This document discusses human capital development in India through skills training programs. It provides context on India's large youth population and low education and skills levels. It then outlines several government initiatives and programs aimed at boosting skills training, including the creation of a Ministry of Skill Development, the Skill India Mission, and public-private programs that provide short-term training courses. The document also summarizes key lessons from an online course on changing work environments and the need to measure cognitive abilities and link skills training to early childhood development to improve employment outcomes.

1. Assignment
Important Learning during this course that
examines Human capital in the context of your own work
Theme – Development of Human Capital through Skills Development
AKSHAY KASHYAP, DEPUTY HEAD, SHORT TERM SKILLING, PRIME MINISTERS SKILL
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, NATIONAL SKILL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

2. Context : Skill Development in India
(short term – modular courses)
◦ About 24 million “youth” added every year (i.e. entering 15+ age) with variation
across states
• 47% drop out before secondary school level
• 10-12 million in the 15+ age group enter labor market with low skills
◦ India has a workforce of about 480 million people
• 81% with education of 10th class & below
• 95% have no formal training or certification
• 83% employed in the unorganized sector with no job or social security
• 70 % of these employed by firms with fewer than 10 employees
◦ Estimated incremental skilled manpower requirement in economy until 2022 ~
10.3 crores
◦ Net workforce shortfall globally 32 – 39 million by 2020 (due to low birth rate
and ageing population)

3. Ongoing Programs in India on Skill Development
(Part of Human Capital Formation Effort)
◦ A National Ministry created in 2014 to give a boost to skill
acquisition
◦ Skill India Mission & Skill Policy created in 2015
◦ National Skill Development Corporation created as a public private
partnership – for creating skilling infrastructure, increasing industry
participation and setting standards
◦ Multiple programs funded by government delivered by private
players for providing free/subsidized short term courses to youth for
accessing job market at lower levels of skills. Annual Investment of
over $2 Bn in these programs.

4. Lesson 1 – Changing nature of work in regional context.
Learning from the course Current effort Ideas - Applicability
Job will be lost and new jobs will
be created. This will result in
regional disparities, not just
between countries, but between
cities/regions within the same
countries.
Provision for widespread training
facilities from a geographical
coverage point of view.
Need to determine and predict
the changing nature of work in
line with regional variations. The
training system may be aligned in
accordance to the same for
maximum benefits to individuals
and economy.
(Challenges – finding ways and
empirical methods to predict
changing nature of work –
especially in regional context)

5. Lesson 2 – Focus on Defence Against Automation
Learning from the course Current effort Ideas - Applicability
The amazing talk by
Michael Osborne on
automation and effect on
Jobs.
In India, approach to the future of Jobs is
largely sectoral. This means that while IT-
ITES Sector is taking this challenge head
on and is building defense against in in
terms of companies, other sectors are
not. This is reflected in the vocational
training ecosystem too.
Need for an wider approach to
dealing with automation and
preparing a sector wise,
actionable plan for preparing the
workforce for automation
juggernaut is extremely
important.
A national sector wise
consultation should be done
through the Industry bodies on
not just how should the industries
deal with this but how
government can invest in youth
to help them remain relavent.

6. Lesson 3 – Measuring human capital needs to include
cognitive abilities including early childhood development.
Learning from the course Current effort Ideas - Applicability
The human capital index and
what it constitutes. Learning
outcomes and enhancing
cognitive abilities will be
important
Most skill development
programs in India focus on the
learner acquiring domain
/technical skills. While the
outcomes in the terms of
learners passing the vocational
courses is high, the
employment outcomes are low
One of the factor affecting lower
employment outcomes may be the
lower levels of learning at school level.
Skill development in India is not
aspirational and often youth from
bottom of pyramid access it. There is a
possibility that due to the low cognitive
development, these youth are not able
to navigate job markets successfully.
Suggestions – look at the linkage
between two stages and find solutions
so they can be linked to measure
outcomes accordingly.

7. Lesson 4 – Measuring human capital needs to include
cognitive abilities including early childhood development.
Learning from
the course
Current effort Ideas - Applicability
The human
capital index
and what it
constitutes.
Learning
outcomes and
enhancing
cognitive
abilities will be
important
Most skill development
programs in India focus
on the learner
acquiring domain
/technical skills. While
the outcomes in the
terms of learners
passing the vocational
courses is high, the
employment outcomes
are low
One of the factor affecting lower employment outcomes may
be the lower levels of learning at school level. Skill
development in India is not aspirational and often youth from
bottom of pyramid access it. There is a possibility that due to
the low cognitive development, these youth are not able to
navigate job markets successfully.
Suggestions – look at the linkage between two stages and
find solutions so they can be linked to measure outcomes
accordingly.
This could provide inputs to programs addressing other
factors of human capital development – like health, nutrition,
early schooling.

8. Lesson 5 – Possibilities of Lifelong learning/Digital learning
Learning from
the course
Current effort Ideas - Applicability
One of the
ways to use the
changing
technologies
against the
changing
technologies
themselves is
online learning
– immense
possibilities.
Most (government
funded) skill
development programs
in India are currently
delivered in brick –
mortar setup, impeding
the scale.
It is thought that since the vocational education system has
to impart technical skills, it has to be delivered in a
classroom/lab/industry – hands on. However, with the
technology evolving rapidly and bringing in simulations, more
ways of delivering skills – at scale may be explored. The
concept of Omni channel Learning - Online Before Campus ,
during campus and After Campus. This is a concept that can
be experimented in the context of vocational education in
government driven programs as well – to achieve skill
enhancement at scale without a very large investment.

9. Thanks