Venkat Garimala, Vice President-S&A, CTM, EE, A2E and CSR , Schneider Electric India, in this article, explains that India will need a large pool of skilled manpower in the coming years, and why creating a a healthy talent pipeline is the prime responsibility of the corporate sector.
Hoping to address the issues surrounding unemployment and under-employment among the youth, the World Youth Skills Day (WYSD) is observed to generate awareness on the importance of technical, vocational education, training and the development of other skills relevant to local and global economy.
Reiterating the importance of investing in youth skills development, WYSD is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030.
It is imperative to ensure the inclusion of women in the high skilled sectors.
The SDGs propose two goals on education and skills for employment which includes-Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all; Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
Technology and digitisation are redefining the way we look at skilling and education. New demands are brought by a tech-centric work landscape. It is important for businesses to integrate technology, stay competitive and be innovative as this would enable them to reap the benefits of digitisation.
It is imperative to ensure the inclusion of women in the high skilled sectors. While the number of women working or looking for work has increased globally, it is imperative to build capacities and up skill them to make them suitable for high skill occupations.
Skilling is an important aspect of a nation’s socio-economic life.Indian economy is the fastest growing in Asia Pacific. The glaring skills-to-employment gap is one of the prominent hurdles in attaining the desired growth which can be reduced by coming up with solutions in form of programmes and policies that help bridging the gap.
The corporate sector has an important role to play in helping employees to develop the required skill sets and maintain a healthy talent pipeline.
The National Skill Development Mission by Government of India aims at socio-economic growth by increasing employment and reducing the skill gap. Under the mission, the Indian Government seeks to provide the institutional capacity to train a minimum of 300 million skilled people by the year 2022. The corporate sector has an important role to play by devising several mechanisms and programmes to impart training to the employees thereby helping them to develop the required skill sets and maintain a healthy talent pipeline.
At Schneider Electric, we believe in reaching out to young minds through programmes designed to conserve the planet, facilitating entrepreneurship through electrician training programmes and bringing light to lives in off-grid villages through solar energy. Around 85,000 unemployed youth were provided with vocational skills, as electricians, enabling them to earn a livelihood and creating sustenance for their families.
Skilled workforce is an essential prerequisite to attain a competitive edge in a global landscape
The Schneider Electric India Foundation set up 271 vocational training centres spread across the country and comprising of 260 basic electrician training centres, ten solar energy training centres and one Centre of Excellence. A total of 701 teachers’ missions have been completed by the foundation and 292 scholarships disbursed to support their skilling.
In order to impart training to the youth and increase their employability, SEIF has supported centres with the latest tools, equipment and technical know-how in electrical maintenance, electrical technology and automated electrical systems.
Skilled workforce is an essential pre-requisite to attain a competitive edge in a global landscape and addressing the issue of skill gap necessitates collaborative efforts by the government and businesses.
(Featured photograph is for illustration only)