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A4e in India
India has witnessed unprecedented growth in the last decade, bringing tremendous improvements in living standards and quality of life for many people. However, there are still sectors of the population which are particularly vulnerable to exclusion and have not yet benefited from India’s growth.
 “India is poised to reap a 'demographic dividend' because the size of its working age population will increase from about 77.5 crore in 2008 to a likely peak of 95 crore in 2026. The 'dividend' can prove illusory if the workforce does not acquire the skills to support a knowledge and technology driven economy.”
P. Chidambaram, Finance Minister, India Union Budget 2008
To overcome social exclusion, the community as a whole needs to be involved in the solution, with the understanding that all people have their own unique contribution to make. A4e works in some of the most deprived areas, delivering programmes that offer a range of services like vocational skills, training and support, alternative youth education and specialist support, employment for individuals and households and financial literacy for the most excluded and vulnerable. A4e understands that programmes need to be developed to help address the following issues:
Labour force and unemployment
- 140 million workers are categorised as casual labour, with no regular source of work or income
- 90% of the workforce employed in the informal sector - with no formal recognition of their skills.
- National unemployment rate of 9.6% (49 million residents)
Education and skills
- 270 million people are below the poverty line with little access to formal skills training
- For those in work, 70% are defined as illiterate or educated below primary level
- Youngest population in the world (median age of 24)
- School drop out rate of 90% - with no active, large scale, skills development programmes
for school drop-outs
- Structured vocational training/general education only reaches 3% of the population (30 million)
- 2.5 million graduates pass out of college each year without skills connected to employment
| Our Commitment |
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We recognise that supporting the Government to drive social change and inclusive growth in India will require long term investment and significant levels of effort and resource.A4e India is committed to working closely with the Government, private sector organisations, private foundations, non-governmental and inter-governmental organisations, industry-led organisations and local community organisations to meet India’s inclusive growth challenges. Building on our international experience and expertise in skills training and service provision, we plan to focus our efforts initially on the following projects:
- Develop A4e’s Prime Contractor Model to help India scale-up the skills training services, while maintaining the quality of delivery and qualifications and helping government meet the targets for its growth agenda
- Provide sector specific employment skills training for Graduates and Post-graduates to help meet skills shortages in the high-growth sectors
- Offer vocational skills training leading to certification and sustainable employment opportunities for the unemployed youth in rural areas
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