The Labour Ministry is exploring ways to link the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) with the e-Shram database of unorganised workers and the National Career Service (NCS). According to reports from Business Standard, the ministry is working with the school education department to introduce greater exposure to skilling and employment options at the Class 11 and 12 level. A pilot for career counselling has begun in around 100 schools, as reported by a senior labour ministry official.
A NITI Aayog report released in August found that only 8% of secondary and higher-secondary schools offered National Skills Qualification Framework-aligned skilling. As reported by Business Standard, the report also found that practical training, hands-on projects and industry exposure remained limited across school and higher education. The gap extends into higher education, with 80% of higher education students identifying lack of practical experience or industry exposure as a challenge, while 47% of formal workers cited lack of prior work experience or internships as a barrier. Recent global developments show similar trends, with the US experiencing a decline in graduate demand for the first time in a century, and wage premiums for college graduates dropping significantly.
S S Mantha, former chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), highlighted that "education is devoid of skilling, and skilling initiatives are devoid of regular education." According to Business Standard, Mantha emphasized that skills should begin in Classes 8 and 9 alongside regular education and progressively increase through Class 12, followed by levels five, six and seven as part of higher vocational education. He noted that "at 17 to 18 years of age if you get skilled till level 4 in the 12th grade, it is nearly impossible to connect them with jobs." Recent international perspectives support this approach, with experts emphasizing the need to "work backwards from what's happening in the world of work" and develop education systems that are "more applied, has more bursts of work as part of education, more attachments, more internships."
Balasubramanian A, senior vice president at TeamLease Services, reported that electrical work was seeing the strongest demand among three trades, driven by electric vehicle charging, rooftop solar, consumer durables servicing and factory automation. As reported by Business Standard, he noted that demand for plumbing and carpentry was also rising with construction and real estate activity. However, he emphasized that "many trade entrants learn informally and lack certification or structured on-the-job exposure, which limits their productivity and career mobility." Recent AI developments show promise for quicker training, with data annotator positions requiring only 4-5 months of training and being "needed for a very large number of applications."
Vinoj Abraham, professor at the Centre for Development Studies, highlighted that high youth unemployment was primarily due to lack of jobs rather than skills problems. According to Business Standard, he noted that "there are simply not enough jobs being created to absorb our workforce." Abraham cautioned that "linking APAAR to NCS seems a bit of overkill" and suggested that "these are developed country questions" for India's current economic stage. The expert emphasized that "the larger test is not whether students can be tracked from classroom to workplace, but whether that journey leads to skills that employers value and jobs that offer a viable career." Recent global insights support this approach, with experts noting that "the first rung in employment is now seeing less demand" and governments must "get involved with the private sector to make that first job possible."
