Youth Skills for Vibrant Career
Ranjan K Baruah
We know that mere academic qualifications are not enough to get a decent job. We need to be skillful if we want a sustainable job anywhere on earth. To be self employed or initiate start ups we must have skills. Youth skills are also important for bringing peace and development.
We should know that the recent estimates suggest that 600 million jobs would have to be created over the next 15 years to meet youth employment needs. In 2021, approximately 75 million young people were unemployed, 408 million were employed, and 732 million were out of the labor force globally. The share of youth not in employment, education or training (NEET) in 2020 – the latest year for which a global estimate is available – rose to 23.3 per cent, an increase of 1.5 percentage points from the previous year and a level not seen in at least 15 years.
We know that the youth population will grow by more than 78 million between 2021 and 2030. Low income countries will account for nearly half of that increase. Education and training systems need to respond to these challenges. Good-quality apprenticeships, well-designed internships, and volunteering initiatives can provide entry points into the labor market for first-time jobseekers and young graduates.
In 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared 15th July as World Youth Skills Day, to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship. The theme for World Youth Skills Day 2024, "Youth Skills for Peace and Development," underscores the crucial role young people play in peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
More young people are staying in campuses instead of entering the labour market at an early age which is good news. Yet more than 200 million young people are either unemployed or have a job but live in poverty. Many youths are not employed as they do not have employability skills. We have published in detail about different employability skills and how they are important to get a decent job.
Most of the countries are now focusing on skill education or skill training. In India, skill training programmes are being conducted in different parts which are mostly free of cost. There might be few courses which are paid courses. Skill education or vocational courses are available from the secondary level. There are different trades which are offered at schools and senior secondary apart from B Vc courses which are imparted in colleges and universities.
The irony is that the world is facing an urgent skills crisis. Only around 1 in 4 of the world’s young people are on track to learn the skills they need for employment and decent livelihoods. Too often, this pushes them into a life of further disadvantage perpetuating cycles of poverty and disadvantage. We have the power to rewrite the narrative and shape a future full of possibilities for all young people.
Young people may choose different courses which are offered by institutes like Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). One may choose courses at ITIs after secondary level and information about courses and admission process is available in the official websites. There are many programmes conducted by the central government as well as state governments related to skill development. Together we can enhance employability with skills as mere academic qualification is not enough to get a decent job.