Need for shift from formal to vocational education: Sharad Talwar

The skill development industry in India is evolving each day. Starting from nowhere, today, it is taking the shape of a legitimate industry and has also gained government acknowledgement, which has set up the National Skill Commission and NSDC. So, there is an ecosystem that is being created in this space; but it will take time before any structure evolves.
There are several obstacles to this industry: firstly, the present education system is only creating educated unemployment; secondly, this problem is accentuated by the increasing number of dropouts in schools (only 8 per cent of total enrollment actually pass the school system); thirdly, even though the government is emphasizing on the increasing the role of vocational courses that can provide students the required skills to get a job, the problem lies in the acceptability of vocational studies, as the current education system does not support the vocational schemes.
There is a need for a paradigm shift in allowing easy movement between formal and vocational education. If one has opted for vocational education during school, one should have the opportunity to transfer credits to the formal education system that will allow them to graduate from a degree college if he/she chooses to.
The other set of challenges lie in finding the equilibrium in the equation of cost, quality and scale; the financing model for the industry and the role of the employer in recognizing the difference between a certified and skilled worker from an uncertified worker, and give premium to someone who has been trained in a particular skill.