India’s skills challenge is becoming more urgent as the country tries to create a large youth workforce to reshape the economy in the face of technology, changing labour-market needs and global uncertainty. In a round table conference organized by The Times of India And JPMorgan Chase Policy makers, teachers, employers and researchers examine why the transition from education to employment remains so difficult for many young people.The discussion revealed that the problem goes deeper than the shortage of training seats. Panelists pointed to weak career guidance, outdated curricula, limited work experience, social stigma around professional careers, low job creation and structural barriers faced by women and rural youth. They first outlined a comprehensive set of solutions, from career awareness and hyperlocal demand-mapping to stronger apprenticeships, employer-led training and better support systems that can help young people get into work more smoothly.

1. Students are choosing in the darkOne of the concerns was that students often make educational choices without understanding what jobs exist, what qualifications they require, or what pathways are actually viable. Isha Gupta, head of research at JustJobs, identified this as a central “information gap” in the transition from education to employment. Shriya Lal Sethi, operating partner at The Convergence Foundation, said the problem is compounded by the lack of reliable district and state-level data on job demand.Solution: : Priya Aggarwal, Founder Director, Antrang Foundation, said career education should start from school, with teachers, parents, principals and local employers helping students understand the real options. Sethi called for hyperlocal demand-mapping so that institutions and households can make better decisions. Nipun Sharma, CEO of TeamLease Degree Apprenticeships, said there also needed to be improved awareness among employers about existing skills and apprenticeship pathways.

2. Jobs don’t need what colleges teach.Many speakers said that India is producing graduates and trainees whose education is poorly aligned with the changing demands of the workplace. Professor Anil Sahasrabuddhe, chairman of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), said the outdated curriculum has long been a complaint of the industry and institutions have been forced to move towards more frequent revision and closer consultation with employers.Solution: Sahasrabuddhe called for continuous curriculum reform and lifelong learning. Guhaprasath Rajagopal, India payments head, JPMorgan Chase, said employers should stop behaving like passive recruiters and instead become active skill-builders. Neha Mathur, chief human resources officer at Urban Company, said companies need to bridge the gap between training and jobs by building in-house training systems that respond quickly to changing demand.

3. No one is ready for a job without work experienceThe panel returned repeatedly to the problem of the “experience gap” – the lack of actual experience in the world of work prior to entry into a job. Gupta said many youth struggle because the reality of employment does not match their imagination.Solution : Sahasrabuddhe and Professor Amit Basole of Azim Premji University both described internships as an effective bridge between education and work. TeamLease’s Sharma makes a strong case for apprenticeships, saying they allow students to learn while earning and ease the transition into stable employment. Sethi highlighted work-integrated degree programmes, while Raj Gilda of Lend A Hand India, an NGO working in the jobs and skills sector, said vocational exposure should start much earlier in school and deepen over time through local internships. His NGO supports class 11 and 12 students for 80-hour internships with local businesses—grocery stores, health care units, cafes, garages, workshops, small manufacturers.

4. Skills cannot replace employment generationAmit Basole said that the skills debate too often sees the problem as merely a problem of supply. India has expanded education and skills infrastructure, he said, but demand for labor has not grown as fast, especially for workers without college degrees.Solution: : Basole said skills policy should be linked to broader job creation, especially in manufacturing and other sectors that can absorb large numbers of non-graduate workers. He also said employers’ reluctance to invest in workers cannot be separated from broader business barriers such as energy costs, logistics and regulation. His larger point was that productive jobs themselves create skills, and skills cannot be treated as a substitute for job-creation.

5. Why is there still a lack of respect in business work?Another recurring theme was that skill-based and manual work still does not have the same social legitimacy as white-collar careers. Reena Sonowal, joint secretary in the education ministry, said one of the persistent challenges of the sector is that skills are less aspirational than traditional education. Basole linked this to deeper social attitudes, including caste-based ideas about physical labour.Solution : Sonowal said that dignity of labor has to be included in school education. Priya Agarwal said there is a need to normalize career pathways through trusted institutions like schools. His foundation works with public schools to integrate career education into public education systems. Mathur of Urban Company suggested that professional work acquires dignity when it provides visible advancement in income and status. Nipun Sharma said that success stories of people who learn while earning can help change social perceptions.

6. Barriers for women often lie outside the classroomIt became clear from the discussion that women’s participation in skills and employment is determined by barriers beyond class. Devinder Kaur, assistant director of the Noida-based National Vocational Training Institute for Women, said many women, especially from rural areas, struggle with transportation costs, living expenses, social restrictions, marriage-related barriers and weak local placement options, even when training is subsidized.Solution: : Citing efforts to help women access vehicles and better commute to work, Neha Mathur said employers need to think beyond training and address practical mobility barriers. Sharma said safe housing remains a major concern. The broader solution suggested by the panel was that skills policy should include support for transportation, housing, security and family acceptance if women are to remain in jobs.

7. Should skill development follow local jobs?The panel also debated whether skills should be tailored primarily to local jobs or to broader labour-market dynamics. Sethi argued for local demand mapping so that institutions could link training with nearby opportunities. Raj Gilda emphasizes that small local businesses – from garages and salons to retail shops and cafes – are an under-utilized source of internships and early work experience.Solution: : The view that emerged was that both perspectives matter. Local opportunities can make entry into work easier, especially for school students, women and first-generation learners. But Nipun Sharma cautioned against limiting skills to local labor markets, saying mobility across cities or even abroad often replaces income. The answer is local grounding, combined with routes for mass mobility.

8. Why do good skill ideas stop on the ground?A repeated theme in the discussion was that the country does not lack policy frameworks or platforms; The bigger issue is irregular lifting and poor execution. Sahasrabuddhe listed several existing initiatives, including curriculum reform measures, digital learning platforms and credit systems. He talked about UGC and AICTE, the two regulators of the higher education sector, coming together to create model curricula in collaboration with industry leaders and alumni.Solution: : Speakers suggested the need to focus less on starting new schemes and more on improving existing schemes. This will mean stronger quality tracking, better coordination with institutions and employers, and greater awareness within the industry of tools such as apprenticeships and modular credentials. Sharma said apprenticeship budgets and provisions are largely underutilized because employers do not have adequate information about them.Manisha Chadha, Head of Philanthropic Programming APAC at JPMC, highlighted the range of solutions being piloted at the grassroots level and said the idea is to accelerate the adoption of all these models, which have successfully demonstrated that proactive and deliberate efforts can transform a young person’s life.

9. AI will change jobs. Can skills development continue?The panel also discussed AI as both a disruptor and an opportunity. There was a recognition that technology was reshaping entry-level roles and could reduce the demand for some traditional tasks.Solution: Nipun Sharma said AI can be used for counselling, personalized learning, fitment and matching workers with employers. Guhaprasath Rajagopal said that AI should not only be seen as a threat, but also as something that complements skill systems to make them more efficient. The broad suggestion was that skills systems would need to adapt rapidly, both in what they teach and how they teach.JustJobs’ 6-point plan:A report by JustJobs Network, a global research organization, based on field evidence from seven nonprofit partners, recommends six linked reforms: measuring local job demand, providing ongoing career guidance, teaching employability skills, building industry links, strengthening trainers, and involving families.