Summary
The National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) will be aligned with the dynamic industry needs in a bid to make people employable
A total of 750 virtual labs in Science and Mathematics and 75 skilling e-labs will be set up this year by the Centre to promote critical thinking skills and creativity
Initiatives on upskilling and incorporation of courses in alignment with industry needs in Centre-run programmes, announced by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her Budget speech on February 1, are likely to improve employability in India.
While tabling her fourth Budget, Sitharaman said that the focus of this year’s Union Budget was to improve employability and help people achieve their desired level of competence.
Changes incorporated in the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) to align its courses with the industry needs are likely to boost career prospects of people pursuing various courses under the NSQF and help improve employability, say experts. However, the changes may only benefit a particular section of job-seekers and entrepreneurs, they added.
“The focus is clearly on employability. The initiatives may help generate income but only for a particular section of job-seekers,” said an economist, who requested anonymity as he is associated with a state government in India.
Sitharaman said that a total of 750 virtual labs in Science and Mathematics and 75 skilling e-labs will be set up this year by the Centre to promote critical thinking skills and creativity – qualities that have been found missing in graduates during various surveys.
The initiatives assume significance as more than half of India’s graduates are not employable. According to the India Skills Report (ISR) released last year, only 45.9% of graduates in India were employable – a finding that highlights the dire need of upskilling among Indian youths to meet the industry needs.
Currently, the NSQF offers 27 approved courses in Electronics and IT. The duration of these courses varies from 400 hours to more than 1000 hours.
Referring to the Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood (DESH-stack) e-portal, she said the portal aims to empower citizens to skill, reskill or upskill through online training.
“It will also provide application programme interface (API) based trusted skill credentials, payment and discovery layers to find relevant jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities,” said Sitharaman.
Last updated on 02 Feb 2022
