New Delhi: Young Indians are not necessarily turning away from blue-collar jobs, but want economic security, dignity and a clear path to move up the career ladder, experts said at a panel discussion at the Charcha 2026 convention held at the India Habitat Centre in Delhi Tuesday.
The panel’s central message was that India’s skilling challenge goes beyond getting young people trained. Weak foundational skills, social stigma around certain occupations, unrealistic expectations about work and inadequate support after placement are preventing many from turning training into sustainable careers.
The panel discussion on “India’s New Skilling Journey: Aspiration, Access, and Beyond” brought together experts from education, industry and civil society to examine the gaps between what young people aspire to, the training they receive and the realities they face.
This comes at a time when only 4.9 percent of youth aged 15-29 years have received formal vocational or technical training, according to the Economic Survey 2024-25.
Anshul Tewari, CEO of ‘Youth Ki Awaaz’, said a quick poll conducted by his organisation among around 1,600 young people, mostly from tier-3 and tier-4 cities and low-income backgrounds, found that young people were not rejecting blue-collar work.
More than 62 percent participants said economic security, dignified labour and upward mobility were important to them, while another 15 percent said social stigma attached to such work was their main concern.
“The things that really matter to them are consistency of economic security, dignified labour, and the pathway to upward mobility,” Tewari said.
He said family and community perceptions often have a stronger influence on career choices than teachers, while movies, music and social media also play a major role in shaping what young people consider aspirational.
Mekin Maheshwari, founder and CEO of Udhyam Learning Foundation, said the problem starts much earlier, with a growing gap between children’s aspirations and their belief that those aspirations are achievable.
Udhyam worked with about 18 lakh children in schools last year, Maheshwari said. In a sample surveyed, around 85 percent of 14-year-olds had bold and specific aspirations, but by the age of 18, fewer than 25 percent believed they could achieve them.
He argued that the education system should focus less on trying to predict the exact “skills of the future” and more on building foundational abilities such as communication, critical thinking, collaboration and creativity.
Maheshwari cited the example of a Class 11 student who developed an interest in 3D printing, built printers and tried to sell them. After finding no buyers, the student realised that customers wanted 3D-printing services instead.
The student now works with organisations including the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) with 22 3D printers, he said.
Beyond certificates and first jobs
Divya Nambiar, Principal Consultant for Youth Skills and Livelihood at Oxford Policy Management, identified three major gaps – skills, aspirations and information.
Weak foundational skills mean short-term training alone cannot necessarily create a long-term career pathway, she said.
At the same time, young people often enter jobs with expectations shaped by family, relatives and social media that may be very different from workplace realities.
Nambiar cited her doctoral research on young women who joined a Nokia factory in a special economic zone. While the prospect of working in a global workplace attracted them, the reality of standing for 12 hours a day to manufacture mobile phones and travelling 50 km each way to work was challenging.
She said research from her work also showed that of every 10 people who obtained a new job, only three remained after three months and just one after a year.
This makes post-placement support and job retention critical, Nambiar said, arguing that skilling programmes should measure whether people stay in jobs and progress in their careers, rather than simply whether they receive certificates.
Manisha Bhattacharya, Managing Director, Corporate Citizenship, Asia Pacific at Accenture, said employers would continue to require technical and domain knowledge, but increasingly look for AI fluency, learning agility and human skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving and judgement.
“AI is going to get embedded in how productivity happens,” she said, adding that human skills would remain essential as roles change.
Bhattacharya said industry also needs to stay closely connected with training organisations to identify emerging jobs, citing examples of electric-vehicle technicians and AI centres of excellence.
The discussion then turned to career guidance, with panellists arguing that it should be treated as an issue of equity for students without privileged networks or mentors.
Rather than simply telling students what to pursue, Maheshwari said, guidance should help them explore their interests and opportunities.
Nambiar said such exposure should begin early through role models and different career pathways, while Tiwari suggested “aspiration nudging” – helping young people explore their ambitions rather than prescribing careers.
The broader message was that India’s skilling system needs to move beyond certificates and first-job placements to build strong foundations, realistic expectations and pathways for young people to stay and progress in work.
Charcha 2026 is organised by The/Nudge Foundation at the India Habitat Centre
(Edited by Nivedita Patil)
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