World Youth Skills Day 2023 Live Updates: Quotes, Wishes, significance

Neha Bagaria, Founder & CEO, HerKey (formerly JobsForHer)

To ensure a digital-centric future, it is imperative for India to recognise the vital importance of fostering a holistic skill development ecosystem encompassing not only technical and hard skills but also essential life skills. This holds particular significance for our young population, including women graduates entering the workforce, to mitigate the concerning trend of high dropout rates. We must prioritise equipping the youth with a comprehensive set of life skills that are equally valued alongside technical competencies in the era of automation and Industry 5.0. These essential life skills prepare individuals to adapt effectively to evolving environments. As advocates for the well-being of society, we firmly believe that the strength of a community depends on the opportunities it provides to all individuals. Therefore, as leaders, it becomes our responsibility to foster collaboration and establish a robust skilling ecosystem that caters to the multifaceted needs of today's youth.

Amit Vasistha, Founder and CEO, MyGALF

Skilled youth can provide a number of benefits to the country and economy. They can help drive economic growth by filling in critical skills gaps, boosting productivity, and creating new businesses. This can help address social challenges such as poverty and unemployment.

Traditionally, from a human resources perspective, hiring managers look for KSAC (knowledge, skill, attitude, and common sense). Skill is an important element that hiring managers look for. We have seen over a period of years that while knowledge can be sourced from the internet and multiple sources, it is the skill that really plays a key role in terms of being readily employable. With the advent of AI and machine learning, the landscape is changing rapidly, and skills will continue to play a crucial role for youth. They can better support the growth of a country and economy with more current, relevant, and futuristic capabilities.

The skills in demand that youth need to learn today include:

1) Financial literacy: This includes understanding how money works and how to invest it wisely.

2) Automation, AI, and machine learning tools: Not everybody is a computer engineer or coder, but everyone today can become technologically informed and equipped to use the available tools to make themselves more productive and impactful

3) Selling skills: While technology is taking over practically every aspect of life, selling skills will never go out of business. Technology will only enable people to get better at selling.

One doesn't need to compete with technology but rather co-exist and use it to make ourselves more impactful, productive, and future ready. For example, they can use technology to automate tasks, learn new skills, and market themselves to potential employers.

It is important to remember that technology is not a threat to skilled youth. Instead, it is a tool that can be used to make them more productive and successful.

Meenu Bhatia, Co-Founder & Director, VMentor.ai (a ‘tech-enabled, human intervened' mentorship platform)

 I believe the youth of today can be the change agent of tomorrow if they are given all the right ammunition in terms of knowledge and skills with a constant focus on attitude and aptitude. India has the largest youth population in the world; around 66 percent of the total population (more than 808 million) is below the age of 35. Its really upon us today to leverage this pool, skill them, and use this demographic dividend to boost employability, entrepreneurship, and capacity development in tier 2,3,4 towns in India.

Dr Satish Kumar, President and Executive Director, Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE)

World Youth Skills Day is a powerful reminder of the boundless potential within our youth. Today's youth are not merely the leaders of tomorrow; they embody the proactive role of change-makers and problem solvers in the present. Through initiatives like Solar Decathlon India, we empower them with essential skills, propelling sustainable development, and fostering progress and inclusivity in our societies. Designed with a visionary perspective, this program equips future engineers and architects with the expertise to design net-zero buildings and advance construction practices. It prudently complements the academic curriculum, offering learning modules and opportunities for youth to collaborate on real-world building projects, driving innovative solutions. Solar Decathlon India stands as a herald of change, nurturing India's youth to provide pragmatic design solutions for communities vulnerable to climate change impacts. By investing in the skills of our youth today, we pave the way for a more inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous tomorrow.

Himmat Singh Dhillon, Headmaster, The Lawrence School, Sanawar

The theme for World Youth Skills Day 2023 is Skilling teachers, trainers, and youth for a transformative future. Join the Community of Learners at The Lawrence School, Sanawar this World Youth Skills Day, as we unite with the global community to acknowledge the potential of young people to be catalysts for change and make a commitment to providing them with the skills and opportunities they need to build a prosperous and sustainable world for all. Together, we can shape a brighter future where no young person is left behind. Let us be the change.

Dr. Adit Desai, Co-founder, DocTutorials

Reskilling and upskilling have become mandates in the corporate world. The changing dynamics of the startup landscape, with the introduction of disruptive technologies like AI and ML, along with the ever-evolving digital marketing space and increased cyber threats, have compelled both large and small companies to seek professionals equipped with the necessary skills to overcome these challenges. This has led to a significant reorganisation in the HR sector worldwide, making reskilling imperative for the workforce. Once seen as luxuries or leisure pursuits, executive education and upskilling have now become almost prerequisites for securing employment. Additionally, this change has given teachers and trainers specialising in these abilities a significant opportunity to be acknowledged for their expertise, which was previously taken for granted. It is an incredibly exciting space, and the next five years will favour those who dedicate sufficient time to learning and successfully applying these skills."

Sarvesh Agrawal, CEO and Founder, Internshala

In today's professional era which is dynamically advancing with technology and has a cut-throat competition, it has become a necessity for young professionals and job aspirants to focus on their skill sets. Along with being digitally savvy, having future skills is quintessential to complement their degrees. Internshala is a huge advocate of skill building and experiential learning through in-demand skill training and internships to enable the students in becoming career ready. In fact, a standout change over the past couple of years has been the drift of young students and professionals towards e-learning for their skilling and upskilling needs. With advancing technology and the Covid outbreak, a major chunk of students and professionals are leveraging online training which has updated content, is affordable, and easily accessible. The education industry is also making use of video conferencing apps to connect with students when not able to conduct offline classes, using digital apps like YouTube and others.

Having said that, the onus to enable skilling among today's youth lies with our educators - trainers, and teachers. The teaching community needs to be adept with rapid tech advancements and come up with innovative ways of imparting education to their students. A major factor here is technology. The advancements in this sector is truly enabling and has the potential to assist the teaching community in driving creativity in their educating process and encouraging a holistic skill development of the students.

Abhishek Ajmera, Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer, UNIVO

The success of a nation rests in the hands of its youth, and India's future shines bright with a staggering 65% of the population comprising young individuals.

UNIVO recognises this potential and is dedicated to unlocking it through accessible and affordable online higher education. By offering a wide range of 60+ online degree programs from top-tier universities worldwide, UNIVO empowers the youth with sustainable learning outcomes and increased employability prospects.

The rising demand for online higher education, as highlighted by a KPMG report, signifies a promising shift towards a skilled and qualified workforce. With online higher education leading the charge, India is poised to become a global powerhouse and the skill capital of the world.