Impact of Vocational Training (Learn and Earn) Program on Employability - A Study of Pune and its Suburbs

Abstract

Nowadays, „Learn and Earn‟ programs are taking significant heed among students, academicians, and institutions. Under this scheme, the students are allowed to take up part-time jobs along with their studies. This scheme achieves a dual benefit of supporting the students to pursue higher education along with gaining corporate exposure. Such scheme reduce the unemployment rate, conserve, update and enhance traditional skills of the youth, improve employability among the young population, decrease school dropouts, generate better means of livelihood, and develop potential human resource for the country. The researchers argue that the present educational sector is market-driven and higher educationist the privilege of mostly the rich class. The exclusion of meritorious but poor students from getting access to adequate higher education opportunities results in a huge loss of the country in terms of human capital. Such earn and learn schemes could be helpful to such meritorious yet poor students. The researches further suggest that it is that it is time for India to transform the non-inclusive educational sector.