Lok Sabha Question No. 74 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-22
Subject: Findings of the India Skill Report, 2021
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Shri Hibi Eden

## 74.   SHRI HIBI EDEN:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken note of the  findings of  The  India  Skills  Report 2021 which indicates that nearly half of India's graduates are unemployable;
- (b) if so, the details thereof indicating and the reaction of the Government thereto;
- (c) the  steps  taken  or  proposed  to  be  taken  by  the  Government  to  address  the  issue  of unemployability among graduates;
- (d) whether there are any specific initiatives being taken to bridge the skill gap identified in the report, if so, the details thereof;
- (e) the details of any collaboration with industry partners to enhance the employability of graduates; and
- (f) the  measures  taken/being  taken  to  align  higher  education  curriculum  with  industry requirements to improve employability?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)

(a) to  (f) As  per  the  information  received  from  Ministry  of  Skill  Development  and Entrepreneurship  (MSDE),  the  Skill  India  Mission  (SIM)  of    the  Government  of  India aims at Skilling, Re-skilling and Up -Skilling to ensure all young Indians are prepared for the  large  number  of  opportunities  coming  up , as  the  economy  expands.  This  is  done through  a  comprehensive  network  of  skill  development  centres/institutes  under  various schmes  viz.  Pradhan  Mantri  Kaushal  Vikas  Yojana  (PMKVY),  Jan  Sikhshan  Sansthan (JSS),  National  Apprenticeship  Promotion  Scheme  (NAPS)  and  Craftsmsn  Training Scheme (CTS) through  Industrial  Training  Institutes  (ITIs)  with  the  aim  to  address  the employability gaps and fruther enhance labour productivity.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 74

ANSWERED ON 22.07.2024

## Findings of the India Skill Report, 2021

MSDE  has  further  informed  that  the  skill  gap  studies  are  conducted  through  reputed organizations which provide information on the skills needed and the skill gaps in various sectors. Further, District Skill Committees (DSCs) are mandated with formulating District Skill Development Plan (DSDPs) to promote decentralized planning and implementation at  the  grassroots.  The  DSDPs  identify  sectors  in  which  employment  opportunities  and demand  for skilling exist in the district. Skill Development  Programmes  of  the Government are designed and implemented to bridge identified skill gaps across sectors.

Aligning with the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Ministry of  Education  in  collaboration  with  IIT  Madras  and  eminent  Industry  Partners  have launched  SWAYAM  Plus  platform  on  27th  February  2024,  expanding  its  offerings  to identify  and  include  courses  aligned  with  industry  needs  and  to  enhance  learners' employability.  The  platform  provides  high-quality  learning  and  certification  programs from the best industry and academia at free or at affordable costs to the students/ learners which  can  help  them  in  reskilling  and  upskilling  and  making  them  employment  ready. Ministry  of  Education  and  IIT  Madras  has  signed  37  MoUs  with  the  eminent  Industry Partners namely Bajaj Finserv, L&T, TCS, META, Microsoft, Salesforce, The Job Plus, Wadhwani  Foundation  etc.  There  are  187  Courses  are  available  on  the  platform  as  on 12.07.2024.

The Initiative of integrating Professor of Practice into academic institutions has been taken to bridge the skill gap between theory and practical application.

For alignment of Higher Education curriculum with industry different steps have been taken  by  the  All  India  Council  for  Technical  Education  (AICTE).  These  steps  inlcude formulation  of  model  curriculum,  signing  of  MoUs,  embedding  of  summer  internships, etc.

Further  as  per  information  received  from  Ministry  of  Skill  Development  and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) 36 Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), led by industry leaders in the respective sectors, have been set up by National Skill Development Corporation (NSC) to bridge the gap between demands of the industry and skilling requirements as well as to determine skills/competency standards and qualifications and get them notified as per the National  Skill  Qualification  Framework  (NSQF).  Courses  under  skill  development programmes  are  updated  on  periodic  intervals  with  inputs  from  SSCs  who  act  as representatives of the industry.

MSDE has also informed that with a view to meeting skilling requirements for future workforce, improving quality of skilling and aligning training programmes with changes in the economy various steps has been taken. The steps include new Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), upgradation and modernization of ITIs, introduction of new age courses, alignment of courses as per NSQF, training of trainers, launch of National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPs).

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