Labournet Aims To Empower 10 Million Youths By 2024

Skills form an essential part of the employability of every individual. We, as a nation, have recognized the importance of a skilled workforce and skilling. The United Nations has designated 15 July as 'World Youth Skills Day' to promote conversations and generate greater awareness on the importance of technical, vocational education, and training and the development of other skills.

World Youth Skills Day is celebrated in order to raise awareness about the importance of investing in youth skills development across the world. Through Skill India Mission and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (#PMKVY), India aims to enable over 10 million youth to take up industry-relevant skills in the coming year. World Youth Skills Day is just setting the stage for marketing how Skill Development could be a tool for empowerment and employment.

LabourNet, a social enterprise that enables sustainable livelihoods for men, women and youth in urban and rural areas, resonates with this idea of promoting meaningful dialogue and believes that it will highlight youth skills development and draws attention to the critical need for marketable skills amongst the youth across the globe with the theme of “Learning to learn for life and work." LabourNet is continually empowering millions of livelihoods via skilling interventions to keep up the momentum in supporting and promoting skill development and drive a positive change. Along with the government, LabourNet is also on a mission to enable the livelihoods of 10 million youth by 2024.

Rajesh A R, CEO, and MD – LabourNet, “India has an unemployment rate of around 6 percent. But the sad part of this unemployment is that most of them are graduates. An even bigger threat is that 300 million of the 500 million workforce earn less than 3 dollars a day. Underemployment is the biggest threat we as an industry is facing. This is happening because of the misalignment of candidate expectations and the employer needs. A candidate, after going through a basic skilling program is expecting market wages from a premium market wages. At the same time, an employer is willing to pay a premium of the market wages only if the candidate has experience along with the skilling certificate." 

He added, "LabourNet, with its solutions, is addressing this problem. Our School Learning Services (SLS) need to ensure that students who are passing out of the SLS are given industry exposure either through apprenticeship or through earn-and-learn programs. Through our ELS program (Entrepreneurship Learning Service) where the candidates are already working with lower wages, we need to do handholding programs like the Entrepreneurship Development Programs and ensure they are given skills as well as experience at the work site to reach to the market wages. On this World Youth Skills Day, we pledge to get all our candidates at a market premium and open the doors for prosperity”.

To mark the occasion, LabourNet held a series of activities across the country like rallies, awareness programs and guest lectures to enlighten the masses regarding relevant issues and how skills can rescue them.