How Does the Republic of India Empower Her Engineers?

India is a self-sufficient country with abundant resources and is blessed with a talented pool of engineers. The engineering sector is one of India's largest sectors that has contributed to the nation’s sovereignty. The manufacturing sector alone contributes 16% of the country's GDP.

The progress of India's engineering sector has placed the country among the top 40 economies per WIPO's Global Innovation Index, 2022. It was a remarkable climb from the 81st position back in 2015. 

Thanks to the foresightedness of the Planning Commission of India, technological growth was placed at the forefront of nation-building activities. This led to the conception of the first IIT in 1951 in Kharagpur. Currently, 23 IITs are present across different locations in India. 

Government Initiatives

Since the first-ever Republic Day, (on January 26 1950), the planning commissions have been drafting growth plans for different sectors. Though India greatly relies on the agriculture sector with 60% of the workforce, equal importance was given to industrialisation as well. 

In June 2014, India joined the Washington Accord (WA) as a permanent member. It now belongs to a select group of 17 nations that have signed the WA, a prestigious international agreement on engineering mobility and studies.

The Indian Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises launched six innovative platforms to develop globally competitive manufacturing sectors on July 2, 2021. 

India has de-licensed the engineering sector to increase investment in the engineering sector, leading to 100% of FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in it. According to data from the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the FDI inflow for various mechanical and engineering industries was $4.14 billion between April 2000 and June 2022.

New Opportunities in the Engineering Sector

Rebuilding the engineering sector at an industrial and institutional level has continued to be one of the main priorities for the sovereign nation.

Currently, India is on the cusp of taking the lead for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. New-age technologies like AI, ML, Data Science, Cybersecurity, 5G, etc., have created many career opportunities. Artificial Intelligence technology is expected to create 97 million new jobs by 2025. 

As per TeamLease's Digital Employment Outlook Report, the IT sector is estimated to grow at 7 per cent in FY2023. The recent report suggests that by the end of this financial year, 3 lakh new jobs will be available.

Enhance Your Employability by Upskilling

India will add an extra 300 million people to the workforce by 2030. Towards the end of 2050, India will boast the largest working population. It's fortunate to notice the employment rate in India has increased to 37.1% in December, which is the highest ever since January 2022.

In the age of artificial intelligence and IoT, the demand for skilled engineers has remained unchanged. Only 3% of engineers possess new-age technological skills.

Industries are now considering rapid upskilling as the need of the hour. About 62% of the CEOs who took part in the survey conducted by LinkedIn revealed that upskilling is their top priority.

Skill-Lync Transforming Engineering Education

Two engineers from India, Suryanarayanan Paneerselvam and Sarangarajan V Iyengar, identified the gap in the traditional education system for engineering. Their struggle led to the foundation of the EdTech startup Skill-Lync in 2018.

Last year, we attended the e-mobility summit. We realized that there is a huge opportunity for manufacturers and aspiring engineers. Innovations are being formulated to enhance the efficiency of batteries and the overall performance of EVs in general. 

As a team, we provide industry-relevant courses for engineers and hands-on practice through our PG programs. We have partnered with the Tamil Nadu government in its new Industry 4.0 initiative to train and upskill 17,000 students in 350+ colleges. 

We are well aware of the growing needs of industries and the in-demand skills. With our expertise, we are on a mission to create a skilled workforce and make India a global leader in the technological landscape.