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India Launches Skills Accelerator with World Economic Forum to Bridge Workforce Gaps

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has signed an MoU with the World Economic Forum to launch the India Skills Accelerator. This platform aims to identify and scale innovative solutions to address critical workforce skills gaps. The initiative will strengthen the TVET ecosystem by aligning skilling with evolving industry and global economic demands. It builds on momentum from India's participation at the recent WEF Annual Meeting in Davos.

Key Points: India & WEF Launch Skills Accelerator for Future Workforce

  • Launches multistakeholder Skills Accelerator
  • Aligns skilling with industry demands
  • Supports NEP 2020 & Viksit Bharat 2047
  • Promotes lifelong learning & upskilling
2 min read

MSDE joins World Economic Forum to boost India's skilling ecosystem

India's MSDE partners with World Economic Forum to launch a Skills Accelerator, aiming to bridge critical skills gaps and align training with industry needs.

"marks a key milestone in building a future-ready, globally competitive workforce - Jayant Chaudhary"

New Delhi, Jan 22

The government on Thursday said the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the World Economic Forum to collaborate on strengthening India's skills and Technical and Vocational Education and Training ecosystem.

MSDE will collaborate with the WEF to launch and implement a Skills Accelerator in India, a multistakeholder platform aimed at identifying, scaling, and accelerating innovative solutions and public-private partnerships to address critical skills gaps in the workforce.

The Accelerator will support efforts to strengthen India's Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) ecosystem by ensuring closer alignment between skilling initiatives and the evolving demands of industry and the global economy.

"What began as a strategic vision to align India's skilling ecosystem with the future of work has now taken a structured and global form. The formalisation of the India Skills Accelerator, in partnership with the World Economic Forum, marks a key milestone in building a future-ready, globally competitive workforce," said Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Aligned with NEP 2020 and Viksit India at 2047, it reinforces skilling as a central pillar of inclusive growth and national transformation, he added.

Sukanta Majumdar, Minister of State for Education said this collaboration strongly complements the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 by integrating education with skilling, fostering lifelong learning, and aligning curricula with future industry needs.

The Skills Accelerator will focus on strategically addressing skills gaps by promoting lifelong learning, upskilling, and reskilling.

The initiative will encourage flexible curriculum, integration of vocational and higher education pathways, mutual recognition of qualifications, and capacity building across institutions.

MSDE will work closely with higher education institutions, vocational training institutions, and regulatory bodies such as AICTE and UGC to support awareness, implementation, and scale the Accelerator.

This collaboration marks a new chapter in India and WEF relations, building on the momentum generated during India's participation at the 55th WEF Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, in January 2025, where skill development was highlighted as a strategic pillar for inclusive growth and global collaboration.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
Good initiative, but implementation is key. We have many skill development schemes already. How will this Accelerator be different? Will it ensure that a young person in a tier-3 city gets the same quality training as someone in a metro? Need more details on the execution plan.
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Rohit P
Finally! Bridging the gap between what our colleges teach and what industries need. If this partnership with WEF can help update our curriculum with future skills like AI and green tech, it will be a game-changer for employability. Jai Hind!
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Sarah B
As someone working in HR for a multinational, the skills gap is very real. This public-private platform for identifying critical gaps is the most promising part. Hope it leads to standardized, recognized qualifications that companies worldwide will value.
V
Vikram M
Integrating vocational and higher education pathways is a brilliant move, long overdue. It will remove the stigma around 'ITI' and polytechnic courses. A skilled technician is as valuable as an engineer. This aligns perfectly with NEP 2020's vision.
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Karthik V
The proof will be in the pudding. We need to see how AICTE and UGC actually implement this "flexible curriculum". Our education system is very rigid. WEF's global perspective can help, but our own bureaucracy needs to be agile for this to work.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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