Vocational training system is crucial for achieving the 'Viksit Bharat' vision. Despite government schemes like Skill India Mission and PMKVY, challenges like low participation and poor quality persist. The National Education Policy 2020 aims to integrate vocational and mainstream education, strengthen industry linkages, adopt international models, and ensure quality and relevance.
Copyright infringement not intended
Picture Courtesy: INDIAN EXPRESS
India's vocational training system urgently needs to be reinvented to effectively bridge the skill gap, ensure youth employability, and support the nation's economic growth ambitions.
It empower individuals with practical, job-specific skills for direct workforce entry.
By providing in-demand skills, vocational training boosts employability and leads to higher earning potential.
Evolution of Vocational training in India
Early foundations (pre-1950s): Before independence, skills were passed informally (apprenticeships in crafts). No formal public training system existed.
1950s: Craftsmen Training Scheme (1950) and the first Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) were set up.
Later developments: National Policy on Skill Development (2009) was India’s first comprehensive skill policy.
Current Status
As of July 2025, there are 14,615 ITIs established across the country; 3,316 are Government ITIs and 11,299 are Private ITIs. About 63.5% of ITI graduates find jobs after passing out.
India has a huge skill gap. Only about 2.2% of Indians aged 15–59 have formal vocational training, far below countries like Germany (over 50% of youth in VET).
Since 2014, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has empowered more than 6 crore Indians through its various schemes.
Directive Principles: Article 41 (DPSP) directs the State to provide the “right to work” and education. Article 46 urges promotion of education among weaker sections (SC/ST). These support state action on vocational skills.
Education law: Education (including technical and vocational training) falls in the Concurrent List of the Constitution. Both Centre and States can legislate to expand vocational courses.
Skills standards: The National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) defines 8 levels of competencies from school to professional, aligns vocational courses with academic qualifications.
Equal opportunity: Courts have held that equality (Article 14) extends to fair pay and work (e.g. Randhir Singh case 1982, right to equal remuneration).
International benchmarks: India’s NSQF (8 levels) is broadly in line with frameworks like Europe’s. But India’s vocational coverage is very low, highlights the need for stronger policy.
Skill India Mission (SIP): Provide skill, re-skill and up-skill training through an network of skill development centres / institutes under various schemes.
In February 2025, the restructured ‘Skill India Programme’ was approved, merging Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 4.0 (PMKVY 4.0), the Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (PM-NAPS), and the Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) Scheme into a single Central Sector Scheme.
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): Provides short-term skill training and upskilling/re-skilling through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
Jan Sikhshan Sansthan (JSS): Offers vocational skills to non-literates, neo-literates, and school dropouts (up to 12th standard), aged 15–45.
National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS): Offering financial support for apprentice stipends.
PM Vishwakarma Yojana: Provide support to artisans and craftspeople of 18 trades.
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY): Part of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), provide career aspirations of rural youth. 65% of the candidates placed in employment after completing their training.
Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs): Residential free training and post training follow up with credit linkage for promoting entrepreneurship among the rural youth.
Skills Mismatch and Outdated Curricula: Disconnect between the skills provided by vocational training institutes (VTIs) and the actual demands of the job market.
Low Employability and Quality Concerns: Only about 43% of PMKVY-certified youths reported working in their trained domain, indicating a gap between training and jobs, also raising concerns about quality of training provided.
Social stigma: Vocational courses are seen as “second-best” to academics. Families and students favor engineering or medicine over polytechnics/ITIs.
Inadequate Infrastructure and Resources: Many VTIs lack the necessary infrastructure, modern equipment, and technology for providing effective and industry-relevant training.
Weak Industry Linkage and Employer Engagement: Limited industry participation in curriculum design, training delivery, and apprenticeship programs leads to a disconnect between the skills taught and the needs of employers.
Shortage of Qualified Trainers: In 15,000 ITIs with seating capacity of more than 35 lakhs, study found only 15% of instructors have formal instructor training, leading to uneven teaching quality.
Rural disconnect: Access to vocational programs is much lower in rural areas.
Low Apprenticeship Uptake: India has only about 4.1% of its workforce aged 15-59 with formal technical training, less than 70% in countries like Germany.
Fragmented and Uncoordinated Ecosystem: Leads to duplication of efforts, inefficient resource utilization, and a lack of a cohesive national strategy for skill development, making it difficult to achieve coordinated progress.
Inadequate Funding: Government has increased funding for skill development (Rs.8,800 cr for ‘Skill India Programme (SIP)’ till 2026), however, it is still insufficient for addressing the scale of the challenge.
Digital Divide and Limited Access to Technology: Insufficient internet access, low digital literacy, and inadequate infrastructure hinder access to online vocational programs and digital learning resources. This limits students' ability to acquire essential digital skills needed in an increasingly digital economy.
50% target by 2025: NEP mandates that by 2025 at least half of students in school and college should have exposure to vocational education.
Early integration: Vocational courses will be introduced from Grade 6 onward in all schools. NEP plans “vocational exposure at early ages” in middle and secondary school. Every child will learn at least one vocation.
NCIVE formation: NEP directs formation of a National Committee for Integration of Vocational Education (NCIVE), bringing together experts, ministries and industry.
Credit-based NSQF: NEP provides that NSQF will be credit-linked, so students can move between general and vocational streams.
Align Curricula with Industry Demands: Develop a dynamic curriculum process through ongoing industry collaboration and regular market assessments to identify emerging skill demands.
Scale Up Industry Engagement: Promote and expand PPP models like the Private Training Partner approach, leveraging public infrastructure with private sector expertise. Increase MSME involvement in vocational training. Strategically utilize CSR funding to boost VET program relevance.
Enhance Financial Viability: Increase VET public spending to align with international benchmarks. Link public funding to institutional performance and grant them autonomy to generate revenue, optimizing resource utilization.
Enhance Technology Integration: Promote digital training in vocational programs, integrate technologies like AI, VR, AR, IoT, and robotics into VET curricula. Utilize online platforms like SWAYAM to expand access.
Reform Apprenticeship System: Revamp the Apprentices Act and policies to make apprenticeships flexible, inclusive, and attractive. Expand coverage to the service sector.
Strengthen Assessment and Certification Mechanisms: Ensure that certifications are nationally recognized and also aligned with international standards to enhance credibility and facilitate mobility.
Promote Entrepreneurship: Integrate entrepreneurship education into vocational training to equip students with skills to start ventures. This will create jobs, and contribute to economic growth.
What India Can learn from other countries?
In Germany, VET is integrated at the upper secondary level through a dual system, combining school education with paid apprenticeships.
Singapore offers VET either as technical education at the post-secondary level or via polytechnics at the tertiary level through dual vocational tracks.
Singapore has industry-led curriculum design, high instructor quality, regular audits and a mechanism that seeks constant feedback from employers and trainees. Under SkillsFuture Programme, government offers subsidies to upskill throughout career.
In Germany, Singapore, and Canada, governments fund VET institutions, while employers pay for apprenticeships, share training costs, and also help design curricula.
India’s demographic dividend can be realized only if youth gain relevant skills. With coordinated government action and industry backing, India can transform its vocational ecosystem into a backbone of its workforce, turning the skill gap into a skilled surplus for inclusive growth.
Source: INDIAN EXPRESS
|
PRACTICE QUESTION Q. The 'Earn while you learn' concept is crucial for making vocational training truly meaningful. Critically analyze. 250 words |
The NSDC, a not-for-profit public limited company, facilitates the creation of large, quality, for-profit vocational institutions.
Launched in 2015, the Skill India campaign is an umbrella initiative to create a skilled workforce and build the vocational training ecosystem.
RPL is a component of PMKVY that provides certification to individuals who have gained a certain skill informally, recognizing their prior experience and knowledge.
© 2025 iasgyan. All right reserved
