Skilling for a Viksit Rajasthan: Turning Youth into an Asset

Question (10 marks, ~150 words):

"A young population is an asset only if it is employable." In the context of World Youth Skills Day and falling college enrolment, examine how India can convert its demographic dividend into jobs.

Introduction:

• World Youth Skills Day (15 July, declared by the UN in 2014) frames a hard truth: a young population is an asset only if it is employable — underscored by Rajasthan's second straight year of falling college enrolment.

The opportunity:

• India's demographic dividend is a closing window; skilling converts a large youth cohort into a productive, higher-earning workforce.
• Industry-aligned vocational training and apprenticeships close the gap between what colleges teach and what employers hire.

The risks:

• Low-quality, poor-placement skilling becomes a certificate mill; skilling without job creation breeds frustration.
• Youth drifting to gig work signals that degrees are not delivering earnings.

Way forward:

• Apprenticeships tied to local industry, employer-co-designed courses, and formal credit for skills gained in gig work.
• Strengthen Skill India, PMKVY and ITIs with real placement accountability.

Conclusion:

• The dividend pays only if youth carry the skills the economy is actually buying; skilling must be matched with genuine job creation.