The growing disconnects between higher education and industry requirement in India is a matter of concern. Even as many graduates pass out universities and aspire for a good job, their lack of requisite skills stands in the way of getting a good break. With over-emphasis on academic performance, even top-ranked institutions are producing qualified but hardly employable youngsters and the employability gap gets wider. One of the biggest challenges hiring managers’ face today is finding candidates with the right skill sets. Vocational training, if delivered in a balanced and well-defined manner, can help bring talent to industry. In this context, private vocational training institutes can play a major role in helping government with skill development.

Against 12.8 million new entrants to the country’s workforce every year, the capacity of skill development in India is only around 3.1 million. The government’s 12th Five Year Plan set out to increase this capacity to 15 million, and to meet this, skill development via engagement of both the public and private sectors’ stakeholders, was thought necessary.

The Skill India campaign was officially launched with the ambitious target of training 40 crore people in different skills by 2022. The campaign included initiatives like the National Skill Development Corporation and the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana –the flagship scheme to attract skill training by providing financial rewards to candidates successfully completing approved training courses.

Vocational education is funded by the ministry of human resource development, and is mostly conducted at the secondary school level. But lack of awareness about such training programmes, absence of adaptability with changing market needs, and lack of vertical mobility are key challenges facing the skill development landscape in India.

The National Skill Development Corporation was set up as a part of the mission to address the growing need for skilled manpower across sectors. A large number of young people from the unorganised sector, who lack formal certification, can be utilised under these umbrella initiatives recognised by the government.

Traditionally, vocational education is regarded as non-academic training related to a specific trade route or occupation. By combining the right quality of skill enhancement and dynamic vocational training to meet new-age requirements, organisations can add value to the workforce significantly and remain competitive in the long run.

Keeping all these factors in mind, a dire need has been felt lately to build the capacity of the private sector with respect to honing skills and education. Industry relevant, skill-based training is the need of the hour and concrete steps have to be taken. Integrating it with mainstream education can provide immense value. Private vocational training institutes can play a big role here.

Competency based skill frameworks designed in the public private partnership model for customised audiences can provide multiple pathways. This can bridge between general and vocational education connecting level of learning and enabling recipients to progress to higher levels from any starting point in the education ecosystem.

Opting for a course at a vocational training institute can give a candidate unparalleled industry exposure, and the workshops and the interactions held at these institutes can provide real-time experience and make job ready. On the other hand, with live corporate projects and on-the job training, the requisite job skills can be imparted and enhanced.

At present, nearly 80 per cent of new entrants to the country’s workforce get little or no opportunity for such education. Merely 2.5 per cent of our workforce is exposed to formal vocational training. Enrolling in such institute or hands-on skill training course can be of great help to candidates looking out for employment opportunities.

A number of government agencies and private institutes are imparting skill education but there is little co-ordination. There are companies partnering with various departments in offering such programmes for the country’s potential workforce in diverse sectors including agriculture, IT-ITES, retail, telecom, banking and accounting, among others. Private vocational institutes can give the government a big helping hand in honing skills India and providing industry with job-ready candidates.

The writer is chairman, ICA Edu Skills.