on primary data. Surveys can be conducted to find the exact skill
requirements from the employers. Analysis of such surveys would help in designing course structures
of the training programs and thus standardized course curriculum or training delivery systems can be
developed.
Secondary research can be done where, India can look up to technical and vocational
training/education models in China, Germany, Japan, Brazil, and Singapore, who had similar
challenges in the past.
CONCLUSION:
In an era of specialization, India must not miss the bus and we as a country must do all we can to skill.
The new education policy also aptly attaches emphasis on the training of youth and on digital
learning. We required an increased coordination between stakeholders to ensure a highly skilled
labour force.
It is also important to note that we do not look at skilling as merely a way for earning. Rather, we
must broaden our horizon towards skilling and look at constant skilling as a way of life.
REFERNCES:
Published articles:
https://hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/workplace-4-0/learning-and-development/21st-
century-needs-india-to-upskill/82656444
https://www.businesstoday.in/jobs/story/64-lakh-trained-under-skill-india-but-only-145-lakh-offered-
jobs-238756-2019-11-18
Government websites
https://pmkvyofficial.org/
http://ddugky.gov.in/
