VVocational and technical training has been a central pillar of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious skill building mission since 2015. This is also the feature that will take forward India’s self-reliant India. But the data shows that despite the high priority of the government, the uptake for vocational and technical training has been surprisingly low. It is no surprise that many commentators are saying that it is lying in neglect and needs to be added.speed power, In 2020-21, more than 84 per cent Indians in the 12-59 age group did not receive vocational and technical training.
If less people are getting VTT (Vocational and Technical Training), it requires more awareness campaign like other flagship programs like Swachh Bharat. With a Covid-battered economy, India cannot afford to go slow on a program that has tremendous potential to capture both the manufacturing and services sectors.
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Fewer people got training
We looked at the government’s Periodic Labor Force Survey (PLFS) data for the period 2017-18 and 2020-21. While there is a lot of talk about taking VTT forward to bridge the employability gap, we found that the program is yet to achieve the desired results.
The PLFS dataset shows that 92.6 percent (in the 12-59 age group) of those surveyed during 2017-18 and 84.4 percent received no VTT during 2020-21, with a marginal three compared to urban areas. The basis point was the difference. Rural.
The situation is worse for women, with 95.6 percent in 2017-18 and almost 90 percent not achieving VTT in 2020-21, compared to men (around 90 percent and 79 percent for the respective periods). The low level of VTT is one of the reasons for the faltering growth in labor productivity.
The above results mean that only 7.4 percent (2017-18) and 15.6 percent (2020-21) of the 12-59 age group received some form of VTT. This does not bode well for a country that wants to become a manufacturing and financial services hub.
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an all-round disappointing performance
We also found that of those who received some form of VTT, about half achieved ‘learning on the job’ or counted as ‘self-learning’ during both periods, for which Data is available. The same trend was visible in both rural and urban areas. ‘Learning on the job’ and ‘self-learning’ mean that no formal training was provided and that people learn and learn skills while working.
Formal VTT, which PLFS defines “Training which is received through Institutes/Organizations”, was only 1.8 percent in 2017-18. It rose marginally to 3 per cent in 2020-21. The number of people receiving this kind of formal training in urban areas is two to three times higher than in rural areas. It is also observed that the share of males is higher than that of females in both rural and urban areas.
The number of people who obtained VTT to carry out hereditary activities, from less than 1.5 percent in 2017-18, more than doubled to 3.8 percent in 2020-21. However, when the overall scenario is compared, it accounts for only one-fourth to one-fifth of those receiving VTT. No wonder the number of people doing hereditary jobs is declining.
Further analysis revealed that people across all age groups did not receive any training—over 89 per cent in 2017-18 and over 78 per cent in 2020-21. Therefore, the prevalence of malaise is “age-immune”.
In addition, 20 states/UTs in 2017-18 and 23 states/UTs in 2020-21 (out of a total of 36 surveys) recorded higher than the national average of people not receiving VTT.
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conclusion
A very large part of India’s population, cutting across age groups, does not receive any kind of skill training, with the majority of the population coming from rural areas and this includes women. Is it lack of demand or lack of supply of skill programs or inadequate infrastructure and lack of trainers that is hindering the spread of VTT?
Due to the limited dataset available from PLFS, it is not possible to obtain satisfactory answers. Only a thorough analysis will be able to provide us with the necessary answers. Both the public and private sectors must take the responsibility of creating a skilled and competitive workforce, especially targeting the youth. The need of the hour is to take a fresh look at the approach to increase the dissemination and depth of skill programmes.
Dr. Palash Barua is an Associate Fellow of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), New Delhi. He tweeted @DrPalashBaruah.
Danny Levin Wankhar is a retired Indian Economic Service officer. He tweeted @dan20041976.
Thoughts are personal.