Highlighting the importance of developing skills for women on World Youth Skills Day: July 15
Unemployment is the greatest economic challenge facing India. This problem revolves around major economic policy issues. The current unemployment situation, has been impacted by the ongoing pandemic, so it is slipping? After the crisis situation blows over, will the government tide over the unemployment problem? Will efficient skill development help to improve this state of affairs?
Unfortunately, it is seen that women workers are facing the brunt of India’s unemployment crisis. The number of women in the ‘paid work’ section has dropped sharply recently, and another glaring fact is that they remain far more vulnerable to job insecurity than men.
Some facts that throw light on this area are – the labour force participation rate (LFPR) among women in the country (already one of the world’s lowest), continues to slide, according to a joint report by Bain & Company and Google.
So, is there a solution in sight? Creating job opportunities is the need of the hour. And, encouraging more women to join the entrepreneurship bandwagon may provide a long-term solution. “By creating jobs, fuelling innovation and furthering investment in health and education, entrepreneurship among women could transform India’s economy and society,” the report highlighted.
It seems appropriate to put the spotlight on this, on World Youth Skills Day – July 15. And, World Youth Skills Day 2020 happens at a time, in a challenging context. The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures have led to the worldwide closure of many businesses. Plus, it has affected technical and vocational education and training institutions, threatening the continuity of skills development.
Today, distance training has become the most common way of imparting skills, and many difficulties were faced..
Significance of World Youth Skills Day
Rising youth unemployment is one of the most prominent problems facing economies and societies in today’s world, for both developed and developing countries. The latest Global Employment Trends for Youth 2020: Technology and the future of jobs shows that since 2017, there has been an upward trend in the number of youth not in employment, education or training (NEET).
Designated by the General assembly in 2014, the World Youth Skills Day is an opportunity for young people, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, and public and private sector stakeholders – to acknowledge and celebrate the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, work and entrepreneurship.
The future ahead
Education and training are central to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. The vision of the Incheon Declaration: Education 2030 is fully captured by Sustainable Development Goal 4 which specifies the need to – “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.
So, here’s hoping that skill development gets a boost, so the youth of India, specially the girls get a chance to develop skills so that they can start small businesses, to not only make them independent, but also this will have an impact on the economy of the country.
Avtar Madan
Himanshu
Shree Lahiri
