In its new report “Future of Apprenticeship in India” released by TeamLease EdTech on Monday, it looked at the evolving degree apprenticeship ecosystem in India. It found that while 12 million students graduate every year, only 35% of these students are actually employable enough to join the industry and 62% of the respondents said apprenticeships helped students earn while learning. Enabling has created a sustainable cycle of learning.
India currently has about 0.5 million apprentices, employed in various sectors, as opposed to Germany’s 1.3 million, UK 0.71 million and USA 0.63 million, which are expected to skill the 10 million youth who enter the workforce every year. Indicates capability. The National Education Policy 2020 has also laid the foundation for more universities to come forward and start degree apprenticeship programmes. Currently only four to five universities in India offer degree apprenticeships, currently there are around 63,000 active degree apprentices. With more universities coming forward, there is going to be a significant increase in the number of candidates seeking employable apprenticeship.
According to the findings of this study, 70% of universities and HEI believe that with the introduction of new degree apprenticeship programs and a significant increase in demand for hiring apprentices, India will have over 10 million apprentices in the next five years .
TeamLease Founder and CEO Shantanu Rouge said: “In India, we have a huge skills crunch. Over the years, degree apprenticeship has emerged as a solution to this skill crisis. HEI in India firmly believes that apprenticeship embedded degree is proving to be more beneficial for the students. In fact, as our survey indicates, 79% of universities and HEIs feel that such programs provide students with practical practical skills that can prepare them for jobs as they enter the workforce; Also, 71 per cent believe that students learn the nuances of the corporate world better through such programs.”
Currently India Inc. has seen a significant increase in the overall intake of apprentices amid the COVID-19 pandemic – this has helped organizations transition their costs and create sustainable talent supply chains for their organizations, enabling them to protect themselves against talent risks. became flexible.
Professor Mohammad Nafees Ahmed Ansari, Director, Aligarh Muslim University said that degree apprenticeship sits at the crossroads of academia and industry. “21st century education in India and globally is faced with a realization that between how students are educated, what and how they learn, and how they prepare for the world beyond the classroom. The emphasis needs to be on alignment.”
The report also pointed out that degree apprenticeship is also helping address the issue of declining Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in higher education institutions. Neeti Sharma, Co-Founder and President, TeamLease, said: “We have a clear dropout rate! Between class X to university education, about 55% of students drop out of the learning environment every year. Degree apprenticeship, which involves ‘earning while learning’, is proving to be a reliable option to tackle this challenge. Incidentally, as our survey highlighted – 93% of universities and HEIs expressed that degree apprenticeship can help in increasing the GER and help in achieving the GER target set in the National Education Policy 2020. This will really move the needle in education and prepare the students in a better way. Future.”