Context
The India Centre of Migration (ICM) was established in the year 2008 with the approval of Union Cabinet, to serve as an institutional mechanism for the promotion of overseas employment, better protection and welfare of overseas Indian workers and for the study of emerging overseas employment opportunities. Over the years, ICM has expanded its scope of work, by following a multi-pronged approach by actively organizing workshops, research studies and seminars in collaboration with academic institutions, state governments, international bodies such as European Union (EU), International Labor Organization (ILO), International Organization for Migration (IOM), UN Women in order to promote safe and legal migration.
Presently, ICM serves as a Research Think Tank of Ministry of external Affairs (MEA) on all matters related to international migration and mobility. One of the envisaged functions of ICM includes initiating programmes for skill development and skill upgradation in consultation with professional bodies to promote employment opportunities abroad. In this context, ICM has conceptualized a panel discussion- “Bridging the Gap: Merging Skills with Employability” to be held on 19th February, 2020 at Board Room, Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra, Chanakyapuri.
Skill Scenario
India is a dynamic country with a population of 1.3 billion, majority of which constitutes the youth, brings it at the center of any discussion related to Global Skills Landscape. In this sphere, India has a unique opportunity to convert its demographic potential into a dividend that will fuel the country’s growth. Also, ageing populations found in several developed countries present opportunities for the migration of skilled manpower from India for the mutual benefit of both origin and destination countries. It is estimated that by 2050, one out of six people in the world will be over the age of 65 (16%), as compared to one out of eleven people in 2019 (9%). Ageing population leads to a reduction in workforce across the globe which has the potential to create immense employment opportunities for a country like India. While the global economy is expected to witness a shortage of young population of around 56 million in the coming years, India will be the only country with a youth surplus of 47 million.
India is very well positioned to cater to this increased demand for trained workforce in diverse sectors as well as in niche areas. However, to ensure smooth transition, skilling of youth has to match the international standards which will not only meet the domestic skill demands, but also cater to the foreign demand.
A vast paradigm shift has been observed in the skilling and entrepreneurship ecosystem in the country. This shift has been brought through the implementation of various skill development programmes. The aim of these programmes is to provide training and certification of Indian workers in select sectors and job roles, in line with international standards, to facilitate overseas employment.
The world is in the midst of a Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), which is driven by the fusion of technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, the internet of things (IoT) and biotechnology. In response to this changing landscape, organizations are adopting strategies such as automation, outsourcing, insourcing, retraining existing employees and hiring new employees. Fourth Industrial Revolution impacts skills, tasks and jobs, and also there is a growing concern that both job displacement and talent shortages will impact the global labour market. Large parts of the labour market will be impacted by intelligent systems, automation and technological integration which in turn will give rise to a number of emerging jobs. A proactive and strategic effort is needed to manage reskilling and upskilling to mitigate against talent shortages. In this regard Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) can play a significant role. It helps the workforce to get assessed and certified on their current competencies as per National Skills Qualification Framework levels and also provides a path to upgrade current knowledge and skills to reach the requisite competency level for professional growth.
To boost the skilling ecosystem and to address challenges in overseas placement, such as accreditation, skill certification and equivalence, ICM proposes to organize a series of research activities centered around the broad theme of “skill development”. Moving ahead, “Bridging the Gap: Merging Skills with Employability” is the first panel discussion in this series. All the research activities conducted under this theme would contribute towards drafting of a report on – Skilling Ecosystem in India.
Points to be discussed
The subject matter of the panel discussion would focus on:
Expected Outcome
The panel discussion would serve as a forum for deliberation and bring together all the relevant stakeholders which would further contribute to the research output of ICM. Key points and takeaways emerging from panel discussion will not only add to the future panel discussions/workshops on the theme but also contribute towards drafting of the report on – Skilling Ecosystem in India”. This report shall serve to assess current scenario on skill development in India and provide substantive policy inputs/recommendations for future policy development.
Participants
For this panel discussion, panelists/ participants will be drawn from State Government Bodies, Skill Development Missions, Recruiting Agencies, Industrial Bodies etc.
The participants for the subsequent deliberations in the series of “Skill Development” would also include beneficiaries and other relevant stakeholders in addition to the participants mentioned above.
Language
The discussion will be held in English and Hindi.