India & WEF Launch Skills Accelerator for Future Jobs

10 Apr 2025 CW Team

The initiative will serve as a national platform for public-private collaboration to close skill gaps, promote innovation, and drive structural reforms in skilling. It will focus on increasing awareness of future skill demands, encouraging partnerships among stakeholders, and updating policies to build a more adaptive and inclusive skilling ecosystem.

With 65% of organisations identifying skill gaps as a barrier, the Accelerator aims to enable reskilling and upskilling, align education with industry needs, and support agile career transitions—particularly in areas like AI, robotics, and energy.

The governance of the Accelerator includes both government and industry leaders. The platform is co-led by Minister of State Jayant Chaudhary and Dr Sukanta Majumdar, along with industry co-chairs Shobana Kamineni of Apollo HealthCo and Sanjiv Bajaj of Bajaj Finserv.

Chaudhary described the Accelerator as a catalyst for systemic transformation and said India is uniquely positioned to become the “Skill Capital of the World” thanks to its youth population and expanding skilling ecosystem. He also highlighted the need to prioritize sectors such as advanced manufacturing and formalization of the informal economy.

Dr Majumdar emphasized the need to embed global competitiveness in India’s skill architecture and noted that India is skilling not only for domestic needs but for global demand. He pointed to the National Education Policy’s flexibility and focus on vocational and digital pathways as examples of reform.

WEF’s Managing Director Saadia Zahidi praised the initiative as a vital step in preparing India’s workforce for a fast-changing global job market and expressed confidence in its large-scale impact.

Experts at the roundtable discussed identifying 10–12 high-impact priorities, forming sector-based working groups, and aligning the initiative with WEF’s Future of Jobs 2025 report. Participants included leaders from MSDE, WEF, NSDC, NCVET, DGT, and various educational bodies such as UGC, AICTE, NCERT, and CBSE.

In a move to advance India’s workforce readiness, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), in partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF), discussed the launch of the “India Skills Accelerator” during a roundtable at Kaushal Bhawan in New Delhi. The initiative will serve as a national platform for public-private collaboration to close skill gaps, promote innovation, and drive structural reforms in skilling. It will focus on increasing awareness of future skill demands, encouraging partnerships among stakeholders, and updating policies to build a more adaptive and inclusive skilling ecosystem. With 65% of organisations identifying skill gaps as a barrier, the Accelerator aims to enable reskilling and upskilling, align education with industry needs, and support agile career transitions—particularly in areas like AI, robotics, and energy. The governance of the Accelerator includes both government and industry leaders. The platform is co-led by Minister of State Jayant Chaudhary and Dr Sukanta Majumdar, along with industry co-chairs Shobana Kamineni of Apollo HealthCo and Sanjiv Bajaj of Bajaj Finserv. Chaudhary described the Accelerator as a catalyst for systemic transformation and said India is uniquely positioned to become the “Skill Capital of the World” thanks to its youth population and expanding skilling ecosystem. He also highlighted the need to prioritize sectors such as advanced manufacturing and formalization of the informal economy. Dr Majumdar emphasized the need to embed global competitiveness in India’s skill architecture and noted that India is skilling not only for domestic needs but for global demand. He pointed to the National Education Policy’s flexibility and focus on vocational and digital pathways as examples of reform. WEF’s Managing Director Saadia Zahidi praised the initiative as a vital step in preparing India’s workforce for a fast-changing global job market and expressed confidence in its large-scale impact. Experts at the roundtable discussed identifying 10–12 high-impact priorities, forming sector-based working groups, and aligning the initiative with WEF’s Future of Jobs 2025 report. Participants included leaders from MSDE, WEF, NSDC, NCVET, DGT, and various educational bodies such as UGC, AICTE, NCERT, and CBSE.

Technology

28 Oct 2025

Building Faster, Smarter, and Greener!

Backed by ULCCS’s century-old legacy, U-Sphere combines technology, modular design and sustainable practices to deliver faster and more efficient projects. In an interaction with CW, Rohit Prabhakar, Director - Business Development, shares how the company’s integrated model of ‘Speed-Build’, ‘Smart-Build’ and ‘Sustain-Build’ is redefining construction efficiency, quality and environmental responsibility in India.U-Sphere positions itself at the intersection of speed, sustainability and smart design. How does this translate into measurable efficiency on the ground?At U..

Infrastructure Transport

28 Oct 2025

Smart Roads, Smarter India

India’s infrastructure boom is not only about laying more kilometres of highways – it’s about building them smarter, safer and more sustainably. From drones mapping fragile Himalayan slopes to 3D machine-controlled graders reducing human error, technology is steadily reshaping the way projects are planned and executed. Yet, the journey towards digitisation remains complex, demanding not just capital but also coordination, training and vision.Until recently, engineers largely depended on Survey of India toposheets and traditional survey methods like total stations or DGPS to prepare detai..

Real Estate

28 Oct 2025

What Does DCPR 2034 Mean?

The Maharashtra government has eased approval norms for high-rise buildings under DCPR 2034, enabling the municipal commissioner to sanction projects up to 180 m on large plots. This change is expected to streamline approvals, reduce procedural delays and accelerate redevelopment, drawing reactions from developers, planners and industry experts about its implications for Mumbai’s vertical growth.Under the revised DCPR 2034 rules, buildings on plots of 2,000 sq m or more can now be approved up to 180 m by the municipal commissioner, provided structural and geotechnical reports are certified b..