Opinion | Mission Skill J&K: Can Skill-Based Education Solve the Youth Employment Gap?

As Jammu and Kashmir moves towards a changing economy, the real challenge is to connect education with employable skills, entrepreneurship and meaningful opportunities for its young population. Mission Skill J&K could become a crucial bridge between classrooms and careers if training is linked with the actual needs of the market.

For Mission Skill J&K to deliver lasting results, the focus now needs to move from training numbers to employment outcomes. The government should consider developing a clear Skill-to-Employment framework in which every major training programme is linked to identified sectors, employers and measurable career outcomes. Training should begin with an assessment of what skills the local economy actually needs and should end with either employment, apprenticeship or a realistic pathway to self-employment.

First, every district should prepare a District Skill and Employment Plan based on its economic potential. The plan should identify emerging sectors, available businesses, future employment demand and the skills required by local industries. This would ensure that young people are not trained for jobs that do not exist while employers continue to struggle to find workers with the right skills.Second, industry participation should become a formal part of skill development. Government training institutions should build stronger partnerships with hotels, hospitals, construction companies, technology firms, agricultural enterprises, handicraft businesses and other local employers. Apprenticeships and on-the-job training should be expanded so that young people gain workplace experience before completing their programmes.

Third, Mission Skill J&K should introduce a public employment outcome dashboard. Citizens should be able to see how many young people were trained, how many secured employment, how many entered apprenticeships and how many established businesses. Training providers should be evaluated on these outcomes rather than simply on the number of certificates they issue. Public funding should increasingly follow performance.Fourth, skilled youth who want to become entrepreneurs should receive support beyond the classroom. A single-window skill and enterprise support system could connect trained youth with credit, government schemes, mentors, market platforms and business registration support. The objective should be to reduce the gap between having a skill and being able to earn from that skill.Fifth, rural youth must receive equal attention. Skill centres should be expanded closer to villages and remote areas, while mobile and digital training can complement physical institutions. Local economic activities should determine the courses offered. A village with strong horticulture potential needs different skills from a tourism destination or a handicraft cluster.

Finally, the Mission should prepare young people for the economy that is emerging rather than only the economy that exists today. Artificial intelligence, digital commerce, renewable energy, modern agriculture, healthcare technology and advanced technical services will create new opportunities. The curriculum must therefore be reviewed regularly and young people should be given opportunities to learn new technologies alongside traditional vocational skills.The most important policy shift is therefore simple: move from counting trained youth to counting successful careers. A skill certificate should be the beginning of an economic journey rather than the end of a government programme. If Mission Skill J&K can create that transition from training to employment and from employment to entrepreneurship, it can become one of the most important investments Jammu and Kashmir makes in its young generation.

The Author Dr Sheikh Jamsheed, a dedicated Social and Peace Activist & President Specially Abled Social Activists Association is known for promoting peace national integration and social awareness, reflecting the values of harmony community, and Kashmiriyat.His work spans youth empowerment, anti drug awareness, environmental advocacy, and social development. He has also been awarded an International Honorary Doctorate in Social Work in recognition of his contributions.

Sheikhjamsheed751@gmail.com