Blitz India Education Bureau
NEW DELHI: India is reshaping education around a single goal: a future-ready workforce. Under the National Education Policy 2020, vocational skills now begin as early as Class 6.
Training already reaches 25,000 schools and some 35 lakh students, targeting vocational exposure for half of all learners by 2035. The 2026–27 Budget added momentum through PM-SETU, which modernises industrial training institutes, alongside five planned university townships near industrial hubs.
India is teaching skills alongside subjects — starting in Class 6 — in a bid to turn its vast young population into a productivity dividend.
At a Glance
• Skilling starts: Class 6 (“bagless” periods)
• Reach: 25,000 schools; ~35 lakh students
• NEP target: 50% of learners by 2035
• New: PM-SETU; 5 university townships
Fresh apprenticeships at ISRO, DRDO and public-sector insurers, plus a standing committee aligning school skilling with service-sector demand, reflect a system trying to keep pace with a changing job market.
The constructive task is quality and linkage: mapping courses to in-demand roles, deepening industry participation, and tracking learning outcomes.
