Engaging with Youth

Young people are not only the manifestation of a biological phase of life. It is not a time exclusively devoted to the process of psychological maturity. The concept of young people is essentially charged with a social, historical and cultural content. Youth is a synonym for creativity, energy and hope and this phenomenon is very common in the world. India has been recognized as one of the youngest countries in the world and one in every three people in the country is a young person under the age of 24. Yet most of the country’s young people have no functional or vocational exposure to skills development. Although they are in large numbers, they are scattered across socioeconomic layers of society. As a result, about 80% barely possess any professional or employable skills. They are not well equipped to benefit from vocational, technical and occupational skills due to poverty, neglect or marginalization. In 2014, 73.3 million young people in India were unemployed, representing 36.7% of worldwide unemployment. The rural-urban gap between youth is increasing the socio-economic layers between them.

There is a significant gap between the demand for and the supply of skilled workers in the country. Youngsters from the disadvantaged sections are unable to avail any technical, vocational or professional skill trainings due to poverty, a lack of awareness and a lack of understanding of the employment market. Such enormous potential should not be wasted as a result of outright neglect.

It is hoped that young people can take the initiative in the process of socioeconomic engineering where groups from all marginalized groups come together and build a conscious bloc.