Dr Saloman Raju Yarlagadda
M.A.,M.Phil, PhD AP-SET, UGC-NET
Assistant Professor of English
Department of English
Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology Gandipet, Hyderabad- 500075
India is now seen as a young country. India's current population of 1,450,935,791 is marginally larger than China's international record of 1.450 billion in 2024, according to the most recent UN figures and global population predictions. Over 40% of Indians are under the age of twenty-five. Approximately one in five people under the age of 25 worldwide reside in India due to the large number of Indians in this age range. According to the age structure given by the UN Population Prospects 2022 for India, the nation is presently experiencing a "window of demographic opportunity" in which the proportion of its working-age population (15–64 years) is significantly higher than that of its dependent population (0–14 years and 65+ years).
Currently, people aged 15 to 64 make up 68% of India's entire population. About 7% are over 65, while 24% are between the ages of 0 and 14.
This "demographic bonus" is enormous. But only young people who are capable and productive can be India's main engine for long-term growth and development, both now and in the future. India has a significant portion of the working population, which gives it the potential to become an economic powerhouse and provide more than half of Asia's prospective labor force in the ensuing decades. However, we must consider both the quantity and quality of a nation's demographic dividend while evaluating it. Talent resources are more important than size. In order to convert demographic benefits into financial gains, employment or the development of jobs is essential.
To convert demographic opportunity into economic gains, a healthy lifespan, education, and skill development are necessary. Despite having the largest working-age population in the world, India does not necessarily have the largest pool of skilled individuals capable of propelling the country forward. Therefore, it is imperative that India's youth's abilities and capabilities be improved.
The Value of Youth Skill Development
Many women today wish to quit their occupations in order to care for their families and kids. In a nuclear setting, this is a typical scenario that forces women to resign from their positions. In order to keep themselves busy at home, many women are knowledgeable about a variety of activities. These women can become the family's primary source of income if they get the appropriate formal training. In the same way, this country's young people have brilliant ideas that, if put into practice, have the potential to make our country a superpower in the future.
Education, Skills and Employment
Our educational system has historically promoted rote learning, in which concepts are learned conceptually and practical application of those concepts is given less attention. Let's take the example of a girl who want to learn how to cook for the first time. She might not be able to cook to the standard expected of her if her mother verbally gave her the recipe and expected her to cook it flawlessly. However, if the mother offered the recipe and showed how to prepare the dish, the girl would learn it even more quickly. Because she has the opportunity to watch, learn, and put things into practice, the second case scenario helps the girl develop her cooking abilities.
In a similar vein, while our educational system is assisting the nation's kids in becoming literate, it is not equipping them with the skills necessary for employment. Our educational system offers a knowledge base, and it is up to the students to put in the extra work to translate that knowledge into useful concepts. The country's youth seek employment after completing their studies. Here, their employer helps them acquire pertinent job skills through training that can be both general and tailored to their specific needs. When they land a decent job, they put what they've learned into practice. Thus, a person's learned abilities are a combination of their knowledge and the training they need to use it. As the individual has more experience in his line of work, these abilities are further refined. Therefore, a person becomes an expert in his chosen subject after mastering the abilities he has gained.
However, this type of skill development is primarily restricted to the most elite members of society. This is an unpleasant reality, though, as it is not the case for the majority of people. In metropolitan locations, people are typically hired by the companies of their choosing based on their acquired knowledge and skills, along with applicable experience, which helps them establish a promising career. However, rural residents might not always have access to these excellent amenities, thus they could require additional skills to be employable. Therefore, development that just concentrates on urban areas and ignores rural areas is losing out on a priceless pool of abilities that may be used to influence India's future. Each person has a unique combination of skills that, when acknowledged, developed, and used, can be a national asset. In order to help a wide range of individuals improve their knowledge and abilities and propel our nation to new heights of growth, our government has launched numerous programs like Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Skill India, Stand Up India and Skill Building.
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