How customised corporate education can yield “demographic dividend“ in India

11 May 2009

A fresher, integrated approach to workplace learning can have a positive role in India's ability to turn its unique demographics into a dividend writes Angie Taras

India's famous ''demographic dividend'' of a young population could turn into a liability unless accompanied by a massive shift in corporate education across all sectors.

A fresher, integrated approach to workplace learning can have a positive role in India's ability to turn its unique demographics into a dividend. Customised workplace training is the most relevant, most adaptable approach for the vast numbers of people forecast to enter the workforce and the most suitable for the current downturn as organisations seek to make every dollar count and reposition for new markets and opportunities.

Fortunately, India has a cultural advantage in its belief in self improvement and high regard for education, providing some optimism that the demographic dividend remains an opportunity and not a headache.

But logistical challenges have the power to test this culture and optimism: 40 per cent  of approximately 1.1 billion people under 21 years of age means an unprecedented number of Indians moving into the workforce and commencing careers: the government's 2007-08 economic survey found 68.4 per cent  of the population will be of working age (15-64) in 2026, up from 62.9 per cent in 2006.

A Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) study in 2006 found that 80 million new jobs would be created in the next 10 years and that 75 per cent of these will require vocational skills at least.

India's younger generations are described by many business leaders as not ''job ready'' when they graduate university. Graduates are well schooled in traditional, formal learning to build their knowledge base but to be job ready requires more informal learning, and this is where corporate education and training can make a huge difference.