On November 20, 2025, Prof. Santosh Mehrotra from University of Bath and Prof. Pradeep Kumar Choudhury from Jawaharlal Nehru University presented the third Expert CERE Seminar titled: “Indian TVET: Between Informality and Ambitions.”
Between Informality and Ambitions: Indian TVET under the Spotlight
Speakers argued that India’s TVET system suffers from low legitimacy, fragmented governance, and a mismatch with labour market needs. Deep-rooted social inequalities, inherited from a post-colonial education model, reinforce barriers to participation. Many programmes — especially short-term certificate courses — fail to deliver tangible returns in the job market, fuelling mistrust and human capital waste.
With a rapidly closing demographic window (expected to end by 2040), India urgently needs a TVET system capable of absorbing its young workforce and meeting the demands of a fast-changing labour market shaped by AI and automation.
To address these challenges, the speakers argued that more students should be encouraged to enter vocational tracks before reaching higher education. They also emphasised the need to rebuild ties between industry and training providers, rework the existing financing model to promote private sector involvement, and reorient higher education to place greater emphasis on STEM disciplines — all of which would help align educational pathways with real economic opportunities.
The seminar sparked a dynamic discussion on the relationship between education, employment, and productivity in the Indian context, and the broader future of skills development in the Global South.
The full recording of the seminar is now available for viewing:
With a rapidly closing demographic window (expected to end by 2040), India urgently needs a TVET system capable of absorbing its young workforce and meeting the demands of a fast-changing labour market shaped by AI and automation.
To address these challenges, the speakers argued that more students should be encouraged to enter vocational tracks before reaching higher education. They also emphasised the need to rebuild ties between industry and training providers, rework the existing financing model to promote private sector involvement, and reorient higher education to place greater emphasis on STEM disciplines — all of which would help align educational pathways with real economic opportunities.
The seminar sparked a dynamic discussion on the relationship between education, employment, and productivity in the Indian context, and the broader future of skills development in the Global South.
The full recording of the seminar is now available for viewing:
What challenges does India’s vocational education system face — and why has it struggled to deliver on its promise?
These were the questions at the heart of the third Expert CERE Seminar, held on November 20, 2025, and dedicated to the evolving landscape of TVET in India. The seminar featured two distinguished speakers: Professor Santosh Mehrotra (University of Bath) and Professor Pradeep Kumar Choudhury (Jawaharlal Nehru University), both leading voices in education and labour policy.
Together, they mapped the paradox of Indian TVET: despite decades of reform efforts, only a small fraction of the workforce (2.5–4.4%) holds formal vocational training — one of the lowest rates among emerging economies. Meanwhile, youth unemployment continues to climb, even as more young people obtain higher education degrees.
These were the questions at the heart of the third Expert CERE Seminar, held on November 20, 2025, and dedicated to the evolving landscape of TVET in India. The seminar featured two distinguished speakers: Professor Santosh Mehrotra (University of Bath) and Professor Pradeep Kumar Choudhury (Jawaharlal Nehru University), both leading voices in education and labour policy.
Together, they mapped the paradox of Indian TVET: despite decades of reform efforts, only a small fraction of the workforce (2.5–4.4%) holds formal vocational training — one of the lowest rates among emerging economies. Meanwhile, youth unemployment continues to climb, even as more young people obtain higher education degrees.
20 November 2025
Santosh Mehrotra
We are facing a situation of rising youth unemployment. This is partly because the economy is not growing as quickly as it was post-Covid. But it is also due to structural issues
