- link Copy URL - [ Share on X ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Soft Skills: The Key to Future-proofing Jobs in India https://www.3blmedia.com/markdownify/node/233121?absolute=1&via=3blnews "Share on X") - [ Share on linkedin ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.3blmedia.com/markdownify/node/233121?absolute=1 "Share on Linkedin") - [ Share on facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.3blmedia.com/markdownify/node/233121?absolute=1 "Share on Facebook") - [ email Share via email ](mailto:?subject=Soft Skills: The Key to Future-proofing Jobs in India&body=News from Business Call to Action (BCtA) https://www.3blmedia.com/markdownify/node/233121?absolute=1 "Share via email") [Education & Workforce Development](/categories/education-workforce-development) # Soft Skills: The Key to Future-proofing Jobs in India Dec 18, 2018 11:00 AM ET [Originally posted on The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/business-call-to-action-partnerzone/2018/nov/28/soft-skills-the-key-to-future-proofing-jobs-in-india) As the Indian economy rapidly embraces new tech, skills such as management and creativity become essential. We need to ensure low-income earners get necessary training, says Ivan Lukas. Thanks to a training course provided by Indian social enterprise [Empower Pragati](https://www.businesscalltoaction.org/member/empower-pragati-vocational-staffing), Himani Chauhan, a young woman from a small village in Meerut, India, was able to escape a cycle of domestic abuse and take control of her life. These days, Chauhan is a qualified beauty therapist at a local salon; she earns her own salary and supports herself. Empower Pragati provides training to vulnerable youths, women, people with disabilities and students who did not finish school or college in both rural and urban India. It offers courses covering everything from retail to IT, tourism, telecommunications, healthcare, banking, finance, agriculture and more. With the rapid digitalisation and automation of the Indian economy, it is increasingly difficult for vulnerable women from rural India, like Chauhan, to find a decent job. For a large portion of the population in the global south, substantial reskilling is a must in order not to be left behind. The jobs in high demand in the future will likely be those that machines cannot replicate, such as sales representatives, software system developers, physical therapists, specialist physicians, nurse practitioners or school teachers. Unfortunately, in India, as in many other countries, vocational training or educational courses do not always match the demand of the labour market. According to [a study](http://www.iicpsd.undp.org/content/istanbul/en/home1/library/reports/Private-Sector-Skills-Lessons-from-India.html) by the UNDP Istanbul International Center for Private Sector and Development, Indian education institutes typically do not prepare students well for the new kind of jobs that exist in this era of digitalisation. The study notes that the quality of applied training is below the required levels, which is also due to a disconnect between industry, and education and training institutions. Skills training programmes in India often neglect the soft skills – such as planning, creativity, judgment or management – and this can be detrimental for job prospects. To a large extent, it is the poorest, most marginalised and vulnerable groups, who have limited access to formal education or reskilling training, that are most severely affected. With this in mind, the Indian government established several public-private partnerships to address the skills gap, engaging enterprises and institutes such as Empower Pragati, [Centum WorkSkills India](http://www.centumlearning.com/), [IndiaCan Education](https://in.pearson.com/indiacan.html) and [Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories](http://www.drreddys.com/). In addition to Empower Pragati, several [Business Call to Action](https://www.businesscalltoaction.org/)members are also providing training to disadvantaged people through their inclusive business models in India, actively addressing the future needs of the nation’s labour market. Skills development company [Drishtee](https://www.businesscalltoaction.org/member/drishtee) helps low-income earners set up their own businesses, teaching entrepreneurial and management skills. Rupa Devi, a single mother of two from Chanderei village in Bihar, completed a Drishtee training programme in stitching after being left by her husband to raise her two daughters alone in 2011. In February 2012, she became a producer for the Drishtee Rural Apparel Producer Organization (DRAP). As her skills developed, she became a DRAP employee, and her next milestone is to become a production supervisor, training more women producers. “I want to make this production centre bigger, both qualitatively and quantitatively, along with my fellow producers. We wish to increase our productivity and earning. Moreover, I would also like to learn how to run a similar kind of production centre and \[to better\] understand the market,” says Devi. Thanks to Drishtee, Devi has been able to grow her soft skills, meaning she is not under threat of being replaced by automation. Supporting individuals like Devi to move into full employment in fields that are not at risk of being phased out is one of the key objectives of public policies in India and other emerging countries - a productive and well-functioning labour market is a must for economic growth and social peace. The private sector globally depends on having a labour market that has sufficient numbers of people equipped with the right kind of skills to meet demand. Any initiatives, public or private, targeting skills development are an investment for the future. And the smartest way of doing it is investing in those skills that correspond with the changing trends of the global economy. People living at the bottom of the economic pyramid represent a massive pool of potential employees who could benefit from training and education opportunities. As such, the returns on investment for both public and private actors can be enormous. To maximise this potential, it is important that private sector activities do not take place in isolation, but are embedded in an ecosystem approach, created through partnerships between private sector, governments, NGOs, research centres and academia. *Ivan Lukas is the outreach and membership lead at Business Call to Action* [![](/sites/default/files/Clients/BCtA_SDGs_logo_web_RGB_900x900pixels.png)](/profiles/business-call-action-bcta) ### More from Business Call to Action (BCtA) ###### [Virtual Dialogue Tunisia: Effective Private Sector Engagement in Development Cooperation](/news/virtual-dialogue-tunisia-effective-private-sector-engagement-development-cooperation) Jan 27, 2022 2:25 PM ET ###### [Call for Applications on Telehealth Solutions by Businesses for Low-Income Populations in Colombia ](/news/call-applications-telehealth-solutions-businesses-low-income-populations-colombia) Dec 21, 2021 9:00 AM ET ###### [Defining the Inclusive Business Features](/news/defining-inclusive-business-features) Sep 23, 2021 1:00 AM ET ###### [Business Call to Action 10th Annual Forum: Reimagining Resilience through Inclusive Business Innovation](/news/business-call-action-10th-annual-forum-reimagining-resilience-through-inclusive-business) Sep 23, 2020 4:05 PM ET ###### [Coffee for Peace Wins Prestigious Business for Peace Award](/news/coffee-peace-wins-prestigious-business-peace-award) Sep 11, 2020 1:30 PM ET ###### [Ugandan Tech Company Fights Crop Loss with Innovative Packaging](/news/ugandan-tech-company-fights-crop-loss-innovative-packaging) Aug 21, 2020 12:25 PM ET ###### [Cacao Bean Exporter and Chocolate Producer Boosting Livelihoods of Rural Farmers in Costa Rica](/news/cacao-bean-exporter-and-chocolate-producer-boosting-livelihoods-rural-farmers-costa-rica) Aug 11, 2020 11:30 AM ET ###### [Understanding the Impact of Supporting Small-scale Milk Producers in Turkey](/news/understanding-impact-supporting-small-scale-milk-producers-turkey) Aug 7, 2020 11:55 PM ET