More than 50% of India’s population is below the age of 25, and more than 65% below the age of 35. It is expected that the average age of an Indian will be 29 years in 2020. Given these numbers, we have to make sure that the youth of India is skilled enough to make a steady and independent future for themselves.

National Youth Day (Yuva Diwas) is celebrated in India with great joy and enthusiasm every year on the 12th of January. It is celebrated to commemorate the birthday of Swami Vivekananda, the maker of modern India, and to create awareness amongst the people of India about the importance of youth and their skills.

It is no surprise that National Youth Day is an important day at Sardar Kulwant Singh Chadha Skills Academy, since it regularly reaches out to eligible young men from marginalised sections of the society and trains them for a better future.

Like any other form of learning, skill development too is an ongoing process. We must never take it for granted, for excellent employability in India depends largely on how evolved the skills of our nation’s youth are. So, what should we consider as priorities during this stage of our country’s growth story?

1. Skills are competencies, hence it is vital to provide skills training to our youth. Sardar Kulwant Singh Chadha Skills Academy does the same for many men and women through field demonstrations, classroom sessions and rigorous practical exercises.
2. Relevant vocational education and training can provide people the knowledge, skills and competencies required for the jobs of today or tomorrow. The provision of relevant job skills can therefore be a robust means of empowering people to seize employment opportunities or equip them for self-employment.
3. The world’s population is younger than ever, which is why providing young people pathways into the world of work is one of the greatest developmental challenges of our era. Better skills training, however, can help support equitable and inclusive growth.
4. Long term unemployment can lead to the downfall of an individual, and ultimately a nation. We need to have our youth employed at all times to keep them in the reckoning, and prevent them from leading a life of illegal choices.

To make India the world leader it deserves to be, we at Ponty Chadha Foundation pledge to make our youth more skilled, more competent and more future-ready.