The Skills Gap in Indian Engineering: A Growing Concern
More than 80% of engineers in India are unemployable, according to a report by Aspiring Minds, an Indian employability assessment firm. The study, which analyzed 150,000 engineering students across 650 colleges, found that only 3% of graduates possess 21st-century skills such as AI, Machine Learning, Data Engineering, and Robotics. The overall employability in these domains is alarmingly low at just 1.5%.
India’s engineering education system has struggled to keep pace with global technological advancements. Meanwhile, the demand for specialized skills from industries has surged. As a result, millions of graduates find themselves unprepared for an ever-evolving technological landscape.
Lack of Practical Exposure
Aspiring Minds further reports that only 40% of engineering graduates participate in internships, while just 36% work on projects beyond their coursework. This lack of hands-on experience and practical learning has significantly reduced their employability.
Industries today require skilled professionals, but with a limited talent pool, companies must invest heavily in training fresh graduates from scratch, increasing operational costs and making hiring more challenging.
The Twin Challenges: Training Graduates and Upskilling Professionals
India faces a two-pronged issue—on one hand, millions of fresh graduates require training in emerging technologies. On the other, experienced professionals are struggling to remain relevant in an industry rapidly shifting toward automation and digitalization.
A recent survey revealed that:
Despite concerns about unemployment, the real issue is the shortage of skilled talent. Industry experts agree that there are jobs available, but not enough skilled professionals to fill them.
The Need for Upskilling in Manufacturing
With India poised to become the world’s youngest nation by 2025, upskilling its workforce in future technologies is critical to achieving initiatives like Make in India and Skill India.
Currently, out of a workforce of 421 million (aged 15-59 years), only 2.5% have received technical education. To bridge this gap, India must upskill around 291 million people by 2022, including 136 million who require formal vocational training.
A Deloitte study on the 2018 skills gap in manufacturing highlights Robotics and Automation as the key skills for future workplaces. Emerging manufacturing job roles include:
As Industry 4.0 transforms manufacturing, future workplaces will require a blend of advanced technology and human soft skills to maximize productivity.
The Skills Shortage in IoT and Automation
India is expected to face a shortage of 3.5 million skilled professionals in Automation and Robotics by 2022. Additionally, the Industrial IoT and Data Analytics sectors will lack around 200,000 professionals in the next three years.
This presents a golden opportunity for India to upskill its young workforce and become a global leader in emerging technologies.
Solutions: Building a Skilled Workforce
To address the skills gap, upskilling must begin at the grassroots level. Key strategies include:
Introducing more Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses in secondary and higher education.
Providing internships and industrial training programs to give students hands-on experience in manufacturing and automation.
Indians traditionally excel in one-on-one learning models, making technical training campuses in Industrial Automation and Robotics essential.
Synergizing efforts between the government, industries, corporate organizations, and educational institutions to build skill-based infrastructure.
The Road Ahead
The global manufacturing industry is undergoing a digital transformation, and India has the potential to emerge as a technology powerhouse. With structured upskilling initiatives, India can develop a future-ready workforce equipped to handle the challenges of the digital era.
