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Online higher education platform upGrad on Thursday said it has acquired corporate training solutions provider <keyword id="138877" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="centum-learning" source="Orion">Centum Learning</keyword> in a share swap deal. The company did not disclose the deal size. With this transaction, Bharti Enterprises Limited and its affiliates will join upGrad's cap table. New Delhi-based <keyword id="4525766" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="centum" source="Orion">Centum</keyword> with 2,000 employees is likely to clock a revenue of Rs 170 crore in FY23. Centum's will continue to operate independently under <keyword id="646222" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sanjay-bahl" source="Orion">Sanjay Bahl</keyword>, Managing Director and CEO, the company said in a statement. "upGrad has always seen enterprise upskilling as a strategic growth driver and we are making some nonlinear movements to reinvent B2B learning in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> and create an integrated LifeLongLearning ecosystem for our stakeholders," said Mayank Kumar, Co-founder and MD, upGrad. Centum has been enabling 360-degree learning solutions right from entry-level professionals to mid-level leaders with direct and measurable business impacts. With over 3,000 L&amp;D specialists, Centum Learning has trained more than two million people, empowering 400+ corporates across India and <keyword id="12925" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="africa" source="Orion">Africa</keyword>. "Both upGrad and Centum are committed to driving outcomes for their learners and therefore, I am excited about combining the two synergies for creating a scalable portfolio for continued results," said Bahl. Last month, upGrad raised $210 million (about Rs 1,670 crore) in a round that saw participation from ETS Global, Bodhi Tree, Kaizen Management Advisors and others. The edtech company said it is on track to record annual gross revenue of $400-500 million during FY23, out of which about 45 per cent of total revenue will be realised from its own-branded online courses and programmes. Started in 2015, the edtech platform has a learner base of over three million across more than 100 countries, over 300 university partners and a client base of 1,000 companies. In July, upGrad acquired online learning institution Harappa Education for Rs 300 crore (about $38 million). SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/fitch-slashes-indias-fy23-gdp-growth-forecast-to-7-from-7-8-earlier/articleshow/94213633.cms?utm_source=google_newsstand&amp;utm_medium=google_rssfeed&amp;utm_campaign=news_referral">Fitch slashes India's FY23 GDP growth forecast to 7% from 7.8% earlier</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/robots-and-humans-are-gearing-up-to-explore-space-with-isros-gaganyaan/articleshow/94216760.cms">Robots and humans are gearing up to explore space with ISRO's Gaganyaan</a>

Online education platform upGrad acquires Centum Learning to upskill enterprise workforce

A one-of-its-kind facility , especially curated for senior citizens with ambulatory, neurological and old age-related conditions, has been set up near the city to provide care for dementia patients. The dedicated residential memory care home in <keyword id="6361586" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gurgaon" source="Orion">Gurgaon</keyword> offers holistic care for dementia patients, according to a statement issued on Wednesday. <keyword id="13484025" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="antara-senior-care" source="Orion">Antara Senior Care</keyword> is a part of <keyword id="145747" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="max-group" source="Orion">Max Group</keyword>, it said. "The one-of-its-kind facility, specially curated for seniors with ambulatory, neurological and ageing-related conditions provides comprehensive neuro-cognitive care and wellness for dementia including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and other cognitive disorder patients to help them live a life with dignity and comfort," the statement by <keyword id="187105" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="antara" source="Orion">Antara</keyword> Senior Care said. Recognising the growing need for dementia care in the country, Antara is launching its memory care facility that offers clinical wellness solutions, cognitive activities to keep patients mentally and physically stimulated. The facility is also equipped to provide emergency support, continuous surveillance, and regular updates to families of patients, it added. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/online-education-platform-upgrad-acquires-centum-learning-to-upskill-enterprise-workforce/articleshow/94216993.cms">Online education platform upGrad acquires Centum Learning to upskill enterprise workforce</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/fitch-slashes-indias-fy23-gdp-growth-forecast-to-7-from-7-8-earlier/articleshow/94213633.cms?utm_source=google_newsstand&amp;utm_medium=google_rssfeed&amp;utm_campaign=news_referral">Fitch slashes India's FY23 GDP growth forecast to 7% from 7.8% earlier</a>

Memory care facility for dementia patients starts in Gurgaon

Gender discrimination is the reason for 98 per cent of employment gap between males and females in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>, according to a new report of <keyword id="69945" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="oxfam-india" source="Orion">Oxfam India</keyword>. The report highlighted that woman in India despite their same educational qualification and work experience as men will be discriminated in the labour market due to societal and employers' prejudices. The Oxfam India's 'India Discrimination Report 2022' shows that discrimination causes 100 per cent of employment inequality faced by women in rural areas in labour market and 98 per cent in urban areas. The report said self-employed males earn 2.5 times more than females, 83 per cent of which is attributed to gender-based discrimination and 95 per cent of the gap between the earnings of male and female casual wage workers is due to discrimination. According to the report, gender discrimination is the reason for 98 per cent of the employment gap between males and females. Woman in India despite their same educational qualification and work experience as men will be discriminated in the labour market due to societal and employers' prejudices, it said. The report further said that 93 per cent of the gap in earnings of males and females is due to discrimination. Rural self-employed males earn twice of what females earn in rural areas. Male casual workers earn Rs 3,000 per month more than females, 96 per cent of which is attributed to discrimination, it said. As high as 91.1 per cent of the gap in earnings between males and females is explained by discrimination. The academically recognised statistical model applied in the report is now able to quantify the discrimination women face in the labour market. The lower wages for salaried women are due to 67 per cent of discrimination and 33 per cent due to lack of education and work experience, the report said. Oxfam India called on the government to actively enforce effective measures for the protection and right to equal wages and work for all women. The Government of India should also incentivise the participation of women in workforce, including enhancement in pay, upskilling, job reservations and easy return-to-work options after maternity, the report said. What the report finds is if a man and woman starts on an equal footing, the woman will be discriminated in the economic sphere where she will lag behind in regular/salaried, casual and self-employment, said <keyword id="1594237" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="amitabh-behar" source="Orion">Amitabh Behar</keyword>, CEO of Oxfam India. "The inequality in the labour market for gender and other social categories, the report finds, is not just due to poor access to education or work experience but because of discrimination," he said. These findings are based on the government data on employment and labour from 2004-05 to 2019-20. The Oxfam India report refers to unit level data from 61st round <keyword id="179132" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="national-sample-survey" source="Orion">National Sample Survey</keyword> (NSS) data on employment-unemployment (2004-05), the <keyword id="3429286" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="periodic-labour-force-survey" source="Orion">Periodic Labour Force Survey</keyword> in 2018-19 and 2019-20 and All India Debt and Investment Survey by the government. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/online-education-platform-upgrad-acquires-centum-learning-to-upskill-enterprise-workforce/articleshow/94216993.cms">Online education platform upGrad acquires Centum Learning to upskill enterprise workforce</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/fitch-slashes-indias-fy23-gdp-growth-forecast-to-7-from-7-8-earlier/articleshow/94213633.cms?utm_source=google_newsstand&amp;utm_medium=google_rssfeed&amp;utm_campaign=news_referral">Fitch slashes India's FY23 GDP growth forecast to 7% from 7.8% earlier</a>

Self-employed males earn 2.5 times more than females: Oxfam

<ul><li>Only two startups in India attained unicorn status in April-June quarter, mirroring a global trend in decline in the number of new unicorns.</li><li>Experts find it hard to put a date on recovery in <keyword id="2924060" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="startup-funding" source="Orion">startup funding</keyword> as investors have turned cautious amid erratic market conditions.</li><li>According to a recent report by Traxcn, tech startups are going through a funding winter that’s predicted to last for 12-18 months.</li></ul>Startup funding has hit a two-year low at $2.7 billion across 205 deals in July-September quarter, says PwC India’s report. Moreover, only two startups in India attained unicorn status in the same quarter. This mirrors a global trend which too saw a decline in the number of new unicorns last quarter. “It is tough to predict how long the slowdown in funding will last but clearly, both founders and investors are being more selective and cautious in deal-making,” said Amit Nawka, partner-deals &amp; India startups leader at PwC India. Nawka believes that early-stage startups will be able to raise capital more easily as they are typically insulated from public market fluctuations as compared to late-stage deals. “However, investors have already raised a lot of capital which needs to be deployed and this will ultimately find its way to the <keyword id="1948072" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-startup" source="Orion">Indian startup</keyword> ecosystem,” he added. The report says that 38 merger &amp; acquisition (M&amp;A) deals involving startups were executed in the September quarter of 2022. Out of this, 30 were domestic, five were inbound and three were outbound deals. SaaS and edtech witnessed the highest number of M&amp;A deals in Q3 CY22, with nine and seven deals respectively. Edtech company upGrad has been the top acquirer in the quarter with four acquisitions – Wolves India, Harappa Education, Exampur and Centum Learning. ‘Cheques will be on the lower side’ According to a report by Traxcn, tech startups in India are through a funding winter which is predicted to last for the next 12-18 months. “Startups are currently experiencing a funding slowdown which is likely to persist over the next one to one and a half years. Businesses in fact anticipate a recession and are preparing to cut costs. In this context, only companies with strong fundamentals may continue to receive cheques from investors, although on the lower side,” said Mohamad Faraz, founding partner at Upsparks, an early-stage venture capital firm. According to Faraz, companies that are surviving the funding winter are those that are maintaining leaner and smaller budgets, cut flab, extend their runway and bootstrap until conditions get better for external funding. Many startups including MobiKwik, OYO Rooms, Byju’s, boAt, Snapdeal, Droom, Pine Labs, PharmEasy have been postponing their plans of going public due to volatile market conditions, which could lead to poor demand from investors. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/wipro-is-the-top-loser-on-the-exchanges-while-hcl-tech-is-the-top-gainer/articleshow/94827205.cms">Wipro is the top loser on the exchanges while HCL Tech is the top gainer</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/sensex-nifty50-open-lower-after-inflation-spike-and-weak-global-cues/articleshow/94825600.cms">Sensex, Nifty50 open lower after inflation spike and weak global cues</a>

Indian startup funding hit 2-year low in Jul-Sep at $2.7 billion: PwC

<ul><li>E-commerce players are finding ways to bring the product closer to shoppers via video or live commerce. </li><li>The Indian live ecommerce market is expected to generate a gross merchandise value of $4-$5 billion by 2025. </li><li>Nykaa, <keyword id="7433188" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="sugar-cosmetics" source="Orion">Sugar Cosmetics</keyword>, <keyword id="319719" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="myntra" source="Orion">Myntra</keyword>, and <keyword id="18635" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="amazon" source="Orion">Amazon</keyword> have started offering customers a live ecommerce experience. </li></ul>Do you feel the need to try on your lipstick before buying it? Or ensure that a product suits your look? For this, you might no longer have to walk into a store. E-commerce players are finding ways to bring the product closer to shoppers via video or live commerce. Live commerce, video commerce or shoppable videos are AI-powered tools that make video ads more interactive and the experience more immersive. From virtual try-ons to Instagram filters that help choose a product or live sessions hosted by e-commerce players — the definition of live commerce itself is wide and expanding — as technology evolves. Apart from making the experience more actionable, video commerce also bridges the gap between offline and online shopping experience. AR, AI and algorithms One of the early adopters of this trend is online cosmetic retailer Nykaa that has made L'Oreal's advanced, Al-powered virtual try-on technology ModiFace available to its shoppers. ModiFace uses an advanced face tracker augmented reality (AR) algorithm that scans facial features like lips, eyes, cheeks, and hair to provide a real-time virtual experience of a cosmetic product. Lenskart too uses a 3D try-on version which allows shoppers to make a video of themselves and check how well a spectacles frame suits them. Sugar Cosmetics India recently launched an Augmented Reality Instagram filter in a campaign called ‘Wheel of Love’. The wheel will pick the best shade of lipstick and foundation that best suits the customer. Live launches and live shopping In the live version of video shopping, influencers demonstrate newly launched products on their social media feeds wherein you can shop and pay simultaneously. Myntra too has a live ecommerce platform called M-Live where experts and influencers host live video sessions of a product along with styling ideas — facilitating real-time engagement between customers and brands. This simultaneously breaks into the elite personal shopper-like experience for online shoppers. For its upcoming Great Indian Festival, Amazon is trying it too and is roping in 150 influencers that will provide consumers with an interactive experience. “Customers can have the live feel of shopping without having to physically be in a store. Amazon’s shopping is thus becoming more intuitive through artificial intelligence,” said <keyword id="2968020" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="noor-patel" source="Orion">Noor Patel</keyword>, Vice President of Amazon India. More engagement It looks like these live commerce initiatives are working too. According to a <a href="https://thecirqle.com/blog-post/educate-entertain-engage-how-ar-filters-can-help-brands-in-the-quarantine-age">report</a> by Meta’s business partner The Cirqle, launching an AR filter generates customer engagement of 75 seconds — that’s four times more than video content. Canadian fashion retailer Aldo reported a <a href="https://retail-insider.com/retail-insider/2021/06/aldo-pilots-livestream-shopping-as-the-asian-trend-expands-into-canada-expert-commentary/">308% engagement rate</a> after a live stream shopping event in 2021. Due to the unique advantages it brings, live commerce will grow too. According to a report by Redseer, India's live commerce market is expected to generate a gross merchandise value (GMV) of $4-$5 billion by 2025. This is currently being led by beauty and personal care (BPC) brands. China’s live ecommerce market already forms 9-10% of gross merchandise value (GMV), according to <keyword id="496755" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="mckinsey-report" source="Orion">McKinsey Report</keyword> 2021. Along with online retailers, even offline retailers are chasing the immersive experience. “After the pandemic, we are trying to integrate a more immersive experience for retailers who visit malls everyday. Malls have upgraded their mobile applications allowing the consumer to check out brands beforehand, provide customer support, and send vouchers,” said <keyword id="1417134" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="shishir-baijal" source="Orion">Shishir Baijal</keyword>, chairman and managing director of <keyword id="151748" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="knight-frank-india" source="Orion">Knight Frank India</keyword>. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/online-education-platform-upgrad-acquires-centum-learning-to-upskill-enterprise-workforce/articleshow/94216993.cms">Online education platform upGrad acquires Centum Learning to upskill enterprise workforce</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/iphone-13-series-iphone-12-mini-and-iphone-11-to-get-huge-price-cut-on-flipkart-upcoming-sale/articleshow/94215527.cms">Flipkart's upcoming sale could be the best time to buy an iPhone – iPhone 13 series, iPhone 12 mini and more to get huge price cut</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/here-are-indias-top-ten-most-valuable-brands-according-to-kantar/slidelist/94214141.cms">Here are India’s top ten most valuable brands according to Kantar</a>

Explained: How video commerce is helping online shoppers try before they buy

Skill development sector is crucial to PM Modi’s dreams of putting India back on the world map. And this sector is betting big on the upcoming Union Budget 2016. The sector is hoping for tax benefits in a bid to attract more investments for the sector. 
	 
	“One of the primary tax benefits sought by the skill development segment is that all companies involved in developing skills should be exempted from Income Tax or Service Tax. 200% tax benefits should be given to companies’ spending money on CSR to incentivize them for spending on the segment. Further, if CSR funds are spent on skill training, there is a belief that Government should match the same. The skills segment can further evolve and cater to the country’s growing skill needs if all large industries are motivated to spend transparently on skills training. Money spent by individuals on skilling should also be exempted from tax,” said Sanjeev Duggal, CEO and managing director of Centum Learning. 
	 
	It must be noted that currently the initiatives implemented by the NSDC has been exempted from service tax. “Only Vocational Training Provider (VTP) courses are exempt from Service Tax although there are many skill courses which do not qualify defined criteria of VTP. Therefore exemptions should be for all Skill projects approved by all ministries and not just on the basis of old framework of VTP courses,” he added. 
	 
	Players also want income tax holidays for skilling companies. “There should not be (Tax deducted at Source) TDS on payments made by Government. In normal scenario government makes payment only after deduction of TDS, which leads to shortage of cash flow in managing Operations. Tax benefits should be given to companies spending their CSR funds only in the skilling sector,” noted Duggal. At present, all skilling companies have to pay normal Income Tax. 
	 
	Image Credit: Indiatimes.com

Budget
2016: Give tax incentives to India Inc for skill development as CSR

India has witnessed rapid growth in recent years driven by the increase in new-age industries. The increase in purchasing power has resulted in the demand for a new level of quality of service. However, there is a growing shortage of skilled manpower in the country. In the wake of the changing economic environment, it is necessary to focus on inculcating and advancing the skill sets of the young population of the country.
 
India lags far behind in imparting skill training as compared to other countries. Reports indicate that only 10% of the total workforce in the country receives some kind of skill training (2% with formal training and 8% with informal training). Further, 80% of the entrants into the workforce do not have the opportunity for skill training. But all that is changing. 
 
The other day when I was at speaking at the African Development Conference at Harvard, I was excited to share the present government’s interest in the skill building in India. Our Prime Minister has become the brand ambassador of skilling as he passionately mentions ‘Skilling India’ in each of his speeches without fail during his tours beyond the shores of the country. The new government has also been able to recognize the disparities in the extent to which young people have been able to acquire formal skills. 
 
Realizing this need the government has made provisions for upgrading skills under multiple disciplines and allocated resources across the length &amp; breadth of the country. To list a few, the centre is taking efforts to come up with a legislation to set up a <keyword id="6418027" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Skill-development">Skill Development</keyword> University. Further, a separate Ministry for Skills Development &amp; Entrepreneurship has been tasked to coordinate and streamline multiple skill development initiatives undertaken by the government to build a skilled &amp; employable India. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, recently gave its approval for the Pradhan Mantri KaushalVikasYojana (PMKVY) with an outlay of Rs1500 crore. 
 
Being the largest partner of <keyword id="6380206" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="NSDC">NSDC</keyword> for the second year in a row, we harbor dreams to provide workforce to power global youth. Our youth is our biggest strength and we have to entrench ‘dignity for labor in the minds of Indians. As a country, India has a strong surplus in working population (age 15-50), which has helped the nation to maintain the momentum in the growth story. A significant portion of this demographic dividend lies in rural areas, which is Centum Learning’s primary area of focus. With presence in 383 districts in India, we are now customizing training as per the requirements of the industries and doing our bit to bridge the skills shortage. 
 
 
Have the promises made by the industry been fulfilled? 
 
There has been visible effort by the Government to meet their promises on skill development in the country for empowerment of its citizens. The Finance Minister has rightly recognized the most critical aspect, which is taking a step towards effective implementation of the Right to Education Act. Also, the allocation to National Skill Development Fund will aid in capacity building and developing skilled human resource to meet growing demand for India Inc. Another major highlight is the provision of fiscal incentives to the private sector for setting up vocational and skill development institutions. This has motivated a lot of private sector organizations to lay emphasis on the sector. 
 
An increase in budgetary allocation for primary education is a long awaited requirement that been met. National Skill Development Agency is encouraging innovation in skills development and promoting entrepreneurship in the country. The newly set up Skills Ministry is determined to encourage innovative ideas and modules in skill development landscape and at the same time assist the youth of the country in the skilling and entrepreneurial domain, to translate the vision of the Government into a concrete reality. With focus on self-employment as a key aspect to job creation, the Government has chalked out a plan to set up incubation centres at all districts across the country to train budding entrepreneurs. 
 
The Government has also decided to revamp the antiquated industrial training centres that will skill over 20 lakh youth annually and devise special courses based on industry needs. All these are positive signs to show that the government’s promise of skilling 500 million will be achieved in due course of time. 
 
Now, the Govt should incentivize industry to spend 50% of their CSR funds on skills training and Government should match the same. 
 
Ground reality of skill development industry 
 
Unemployment of youth is a ticking time bomb that is perilously close to exploding with the young population that we have. Soon, three of every four people will be 20 years of age. Despite growing as a developing country, the economy has not created youth friendly labor market where millions of young Indians descend every year, creating rising youth unemployment. 
 
The lack of jobs or a limited number of jobs, ineffectual vocational training, lack of skills development, unrealistic expectations from jobs, lack of entrepreneurship, absenteeism in school, early dropouts and a myriad of other factors have given rise to youth unemployment. Growth in economies has not led to a resultant increase in formal jobs or a youth-friendly labor market. The situation is further exacerbated with an influx of youth from rural areas to populous urban centers. 
 
As in other developing countries and countries that have recently bridged the chasm to become developed nations, the problem perhaps also lies in perception and inadequate transition from school to the workplace. Youth are keen to get employment in formal sectors to get full-time employment, which may even offer benefits such as healthcare and paid holidays, instead of pursuing jobs in the informal or traditional sectors that may be seasonal. 
 
Our leaders have recognized this crisis and the Indian Government has taken steps to initiate action to tackle this flashpoint before it explodes. But these are not enough, and the government in isolation cannot tackle such a mammoth problem. The biggest challenge in the Indian ecosystem lies in finding out how to make skilling programmes aspirational? How do you create a desire or need in the mind of people to get pursue skill development programmes vis-à-vis a pure educational course? 
 
As our skill development minister, Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy recently said, “the day I find a matrimonial advertisement where the bride or groom is vocationally skilled, I would feel that our initiatives have made some impact.” A welcome step in this direction is the recent announcement where over 11,000 ITIs and other apprentice &amp; training divisions, which were earlier with Ministry of Labour, will now be integrated with the Ministry of Skill Development &amp; Entrepreneurship. 
 
Another big challenge facing the implementation and execution of any skills development-related scheme is reaching out, educating and motivating youth in the rural and remote parts of the country. With over thirty years of experience in Training &amp; Development, we have realized that the only way to increase the efficiency of the employees in the corporate sector is through innovative training methodologies which need to be upgraded from time to time. At Centum Learning we have adopted off-beat training modules which can be as simple and varied as story telling or Team building using theatre workshops. Depending on the clients, Centum Learning, which believes in the mantra of “Business of positive transformation”, has devised training modules which can enhance business results and develop skills as per industry requirements. 
 
There cannot be a more opportune time to consider how closely a nation’s growth agenda is aligned with the skill-level of its manpower. We are playing a key role in evangelizing skilling like a religion in India and making youth job-ready so that in turn they can make India a manufacturing hub in order to fulfill PM’s vision of ‘Make in India’. 
 
Manufacturing cannot become a growth driver if the lack of skilled workers continues to be the greatest constraint in this journey. A survey conducted in 2014 reveals thataround 78 per cent of the surveyed employers said they are concerned with the growing skills gap in India while 57 per cent said they currently have open positions for which they cannot find qualified candidates. So, the Government needs to pursue the two pronged approach of creating jobs in the manufacturing sector and encouraging multi-stakeholder partnerships to impart relevant, “employment worthy” skills. It is good that Skill development is garnering so much interest from both the government and the industry. The fact that this space is growing and large players with pedigree and Governance standards are entering is good for the sector. 
 
Government should make vocational education mandatory for women not pursuing full time education. Jobs and hiring in India needs to shift from being 'qualification based' to 'skill based'. With ‘BetiBachao, BetiPadhao’ and ‘Digital India’ schemes being rolled out by the Government, youth and especially women must be compulsorily taught to use computers and be skilled (in any field) in order to get acquire an id card (maybe something like a BPL card) . Government also needs to take specific steps for differently-abled people and help create job opportunities for them by building relationships with employer and industry groups. If the Government can get the major chunk of the above target groups in its umbrella, the dream of empowering and transforming lives will be achieved to a great extent. 
 
 
Challenges galore 
 
The tragedy is that less than 2% of India's workforce has formal skills and even among those who have some sort of training or qualification, only a third today, are armed withemployable skills amounting to a colossal waste of our biggest asset: people power. The perception of educated parents that everyone had to be either a doctor or an engineer -- a hangover to the mindset of the 1960s and 70s -- has tragically hamstrung efforts at skill building at its most important stage -- during school. Admittedly there has been realization that school-level skilling can lead to satisfying, lucrative careers. CBSE now offers some 50 vocational courses and the school management is now encouraging students to discover original or innovative talents in themselves. 
 
A trishul of talents need to coalesce before skills can be translated into gainful employment: technical skills, domain knowledge, and soft skills. The first two are a matter of training and application. The final, presents some rather nuanced, challenges and the needless roadblocks need to be addressed with sensitivity. 
 
Today whether you are a beautician or a tour guide or a taxi driver, a working knowledge of English is a force multiplier when it comes to employability. In Bengaluru, which is home to the largest number of MNC tech companies in India, a headhunter tells me, a licensed driver, maintenance engineer or a nursing assistant who can speak and read English, can straight away add 50 percent to his or her pay packet. This is something that Governments- both at the State and Central levels are beginning to take cognizance of. 
 
But the biggest bottleneck in the skills space is getting the students to the classrooms and retaining them there. Government and training partners need to work together to ensure that the candidate is incentivized to attend classes through industry aligned courses, relevant training methodology, deeper connect with jobs and industry so that they themselves can see their career path ahead. 
 
The larger training players also need to harness technology wherever available -- digital solutions, smart tools, Internet-driven delivery -- to achieve the required scale and maybe even for large scale mobilization. 
 
We must also recognize that at basic levels, one has to contend with low aspiration levels, coupled with lack of capacity to pay. This has to be addressed with sensitivity that can be best achieved by government-funded programmes, executed by large training partners who have the ability to scale up. For mid-level skills, both government and private enterprises can join in the funding -- but we need to recognize that corporates tend to skill as per their requirements. 
 
It is time to recognize that a placement need not necessarily be accompanied by a wage. Many skills, from electrician to care giver for the aged, lend themselves to gainful self-employment and can account for as much as 30-40% of all skill acquirers. 
 
Skilling India to empower her citizens and to equip them to compete and excel on a globalmaidan is a multi-pronged challenge. We need our engineers and doctors and business executives and we also need many times those who bring a rainbow of heterogeneous skills to drive the engine that is India. And sometimes we discover in ourselves skills and talents for which we were not necessarily trained, but which constitute a coming together of head and heart. 
 
The article is authored by Sanjeev Duggal, CEO and MD of Centum Learning, a corporate training firm.

You Searched For "centum learning" and got 7 results

Online education platform upGrad acquires Centum Learning to upskill enterprise workforce

IANS

Memory care facility for dementia patients starts in Gurgaon

PTI

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