India’s success story is inspired by many different factors, but if we talk about the most defining of them all, the resulting collection is definitely going to include our country’s youth. For better understanding, India currently has the largest youth population in the world, with over 65% of its people under the age of 35. Despite such a huge numerical advantage over other countries, though, a large chunk of this contingent has been repeatedly found to lack adequate digital fluency, adaptability, and soft skills needed to succeed in the workplace. The said skill gap has, in fact, made a staggering 54.8 percent of young Indians simply unemployable. In case that wasn’t enough, nearly 39 percent of the current workforce's skills are now projected to become redundant/outdated by 2030. But why is that the case? Well, going by the available data, no more than 57.2 percent of schools have computers and 53.9 percent have internet. A closer look at government schools’ ecosystem would reveal an even bigger gap, as the prevalence of these facilities was shockingly found to be at 25 and 28 percentage respectively.
Having referred to the underlying problem, it’s time we move on to talking about the solution. In order to harness the available potential, India’s youth must undertake a transformational shift, a shift where they finally go from being job seekers to becoming job creators. This translates to how more and more individuals are already shedding the security of traditional jobs to actively innovate in areas like AgriTech, EdTech, HealthTech, and Clean Energy etc. Building upon this monumental effort, the Government of India has also introduced many powerful initiatives like Startup India, Atal Innovation India, Skill India, and many more, to transform the very method of thinking and approaching one’s career. Aligning itself with the given transition, CGC University, Mohali, offers you dedicated avenues to develop that entrepreneurial instinct. For instance, our institution provides students with a seamless access to cutting-edge Entrepreneurship Hubs, as well as various innovation zones that all come together to form an unprecedented academic ecosystem.
Next up, the young generation must learn the ropes of leveraging technology for greater good. With technology becoming a centrepiece across every domain, it has become imperative for the generation of today and tomorrow to master the use of solutions like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Robotics, Data Science, Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, and Blockchain etc. Not just the deployment part, India’s youth must also implement an ethical approach when it comes to integrating technology into our day-to-day operations. In this particular context, the government of India recently announced the E-Yantra initiative, which was floated as a robotics outreach program funded by the Ministry of Education. More on the same would reveal how the program in question helped students imbibe concrete problem-solving skills to enhance the operation across areas like manufacturing, agriculture, defence, smart home and city technology, and services etc. Using project-based learning, E-Yantra has, so far, benefitted over 2 lac students who, in turn, hailed from 320+ colleges. CGC University, Mohali, has also pledged to play an active part in giving the young talent every piece of support that they need to achieve technical proficiency. This the university does using fully-automated workshop facilities, dedicated skill development zones, smart simulation centers, and more. Alongside the infrastructure, CGC University, Mohali, also offers internationally-recognized faculty, holding deep expertise in working at some of the world’s most esteemed organizations.
Another detail worth a mention is rooted in the way our youth must navigate the impending environmental challenges. Backed by new ideas and distinctive technological structure, India’s youth can take the country towards newer heights in the sustainability space by bringing forth eco-friendly businesses, climate-conscious actions, and renewable energy innovation, each component giving our nation a renewed standing on the index of environmental leadership.
It also ought to be acknowledged how India must create inclusive opportunities for the youth. This calls for entrepreneurial support in and around rural areas, provided on the back of affirmative action policies, affordable education, and specialized training. Our country’s youth even stands to benefit a lot from stronger international collaboration framework. The said framework, on its part, should traverse bilateral and multilateral agreements tailor-made to facilitate smooth mobility of Indian talent, while simultaneously fostering trade and labor exchanges at scale. Joining the proposition would be the focus on conceiving joint research & development projects, global exchange programs, academic and professional initiatives, and a lot more. Beyond that, there is a pathway which runs through active participation in global forums, such as the G20, United Nations, and World Economic Forum, events offering a unique opportunity for us to instigate deeper discussions on youth-centric policies, and at the same time, showcase India’s achievements and potential in the provided stratosphere.
Having talked about Indian government’s recent work in empowering the youth, we now take a moment to unpack it a little bit to get their truer value. To put that into perspective, the government recently introduced Skill India Mission, where the agenda is essentially to up-skill and re-skill using a rather comprehensive network of skill development centres. These centers will markedly operate under the tutelage of schemes like Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), and National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) etc. An example relaying the efficacy of this initiative, up until now, is rooted in the fact that it has already guided well over 2.27 crore youth to achieve vocational mastery and execution. Apart from that, we have efforts like Startup India coming into play to deliver, at your disposal, funding support, ease of compliance, tax exemptions, and incubation opportunities. A somewhat similar value is propagated by the emergence of PM-YUVA Yojna. This one sharpens the case of India’s youth with entrepreneurship education assistance, geared towards developing a full-fledged culture of innovation and self-employment among students and aspiring entrepreneurs.
NEP 2020 is one more attempt we cannot leave out of the discussion. Put forth as a replacement of India’s 1986 Education Policy, NEP 2020 arrives on the scene bearing an unwavering commitment to upholding access, equity, quality, and accountability. In practice, the policy will divide education into four distinctive parts. The first phase would include play-based learning, whereas the second one is understood to revolve around basic reading, writing, and speaking skills. Moving on to the third touchpoint in this journey, it will oversee acquisition of knowledge on experiential sciences, math, and social sciences. The fourth and final stage in NEP 2020’s framework will advance multidisciplinary study with high subject choice flexibility.
As we sign off today, I need to reiterate that, with a lot happening to prepare India’s youth for a better tomorrow, the role of Indian universities becomes even more critical. We say so because such institutions are now tasked with departing from the convention idea of education, and instead, groom students for the real-world from day one. In that respect, CGC University, Mohali, has already made significant headway and the proof of that is fully-reflected in its wider academic outcomes and the organization’s industry-best placement track record.