Special skill courses are creating more job opportunities for youth

India has a phase of booming demographic dividend as the student population is growing yearly. Its growth rate is much faster than other countries and will continue until 2030.

With a generous population of nearly one and a half billion, of which 64 per cent fall under the working age, India's potential for economic growth is truly unparalleled. Even the stage of development has transitioned for India, going from LDE to a hyper-growth economy.

But the pandemic hit jobs have not fully returned yet, so there is a lot of work to be done to reduce the unemployment rates.

With skill development schemes rising from 20 to 40, the government efforts have catalysed the process innovatively.

Advantageous positioning for India

India is a young nation, and at the same time, it has the most extensive student-base in the world. But many young people are jobless despite being highly qualified because they don't have the skills employers look for.

These special skill courses aim to make students employable by providing them with practical training along with theoretical knowledge. Vocational skill courses are creating more job opportunities for youth.

They can build their career by taking special skill courses during the summer holidays or even after school hours. India is one of the countries with the most literate population in the world (absolute figures).

It has got a large number of engineering colleges and graduates. According to the Strategic Review by the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), India globally has the most 'Resilience to Resurgence'.

In terms of total revenues earned and the workforce employed, the FY2022 serves as the tipping point for the country's technology sector.

The need for upskilling

The Industry Revolution 4.0 has brought with it a whole horizon of new-age development that pierces through the sector. The latest trends of decentralisation, crypto, and NFTs result from blockchains having multiple use cases. And technology is making it simpler to build community platforms to cater to a target group. The product or service is only as good as its convenience in these times.

To run such applications and manage the product lifecycles, a specific set of skills is required that bases its understanding on how the engine operates. But development is the more straightforward task here than visualising the problem statement and seeing it through. These are also important life skills, so these might come naturally to some and need to be taught to others.

The bottom line remains that to catch up with the fast-changing world, everyone needs to match the pace to stay relevant. New technologies, recent discoveries, and evolving processes take time to grasp. This is why learning is crucial across age groups.

Exploring new horizons more effortlessly

Special skill courses are gaining popularity among students. Many students are joining creative courses rather than mainstream ones because they want to learn something they are passionate about, which will also help them in their future. Students with a strong desire to do something out-of-the-box can now opt for a vocation based on their areas of interest, such as hacking, tribal crafts, or even a style of farming/research. Many IT professionals start with some activities as their hobbies, which turn out to be the best thing in their lives. Building niche products and services are the core principle of micro entrepreneurial side hustles and teach much more about the experience.

Through web learning, learners get new opportunities to study at a good institute without worrying about cost overheads or accommodation expenses. Good internet connectivity and inclusivity make things smoother. And the no EMI student loans are the ultimate blessing. These skills are an excellent way for youth to kickstart their careers as we are way past the norm of corporate-cultured founders. Developing a mindset of entrepreneurship is for achieving the dual objective of success and contentment. This is what the Start-up India culture has been doing but in a disaggregated manner.

(The authors are the Co- Founders & Co- CEOs of AAFT Online)