Youth are the future: fact. Youth are the hardest hit by poverty: fact. Youth face the steepest barriers to employment: fact.
Nobody can be surprised by my first statement (unless a time machine arrives, of course. But let’s not go down that rabbit hole).
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The second and third statements might surprise some people. They also paint a dismal picture of that time-machine-devoid future.
Our partner World Vision wrote a staggering piece today on the state of young people.Almost half of the world’s youth (aged 15-24), or 621 million, are unemployed, uneducated and not in training.
The average corporate apprenticeship program can’t really chip away at that mountain--but, obviously, the more apprenticeship programs the better.
What the world needs are broad, country-wide efforts that prioritize the empowerment of young people. If the world continues in its current direction, then cycles of poverty will inevitably grow as young people slide into insecurity. Think of trying to swim out of a whirlpool: that’s poverty.
This global effort must include sustained education and skills training programs to meet the demands of a 21st century economy. If you think about it, investing in young people and generating a skilled, knowledgeable and adaptable workforce benefits any economy in the long-run.
A place this is hugely relevant is India.
India is poised to become the youngest country by 2020 with an average age of 29. More than a fifth of India’s 1.2 billion person population lives in extreme poverty.
Around 10 million young people enter the Indian workforce each year, but only 2 percent are formally trained.
India wants to change this.
At UNESCO’s World Youth Skills Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the opportunity to unveil an ambitious campaign called “Skill India.”
During the event he said, “If China has this identity of being world's manufacturing factory, then India can become world's human resource capital.”
“Skill India” aims to equip millions of young people by 2020 with the skills they need to navigate the workforce and find good jobs.
So far, #SkillIndia achieved its first milestone: it’s trending on Twitter.
The launch of #SkillIndia Mission by PM @narendramodi marks history towards empowering our youth to face challenges of professional living.
— Dr Raman Singh (@drramansingh) July 15, 2015Skill India will help local districts build skills training programs and will work with the private sector for apprenticeship opportunities.
Congratulations @RajivPratapRudy ji for the launch of a game changer campaign! More power to you, Sir! #SkillIndiapic.twitter.com/WuK2mpHtic
— Priti Gandhi (@MrsGandhi) July 15, 2015Modi encouraged different sectors of the economy to collaborate on training programs.
A distinct Skills Development Ministry was formed to oversee the mission and ensure that targets are met.
Meanwhile, PM Modi finally managed to catch the finale of GoT at #SkillIndia. His reaction... pic.twitter.com/zOhMhm0DrX
— Akshar (@AksharPathak) July 15, 2015The finer details of the campaign are still being fleshed out, but Modi let India’s youth know that he has not forgotten them and that he comprehends their potential.
While the recognition is nice, I hope that Skill India does more than draw attention to a glaring reality. I hope it unlocks the immense potential of the country’s youth.
Otherwise, that time machine will start to look pretty attractive.