Digital Skills Rapid Assessment of DigitalSkills2Succeed Regional Project Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
Contents 2 Abbreviations 4 1. Executive Summary 7 2. Context 13 16 2.3 Digital Skilling in the Indian Context 18 2.4 Gender Lens in Digital Skilling 3. 14 2.2 Digital Skills - What is it? CONTENTS 2.1 Changing Industry Dynamics 21 About the Project 3.1 Key Objectives 25 28 About the Study 3.2 Purpose of the Study 3.3 Scope of the Study 4. 29 30 NuSocia’s Approach Towards the Study 31 4.1 Methodology 4.2 Sampling 34 4.3 Approach and Framework 36 4.4 Hierarchy of Digital Skills 44 4.5 Assumptions, Limitations and Challenges in the Study 4.6 Flow of the Findings Chapters 5. 32 46 Digital Skill Needs in the Industry: Demand Side 48 49 5.1 Institution-level digital skill need assessment 50 5.2 Sector-level digital skill need assessment 52 A. Entrepreneurship and Innovation Sector B. Information Technology Sector 55 C. Energy Sector 56 D. E-Commerce Sector 58 E. Digital Skill Needs across Sectors Page 2 52 60
6. The Skilling Landscape of India: Supply Side 63 6.1 Technical Programs: A Focused Approach 66 6.2 Non-Technical Degrees: Struggling to Bridge the Skills Gap 6.3 Supplemental Skilling: Unable to Meet Demand 68 6.4 Challenges in the current digital landscape 73 70 7. Key Skills in Focus 75 8. Gap Analysis 79 8.1 Demand side Analysis 8.2 Supply side Analysis 9. 81 86 8.3 Overall Skill Gap Analysis: Summary and Conclusion Recommendations 9.1 Strategic Recommendations 89 99 100 A. Courses and Skills 101 B. Collaborations and Partnerships 102 C. Career Guidance and Pathways 103 9.2 Stakeholder Mapping: Potential Partners 104 10. Appendix 105 11. List of Tables 143 12. List of Figures 145 13. Sources 148 Page 3
Artificial Intelligence BMZ CRM German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development Customer Relationship Management CSR ABBREVIATIONS AI Corporate Social Responsibility DEF Digital Empowerment Foundation DLGF Digital Literacy Global Framework DS2S DigitalSkills2Succeed DTU Delhi Technological University ECE Electronics and Communication Engineering E-commerce Electronic Commerce Feminist Approach to Technology FUEL Friends Union for Energising Lives GIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit ICECD IESA International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Career Development India Electronics and Semiconductor Association ICT Information and Communications Technology IT Information Technology IIT Indian Institute of Technology IIIT Page 4 FAT Indian Institute of Information Technology
IoT Internet of Things ISB Indian School of Business KII Key Informant Interview MHRD Ministry of Human Resource Development ML Machine Learning MSSU Maharashtra State Skills University NASSCOM National Association of Software and Service Companies NIT National Institute of Technology NSQF National Skills Qualification Framework NVEQF National Vocational Education Qualifications Framework RBI Reserve Bank of India SEO Search Engine Optimisation STEM Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics SVSU Shri Vishwakarma Skill University UI User Interface UNESCO UNICEF United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund UX User Experience VIT Vishwakarma Institute of Technology Page 5
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Page 7
The global economic landscape has witnessed significant transformations over the centuries, marked by shifts from agrarian to manufacturing and, more recently, to services-oriented economies. India, however, has taken a unique path, bypassing traditional manufacturing to excel in the services sector. This following rapid assessment report explores the critical role of digital skills in India’s evolving job market and the challenges and opportunities they present through a need assessment, gap analysis and a stakeholder mapping exercise. India’s demographic advantage, with a sizable working-age population, presents both an opportunity and a challenge. To harness this advantage, digital skilling is essential to prepare the workforce for the evolving job market. Industries must embrace up skilling and reskilling to remain competitive globally. Page 8
The Indian skilling landscape is projected to grow at a CAGR of 38% from 2021 to 2026, with digital skills expected to see a 4.5-fold increase by 2026. Gender equality in the digital skilling domain is also vital. While women are making progress in the workforce, challenges related to societal norms, household dynamics, and income disparities persist. In addition, the ones in the workforce prefer to take up operational and process-oriented profiles rather than go for core-technical roles. Initiatives to economically empower women are crucial for tapping into India’s full workforce potential. The need assessment studies four approved sectors of Entrepreneurship, Information Technology, Energy, and E-Commerce and has identified Data Science and Analytics, Data and Information Security, Digital Marketing, Programming, Web and/or App Development and Internet of Things (IoT) Integration as the 5 core skills needed. Page 9
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