The Employability Crisis In Higher Education — & How Skill-Based Learning Solves It

By Prof. Supriya Pattanayak

India has the highest population in the world and also the greatest number of youths. Almost 65 per cent of the nation is in the age bracket of 35 years or less. Thus, the country will need to cater to the needs of this growing population, which is the present as well as the future of the nation. Most of these youngsters are students, ready to take career plunges and make a living. However, according to a report by India’s Graduate Skill Index, it has been revealed that just 42.6 per cent of graduates from Indian universities were employable in 2025, which is a further decline from 44.3 per cent in 2023.

A dip was seen amongst non-technical jobs too. Graduates who had studied sales, marketing, business development, HR, etc., saw a decline in employability by 43.5 per cent. This was a sharp drop from 48.3 per cent in 2023, and the situation has been extremely worrying. While most would attribute this decline to the evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI), there is much more to it. Other factors, such as limited non-technical training of students, hiring slowdowns in the IT sector and education system gaps, are also great causes of the employability crisis among students.

Skill-Based Learning

Universities must rise to the occasion and offer education that is in sync with the needs of today’s time. Skill-based learning, with an equal emphasis on practical as well as theoretical lessons, will be the key to creating students who will become employable in the future. This mixed bag will provide students with exposure to industry practices and procedures, making students an asset to employers instead of wasting another 6 months or a year to train them on the job. 

Production centres and action learning labs that are in tandem with industrial environments must be created by universities for this. Enabling them to interact with live tools, understand the processes and undergo problem-solving exercises will give confidence to students to be able to take on tasks that challenge the norms and create solutions that are unheard of. 

Manufacturing labs can also be set up in collaboration with industries, as they will enable the students to get hands-on experience of how the industry works. While this may sound difficult and expensive, it is the need of the hour. The National Education Policy 2020 also focuses on multidisciplinary learning and the incorporation of vocational training and practical-based lessons.

Financial Constraints

Another reason for this employability crisis is the fact that many youngsters cannot continue with higher education due to financial constraints. Courses must be introduced where students work, earn, and study. It enables students to earn, gain practical learning and still get a degree that will be valuable in the future. 

Here, companies and educational institutions collaborate to design a curriculum that allows working students to finish their schooling and gain experience in the workplace. By the time they graduate from college, students have obtained several NSQF certificates, which improves their corporate exposure and employment opportunities. These learning-while-earning opportunities are unquestionably superior to traditional internships, which provide a very limited perspective of the reality on the ground.

Diplomas Offer An Edge

Diplomas have also shown themselves to be a great option for students who are unable to enrol in a traditional degree programme because of budgetary limitations. With skill-integrated education, these programmes will soon prepare students to join Industry 5.0, and they also help students specialise in their chosen field for one to two years. 

Students can choose to pursue a standard bachelor's degree after they have achieved financial security, in which case the credit earned will be valued at the appropriate number of years. After a break, students can return to traditional degree programmes enabled by lateral entry programmes and systems of credit. In this way, students can pursue their education whenever it is convenient for them, at their own pace, all the way up to the PhD level.

Also, universities must inculcate the spirit of entrepreneurship among students. This way, they will become job providers instead of job seekers, thereby providing employability to many more. With the right approach and attitude, we can surely make a difference in the lives of our students and ensure they get a high-flying career.

(The author is the Vice Chancellor, Centurion University, Odisha)

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs, and views expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this website are personal and do not reflect the opinions, beliefs, and views of ABP Network Pvt. Ltd.

education