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The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), in collaboration with the World Economic Forum (WEF), held a high-level roundtable discussion on the "India Skills Accelerator" initiative in New Delhi.

INDIA SKILLS ACCELERATOR INITIATIVE

What is the "India Skills Accelerator Initiative" and who created it?

India faces a serious problem: the skills of young people do not match what modern industries need. This "skill gap" is getting wider because technology and businesses change very fast.

According to the Economic Survey 2023-24, about one in two graduates lack the skill to get employed.
The 2022-23 Annual Report of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) highlighted that “among persons of age 15-59 years, about 2.2% reported to have received formal vocational training and 8.6% reported to have received non-formal vocational training”.

The "India Skills Accelerator Initiative" aims to fix this skill gap and prepare the workforce for the future.

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) teamed up with the World Economic Forum (WEF) to launch this initiative in April 2025.

What are the main goals of the India Skills Accelerator Initiative?

Close Skill Gaps to provide people with the right training to match what industries need.

Get More Investment to encourage more money to flow into training programs that help people learn new skills throughout their lives.

Strengthen Government-Industry Partnership so that training programs truly meet business needs.

Helps workers move smoothly into new jobs or even different types of work.

Connect Education to Industry Needs to ensure that what students learn in schools and colleges prepares them for real jobs.

How will the India Skills Accelerator make people ready for future jobs?

Inclusive Upskilling & Reskilling => Improving current skills to do job better and learning new skills for a different job or industry.

Example: If a worker in an old factory that used to make things by hand. Now, the factory uses robots. Through "reskilling," workers can learn how to operate and maintain those robots.

Investment in Lifelong Learning => Encourage people to keep learning and updating their skills throughout their entire careers.

Schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP), and the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) focus on this

What are the main problems India faces in skill development

Challenge	Way Forward
Skilling at Scale => Reaching a huge and diverse population effectively.	Use digital platforms for wider reach, create local skill centers.
Quality & Relevance => Ensuring training programs meet industry standards and demands.	Make industries more involved in designing and approving training, constantly update what is taught.
Funding & Investment => Need enough and continuous funds for programs.	Find new ways to fund programs, get more companies involved through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds.
Bridging Informal Sector Gaps => Including and skilling workers who are not in formal jobs.	Offer flexible learning programs, officially recognize skills people already learned informally.
Low Female Participation => Women's involvement in the workforce is low (41.7% in 2023-24).	Skilling initiatives should be combined with efforts to empower women and create supportive economic and social environments.
Lack of Awareness => people, especially in rural areas, don't know about skill programs.	Increase awareness campaigns about the benefits and availability of skill development opportunities.
Trainer Quality => Not enough skilled trainers.	Invest in training to improve the quality of teaching.

What can India learn from other countries about skill development?

Germany's Dual System => Where students spend part of their week learning theory in vocational schools and the rest of the time getting hands-on training at companies.

Ensures that young people get practical experience and the right skills needed by industries, leading to very low youth unemployment in Germany.
Companies participate because it helps them find skilled staff.
The government, schools, and industries all work together to set standards and ensure quality.

Singapore's SkillsFuture => Encourages all citizens to keep learning and developing new skills throughout their lives. It provides financial credits (SkillsFuture Credit) to individuals to pay for approved courses.

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PERSPECTIVE : SKILL INDIA

Source: PIB

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Critically analyze the objectives and potential impact of the 'Skill India Mission' initiative on India's demographic dividend and future economic growth. (250 words)