New Delhi: Union Minister for Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, and Minister of Labour and Employment and Youth Affairs and Sports, Mansukh Mandaviya, launched the World Bank report titled Jobs at Your Doorstep: A Jobs Diagnostics for Young People in Six States at an event in New Delhi on November 22, 2024. Officials, including Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy; Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship; World Bank Country Director, India, Auguste Tano Kouame; and Lead Education Specialist, Shabnam Sinha, attended the event alongside other dignitaries and school principals.
Dharmendra Pradhan commended the World Bank for the detailed report focusing on six states and recommended adopting a pan-India framework. He noted that such diagnostics on skilling and jobs will help stakeholders create new architectures and progressive policies to empower the population. He emphasised the need to broaden the framework for jobs and employment by considering economic opportunities and empowerment.
He acknowledged the transformative potential of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to make India a global skills hub, highlighting the role of NEP 2020 in mainstreaming skilling in schools. Pradhan noted that technological disruptions are changing the nature of jobs, requiring continuous upskilling and reskilling for future readiness. He called for a collaborative, government-wide approach to making India the global skill capital.
Mansukh Mandaviya underscored the importance of redefining jobs beyond formal employment, integrating informal education with academic learning. He highlighted the curriculum reforms proposed in the recent budget to harness regional skills and employment through a hub-and-spoke model. He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for building a Viksit Bharat and positioning India as a hub of skilled talent.
Sanjay Kumar reiterated the significance of NEP 2020 in integrating skill education into schools and stressed the importance of practice and diligence in skill mastery.
India aims to achieve high-income country status by 2047, necessitating urgent reforms in its employment landscape. Key government initiatives, including NEP 2020 and NCF 2023, aim to align education with market needs, ensuring that 50% of students access skill education by 2025 and all secondary schools provide it by 2030.
The Jobs at Your Doorstep report provides insights into job landscapes across six states—Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Rajasthan—identifying priority sectors and roles with high employment potential for youth. It forms part of the World Bank’s STARS program, which supports reforms in vocational education and skill-based learning to create a decentralised, inclusive, and sustainable workforce aligned with local market needs.
This report offers a roadmap to bridging education and employment, fostering convergence between skill education and industry-specific demands. The study reimagines skill education based on detailed research in six states, aiming to align school trades with district-specific needs to prepare students for diverse career paths.
BI Bureau
