After graduation, the majority of students hope to work for the government in some capacity.
Regrettably, the dramatic rise in enrolment in recent years has not been matched by an equal increase in job opportunities. With greater contractualisation, employment prospects in the government have not grown correspondingly and may perhaps have diminished. Even in the private sector, the majority of positions are contractual, despite the fact that employment has expanded as a result of economic expansion. Worse, the fastest-growing positions are at the bottom of the pay scale, particularly in the services industry – delivery guys for e-commerce or fast food, for example.
As a result, we have a large pool of jobless university graduates with unmet ambitions. This population of angry, unsatisfied young has the potential to have terrible effects on our society, which we are currently seeing.
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The Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) for higher education, which is the percentage of the population aged 18 to 23, that is enrolled, is presently 27%.The number of pupils enrolled in a specific level of education, regardless of age, represented as a percentage of the official school-age population corresponding to the same degree of education is referred to as the GER. The increased enrollment of pupils from low-income families is mostly due to the expansion of reservations to OBCs and EWS.
Furthermore, the tremendous expansion of higher education institutions has resulted in a rise in the number of available seats. In the country, there are over 45,000 institutions and colleges. The majority of pupils want to work for the government when they graduate. And it is here that there is a significant gap between students’ expectations and what they are likely to achieve.
Things to worry about
Employment prospects in the government have not risen correspondingly and may have diminished as contractualisation has expanded.
Even in the private sector, where employment has expanded in tandem with economic expansion, the majority of positions are contractual.
Unemployment: One out of every five Indians who graduate (or do better) is out of work. It’s almost as though the economy punishes you for obtaining an education.
In comparison, persons with a bachelor’s degree (or more) suffer nearly three times the jobless rate.
Low-wage jobs: The greatest rise in employment growth comes at the lowest end, particularly in the services industry – delivery boys for e-commerce or fast food, for example.
A student who has graduated college is unlikely to choose to work in a contact centre or, worse, as a delivery person for e-commerce or fast food.
On the one hand, Indian firms have a severe scarcity of trained labour, while on the other side, India has millions of educated unemployed.
The sector is continually complaining about a lack of trained labour in the country.
What steps should be taken
Upgrading current ITIs and launching many more new ones with high-quality infrastructure and updated curriculum should be done as soon as possible. There is a plan to transform some ITIs into model ITIs. However, what is necessary is a more broad-based strategy that raises the standards of all of them while also creating many more new ones.
The industry may be more than happy to provide funds (through CSR) as well as equipment, staff training, and student internships.
After all, business czars never stop reminding us of the country’s skilled labour crisis. And obviously, if the government can spend thousands of crores on existing and prospective Institutes of Eminence, funding should not be a problem for this activity, which, when combined with our demographic dividend, may be a boon to the economy and society.
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