Education is forgettable but skill is long-lasting

Education gives knowledge but task specific skills provide work opportunities that lasts longer.  

Education gives knowledge and enables better understanding but practical skills can often lead to a deeper understanding through practical work in personal experience.  In this skill-based era, more focus is laid on specific skills for any particular job. In a constantly changing environment, having specialized skills is a basic part of being able to address the difficulties of regular day-to-day existence. The dramatic changes in global economy over the recent five years have been coordinated with the changes in innovation technology. All these are creating a greater impact on education, working environment and daily routine. 

To cope up with the increasing pace and change of present-day life, students need to learn life ( various ) skills. Life Skills are important as these bring positive effects in the life of an individual. In this technologically advanced century skills are essential to build a safe society with the help of recent innovation.

India had 250-300 million youth in the ‘not in employment, education or training’ (NEET) category in 2009, with 8-9 million being added every year. Only 12 million enter the workforce every year with an annual total training capacity of 3-4 million. The NEET segment keeps growing at a rate of 8-9 million every year. This was ironically in a fast-growing economy that reported skill shortages. 

Since long-term training was not a viable solution for this ballooning problem a short-term modular training system wherein youth would be trained enough to be provided jobs in industry since semi-skilled workers was envisaged. The youth could then pick up further skills on the job and through an effective work-based learning mechanism, become fully skilled. Thus, it is important to involve skills specific training among the children from an early stage. 

These factors are the reason why emerging economy like India should invest in skill development for youth along with proper education.

Skill-based education places the ownership of learning in the hands of students and helps them fill the big gap of understanding. The assessment, from this type of learning, demonstrates their competency rather than grades. This kind of education process is a great boon for drop-outs, as they can easily move ahead without being stuck helplessly. The whole structure depends on the individual where students control their learning with the help of assessments and hands-on training projects.

There is need for skill, re - skill and up - skill of individuals to participate in the global knowledge, which is, economy driven by emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and data analytics.