53% not job-ready: Report bares poor higher education

More than half of those who pass out of higher educational institutions in India are not employable, a little above 5% workforce in the country is skilled and engineering graduates have no connect with the industry in which they work.

These and some other startling facts have emerged from a Centre’s think-tank report that has also suggested corrective measures at the fag end of the government’s tenure when it can scarcely afford any time for correction.

The Niti Aayog report has presented a grim picture of India’s higher education, saying a massive 53% who pass out from higher educational institutions cannot be employed anywhere. It has demanded a thorough revision of standards of education in the country.

In the context of employability of engineers, the report said there is a need for thorough review of standards of engineering education and its linkages with the industry.

“Only 5.4% of the workforce in India has undergone formal skill training as compared to 68% in the UK, 75% in Germany and 96% in South Korea,” the report said, quoting extensively from the national skill development policy.

It said that India currently lacked timely and periodic estimates of workforce which prevented it from rigorously monitoring the employment situation and assessing the impact of various interventions to create jobs.

Given that 83% of workforce is engaged in the unorganised sector with limited training facilities, the report said that upgrading skills in manufacturing and services remained a challenging job. It suggested integrating the informal sector into the skill development ecosystem.

The Niti Aayog was set up by the present dispensation in 2014 after dismantling the former planning commission. Its prime responsibility is to suggest the government policies for transforming India.

The current report, its findings and suggestions are relevant for implementation only in the next few months after which the Niti Aayog will be revamped by the new government that takes over in May next year after parliamentary elections.