From schooling to skilling

The article emphasizes the critical role of India's large youth population (15-30 age group) in achieving 'Viksit Bharat, 2047'. It highlights that a demographic dividend requires strategic investment in education and skill development, viewing it as human capital investment with significant economic returns. Drawing insights from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), 2025, it discusses the current education and skilling profile of youth, challenges like low formal vocational training and skill mismatch leading to unemployment among the educated, and the gender gap in labour force participation. The article underscores the importance of government initiatives like the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Samagra Shiksha, and PM SHRI in enhancing quality, learning outcomes, and integrating vocational education to create a skilled and productive workforce, ultimately boosting India's productivity and global competitiveness.