The critical need for scaling up concerted efforts to enhance skill development in India- By Shaheen Khan & Vasim Shaikh, Co-Founders, CEDP

While our country is transitioning to a knowledge based economy, Council of Education & Development Programmes (CEDP) is a training and development centre where they train people & young generation to become proficient & self sufficient. CEDP also has an NGO attached to their centre through which they train underprivileged kids free of cost in the courses they are good in. Shaheen Khan & Vasim Shaikh, Co-Founders, CEDP in this article share more on the need of enhancing skill development in India, explaining more on the pathways for countering the challenges in this field, the government initiatives taken, some ground realities of skill the development industry and a lot more: 

With the world and time evolving, formal education is something which may not help an individual with employment. The emphasis and focus are now completely on how skilled an individual is, or what are the skills a person capable of. A large number of youth these days are opting for employment before completing formal education, or dropping out of schools/ college to pursue employment. Quoting Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi Independence Day’s 2014 Speech - “Today, the world and India need a skilled workforce. If we have to promote the development of our country then our mission has to be `Skill Development’ and `Skilled India’”. Millions and millions of Indian youth should acquire the skills which could contribute towards making India a modern country. I also want to create a pool of young people who are able to create jobs and the ones who are not capable of creating jobs and do not have the opportunities, they must be in a position to face their counterparts in any corner of the world while keeping their heads high by virtue of their hard work and their dexterity of hands and win the hearts of people around the world through their skills.

Skill building is a powerful tool to empower individuals and improve their social acceptance which must be complemented by economic growth and employment opportunities to meet the rising aspirations of youth. Skills and knowledge development are the driving forces behind the financial growth and community development of any country.  The challenge lies not only in a huge quantitative expansion of facilities for skill training, but also in raising their quality. India can then become the global sourcing hub for skilled employees. India is today one of the youngest nations in the world with more than 62% of the population in the working age group (15-59 years), and more than 54% of the total population under 25 years of age. By 2020, we would be the number one country in the world with a highest youth population. However, current statistics show that only 2% of the total employees in India have completed skills development training. With the increase in the youth population, employment or self employment would be purely skill based, hence the journey of skilling India has already begun! 

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, along with National Skill Development Corporation NSDC has formed over 32 sectors across various skills such as Healthcare, Tourism & Hospitality, Construction, Retail, Beauty and Wellness, Leather Goods, ITES, Automotive, etc. are some of the most sought after skills by the youth. These sectors have a huge demand for skilled employees. It can also get a huge boost under the  Startup India schemes promoted by the Skill Development Ministry and also by NIESBUD (National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development) which promotes the entrepreneurship development for the Young Entrepreneurs with monetary assistance. Council of Education and Development Programmes (CEDP), started in 2010 with the sole mission of providing quality skill education linked to respective sector employment, has been successfully pushing the envelope in providing the same. At CEDP Skill Institute, we understand the competitive pressure and those rare opportunities, which many students fail to comprehend initially. With our courses, we invite students and young minds to find their own calling in a multitude of fields, including Finance and Accounts, Hotel Management, Automotive, Paramedical Courses, Nursing Aide, Patient Care, Industrial Safety, Operation Theatre Technician, HR, Naturopathy and beyond. 

On this epic journey of new accomplishments, we have managed to skill empower over 5000 plus youth since inception and we are looking ahead to have more youth and empower them with advanced courses, training and great practical guidance. CEDP is more than keen to offer counselling and advice on choice of career and course, with experienced career experts available for appointments.

Shaheen Khan, Co-Founder, CEDP shares, “I would like to invite ignited minds to witness what we call the boom in youth employment and growth. Since 2010, we have been pushing the envelope in industry oriented short term professional courses with on the job training, ensuring that our students have the knowledge and practical skills to make a count in their respective fields is an increasing demand for technical and managerial skills. Talented and ambitious young boys and girls are learning fast the importance of making right decisions at the right time as regards the type of education they should go in for.”

Vasim Shaikh , Co-founder, CEDP shares “On behalf of CEDP I welcome all the students and look forward to serve the nation for fulfilling the dream of building a strong and modern India. Emphasis is paid towards building decision making and analytical skills of students. Students of the CEDP Skill Institute are working with some of the world’s leading companies”.

With some the fantastic schemes promoted by the Central Govt via NSDC such as PMKVYY and state govt such as MSSDS the journey for skilling India has well begun…!