India is a country of 1.37 billion people which is equivalent to roughly 17.5 percent of the total world population.

According to The National Sample Survey Office’s (NSSO) job survey for 2017-18, there has been a

spike in the unemployment rate to over 6 percent which is a 45-year high.

Although the report was not released by the government and was termed as a draft report. The officials responsible for the survey said that they had used a new design methodology for the survey hence it was not comparable with previous data.

Regardless of the methodology used, our country faces a major issue of unemployment even though there are hundreds of vacancies. There is a major section of youth who has a specific degree but not the skill set to justify that degree.

After the release of the draft report, the Finance Ministry also issued a statement which said that comparing the recent jobs data with past data was faulty.

I agree with this statement. The previous job data was based on the jobs which prevailed in ’80s-’90s which required a graduation degree or clearing a competitive exam which in result assured you employment for roughly 40 years. But the jobs in the coming time require skills which have to be taught to the kids right from their school days but our education system lags in that front and that ultimately leads to unemployment.

Who is to be blamed in all this? Our government? Our education system? Our schools? Or the parents?

No matter who we choose to blame the problem is the skill gap. Students in the school are being taught subjects that today’s jobs do not need anymore. The new generation needs skills that we never thought would be necessary. The skill-gap is a callous issue our youth is facing now. This, in turn, is leading our country to high unemployment.

The data which are shown by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), also forecasts the serious shortage of talent in our country.

So, now the question arises, what are we doing wrong that our next generation will not be skillful enough for even a job?

"The job roles that existed yesterday aren't the roles that exist today and are certainly not going to be the jobs of tomorrow. We will have to invest a lot in quality education focusing on industry needs to deal with the skill gap," said Ishan Gupta, the MD of Udacity India (a global lifelong learning platform connecting education to jobs and providing students with skills to advance careers) in his talk with India Today.

How can we bridge this gap with appropriate skill development right from the tender age?

We should help to develop skills in our kids from a very young age as a child’s mind is highly malleable and has an excellent grasping power.

These skills will result in their high employable chances. It won’t be just when they graduate college but even right after getting out of school. With KidsChaupal you can explore the interest and skill set of your kid which will help you bring to light an entirely new possibility for the next generation. 

In the future skills will hold more value than the degrees in your child’s resume folder.