Topping Up Skill India: An App To Help Skilled Youth Find Jobs

Is it sufficient to just train the youth? What about jobs? How and where will the skilled youth find jobs? Skilling India is not enough, employing India is equally important.

The Economic Times reported yesterday that Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna has completed 10 lakh enrollments under Skill India mission. Seventy percent of those enrolled, have already completed their training under 382 job roles. There are currently 8749 active centres across the country through which the central government is implementing the scheme with the help of NSDC, local training partners, state governments, local MPs and MLAs.

Why do we need Skill India program?

India is going through a demographic transition. By 2020, 64 percent of its population will be in the age group of 15-34. Every year, 12 million youth enter the job market. On top of that, there is a huge gap between the number of people who are looking for employment and the number of people who are employable. To reap the demographic dividend, a programme like Skill India would help.

So, what’s missing?

Though the NDA government set an ambitious aim to train 400 million people by 2022, the scheme so far has been able to enroll only 1 million. However, this is bound to change once the government expands its programme, becomes more efficient, involves more private partners, and as more people become aware of it. The government is working on these.

So, what’s missing? The government somewhere forgot to factor in the post-training scenario. Is it sufficient to just train the youth? What about jobs? How and where will the skilled youth find jobs? ‘Make in India’ is there which aims to create millions of jobs in manufacturing but that is a long-term project. It’s not going to show results overnight. But those who are completing their training need the jobs right away. What’s the use of training if you still remain unemployed?

What’s the solution?

For long term job creation, Make In India is our best bet. In the short term, what the government can do is play the role of a facilitator for those who are getting trained under Skill India programme. It should come up with a mobile application similar to UBER or UrbanClap. While UBER has proved to be a great platform for cab services, UrbanClap is trying to achieve the same for professionals skilled in various services including, but not limited to, health and fitness, home services and repairs, wedding and personal services, etc.

App Framework

The government should have a central database of every person getting training under its programme. Here are some features that can be incorporated into the app and later these can be scaled up as per the feedback from the users:

• Every trainee should be specified a service category under which he/she has received training, say logistics, agriculture, electronics, health and wellness, retail, automobile etc.
• These trainees should also be grouped according to their geographical location – state, district, town and so on. It can also sort trainees depending on the closeness to the user’s location.
• Every trainee profile should be visible to the users with detailed contact information, their skill sets, and certification.
• Users/customers should be able to review and rate the trainees depending on their level of satisfaction with their work, their behaviour and so on. This will encourage more competition and help better workers get more work.
• Customers should be able to list their requirements. Say someone wants their tap fixed. The skilled plumbers then can bid and a user can pick the lowest bidder/or most skilled one, depending on their preference. This will ensure that those new workers who enter the market are not discriminated against those who have higher ratings and have already earned some name and fame. This is important since they can bid lower when they start out and get some jobs, get reviewed and move up the chain.

More features can be later added later depending on the feedback received. The government can also crowdsource ideas through platforms like MyGov. There are many freelance computer programmers, private IT companies out there who will be more than happy to help the government in getting the app up and ready in no time. The app will not only help trainees get hired easily and more often, it will make them truly dependent and entrepreneurial. They won’t have to live in constant fear of getting fired. There will always be a need for skilled workers in the market.

Creating more Sarkari jobs is not an option. The government should only play the role of a facilitator. Technology can help us reap the demographic dividend.

Skilling India is not enough. Employing India is equally important.