NITI Aayog said more than 7.67 crore people had been trained since 2014-15, while the Union Budget for 2025-26 provided Rs 34,000 crore for skilling-related expenditure across ministries.

Hyderabad:NITI Aayog has called for a comprehensive overhaul of the country’s skill-development ecosystem by introducing employability and entrepreneurship skills from Class 6 and structured vocational education from Class 9. It also called for industry-linked courses, apprenticeship-embedded degrees, unified State apprenticeship platforms and outcome-based monitoring of training programmes.

The recommendations, issued under the ‘NITI Aayog report ‘Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat@2047’, vindicate Telangana’s emphasis on skill development. The state government has already established the Young India Skills University through a public-private partnership model. The university has launched industry-linked programmes in healthcare, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, logistics, information technology and other emerging sectors. It has also partnered with T-Works, a few corporate hospitals and technology companies for specialised courses.

Telangana is among the states covered under the Centre’s PM-SETU initiative for upgrading Industrial Training Institutes. The proposed hub-and-spoke model, involving ITIs in Hyderabad, Warangal, Nalgonda and Vikarabad, could improve access to modern laboratories, trainers and industry exposure.

However, Vinod Kumar, a noted educationist and member of the Panel for Advanced Quantum and STEM Learning, said the state faced learning gaps at the school level. He pointed out that a recent NITI Aayog assessment found Telangana students below the national average in several language and mathematics competencies. This underlines the need to strengthen foundational learning before expanding technical training.

Vinod Kumar also pointed out that the report’s district-first approach could help Telangana reduce the concentration of opportunities in Hyderabad by linking local skilling with agriculture, food processing, textiles, manufacturing, logistics, healthcare and digital services.

It is to be noted that the Centre is keen on a comprehensive overhaul of the country’s skill-development ecosystem, stressing the need to move from enrolment- and certification-based programmes to an outcome-oriented framework linked to jobs, wages and career progression. These recommendations are contained in the latest report of NITI Aayog, Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat@2047, released recently.

The report identifies five learner groups — school students, higher education learners, formal and informal workers, youth not in education or employment, and women — together accounting for nearly 60 crore people.

NITI Aayog said more than 7.67 crore people had been trained since 2014-15, while the Union Budget for 2025-26 provided Rs 34,000 crore for skilling-related expenditure across ministries. However, it cautioned that training and certification had not always translated into employment, better wages or career advancement.

The report proposed a digital skills passport linked to the APAAR ID (Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry) to record qualifications, recognition of prior learning and work experience. State-level digital registries and skill exchanges would connect candidates, training providers, employers and government schemes.

APAAR ID is a unique 12-digit digital identification number issued to students in India under the “One Nation, One Student ID” programme tied to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.


Class 6: Proposed start of employability skills.

Class 9: Proposed structured vocational education.

60 crore: Learners and workers covered by the report’s five segments.

Telangana: Included in PM-SETU ITI upgradation plan.

Key proposal: Digital Skills Passport linked to APAAR ID.

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