The government’s skills development policy of 2015 notes that India faces the dual challenge of a severe dearth of trained, quality labour, coupled with a large unemployability of sections of the educated workforce, who possess little or no job skills”. The situation gets further compounded when we regard the fact that about 93% of the workforce is in the informal sector, making it difficult to quantify their skills and impart the required training to them. India thus needs to equip its workforce with the skills and knowledge that they need in order to perform their jobs proficiently and add value to the organization.

Specialists say public perception on skilling and vocational training is still low. Unfortunately, skilling is perceived as a last resort for those who find it difficult to move ahead in the formal academic system. “This misconception has only widened the gap between what the industry requires and what is currently available,” says the chief executive of an education technology firm involved in skill training. “It is necessary to ensure that the ground level implementation of skill policies happen at the same speed at which the youth are entering the workforce.”

India needs to increase the employability prospects for 500 million people by 2022. For this, it is absolutely imperative to enhance the knowledge and capabilities of trainers who are at the core of skill development. The quantity, quality and qualification of trainers should be the guiding principles for developing their capacity and career paths. Along with subject knowledge, trainers should be equipped to handle people effectively, draw the attention and participation of students, and build relationships with them. The trainer certification process is imperative to ensure high quality on all fronts.

The India Futures program addresses this issue pointedly. Aspiring and existing trainers in the industry can now undergo professional skill training and go on to become certified employability trainers, who are then certified and equipped to independently skill Indian youth. India Futures: License to Train is designed to equip aspirational and existing trainers with international standards of training delivery with a one-time license, globally validated curriculum. Trainers who successfully complete the course are deemed Employability Training Providers.

This is the first time in India that an opportunity for training companies and skilling institutions to expand trainer capacity has arisen. For individual trainers, it is an unmatched opportunity to get a one-time certification and then build revenue from one course. India Futures’ impactful content and innovative coaching methodologies are designed to give trainers the edge they need.

Skill development is a vastly overlooked but vital priority for the nation, and something of its scale calls for a coordinated approach. It can only work by combining the forces of government action, social inclusion and innovation.