Youth employment presents before us a grim situation
which needs attention before it explodes further and causes the economy to
drive itself to crisis. Not only India but major European and North American
countries are facing the heat. Debate is what follows any survey about youth
unemployment. However, the situation demands action, not rhetoric. The problem
of unemployment in India needs a multidimensional approach to explore possible
solutions. Our basics must be set right in order to create an ecosystem to
generate employment. With a population of over 1.2 billion (with around 66% in
the age group of 15-35) and an open economy, a crisis-ridden developed economy too
has some effect on a developing economy like ours. However, if the internal
structure of the country is corrected and dependence is gradually reduced, by
focussing on our own strengths, we can overcome a crisis. Since, our nation is
primarily agriculture based involving more than 50% of its work force, we must
direct our energies towards improving this area. To tackle the problem of lack
of opportunities, agricultural sector will act as an important resource. Youth
participation in the agriculture sector is low, largely because the sector is perceived
as unattractive due to risks, costs, inefficiency and its labour intensive
nature. As such, motivating the youth to view agriculture as a career
opportunity will require a multi-pronged intervention. Compulsory courses in
agriculture are needed to sensitize the younger generation towards this field. It
is basically an inclusive idea as agriculture is carried out mainly in the
rural areas where young people have no opportunity, and are forced to move to
cities for jobs. The demand and supply mismatch for jobs in developed cities
will be tackled, making the people and the country self-reliant. The use of
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) will take the efforts to a new
height. The emerging Youth in Agriculture Strategy will demonstrate interest in
technology,
efficiency and a strong voice in the decision-making processes. Government, NGO’s, agricultural specialists must
engage themselves with this idea. If implemented efficiently, it will be a
revolution in the field of agriculture.
It is not the young, but the young with no skills
which prevents the youth from getting employed. A recent report says that as
many as 47% graduates in India are not employable for any industry role. As Mr.
Hamid Ansari has recently observed, the system should be aligned to the skill and
manpower needs of the market. There is a need to expand the practical
dimensions of education and create opportunities for gaining hands-on
experience. The German strategy, which says that successful market-oriented
education consists of 3 to 4 days at the workplace and 1 to 2 days of formal
education, is perhaps the best in this regard. Also, due to high
competitiveness in the world, we must prescribe and enforce stringent standards
for teaching, examination and research to gain the required set of skills. This
again calls for specificity and need oriented educational approach which
includes vocational training too. If we can successfully provide the youth with
opportunities to showcase their talent, there will certainly be a situation of
“Right men at Right work”, thereby reducing the problem of underemployment. We must do everything possible today to give
young people the skills, education and employment experiences they are asking
for. If we do, we can be confident that we will see a world where
environmentally sustainable economic development is the norm; a world without
extreme poverty and hunger; and a world where women and men have achieved
social equality. That is the world today's young people want. Let's give them
the tools to build it.
