Budget 2023 Expectation: Prioritise vocational education to close skills gap across industries

India has the highest population of young people in the world and it is estimated that almost 180 million youth will be entering India’s workforce in the next 15 years. Currently, there is a massive skill deficit of 400 million people in the workforce, posing an opportunity and a challenge. The development of vocational capacities will also go hand-in-hand with the development of ‘academic’ or other capacities. Therefore, Union Budget 2023 is expected to place a strong emphasis on vocational education as a means of closing the skills gap and increasing employability. The government must prioritise vocational education to meet the growing demand for skilled workers across industries. Increase allocation of funds The closure of many educational institutions during COVID affected the education system including its stakeholders. One of the key expectations from this Budget is an increase in the allocation of funds for vocational education. Though fund outlay has been increasing in the recent past, it is still not sufficient to meet the needs of new-age learners. The increase in the allocation of funds will ensure the necessary infrastructure and resources for quality education. Courses in alignment with job market The introduction of new vocational education courses and training programs for teachers is another crucial aspect that needs to be addressed. The government needs to emphasise an alignment with the changing job market and the evolving industry needs. This will enable students to acquire the necessary skills to succeed in the job market in the competitive world. Need for quality assurance mechanisms The quality of vocational education in the country has been a concern always. Vocational Education is evolving and requires a structured curriculum. This can be done by setting up quality assurance mechanisms and implementing accreditation systems for vocational education institutions in India. Skilling, a key to bringing women into workforce Literacy alone is unlikely to convert into gainful employment until focused support reaches the female labour force. Innovative thinking and social restructuring need to be undertaken to bring young women into formal education, vocational training programmes, and, thereby, the workforce. The government needs to create awareness for technology use, promote incubation, and funding prospects and set up upskilling centres. Need to modernise vocational education The government is expected to prioritise the modernization of the vocational education system. The Centre must take steps to make it more relevant and responsive to the changing needs of the industry. This can be done by introducing new technologies, such as virtual and augmented reality, to vocational education. Educational institutions can be encouraged to come up with ideas to increase enrolment in vocational education. Collaboration with industry partners a necessity The Union Budget 2023 is expected to place a significant emphasis on vocational education as a means to address the skills gap and increase employability. The government needs to increase the allocation of funds for vocational education, introduce new vocational education courses and training programs, focus on the quality of vocational education, promote vocational education among women and marginalized communities, modernise the vocational education system, introduce vocational education compulsorily in all schools and link vocational education with employment to achieve this goal. Promoting CSR through vocational education India has the potential to be the skill capital of the world given the availability of a large pool of young talent, but this talent needs to be converted into income-generating avenues. An effort by the government to promote corporate social responsibility (CSR) for vocational skilling is the need of the hour. It would give long-term results eventually proving to be a game changer for society and the country. (The writer is Assistant Manager, Industry Connects, CSR and Projects, School of Vocational Education, Tata Institute of Social Sciences. She tweets @priyankadubey19 @TISSpeak) Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.