Women on Wings partners with Ennovent, an innovation services company, in ‘Power to Empower 2015’. This national competition aims to encourage students and entrepreneurs to become part of the large business opportunity that exists in the skills development arena. It is focused on encouraging innovative and implementable business solutions that contribute to the development of a sustainable vocational skills ecosystem in India.
Growth of workforce
India is considered to be one of the fastest growing economies of the world. Along with its economic growth, India’s population is expected to grow from 1.2 to 1.4 billion by 2026. It is estimated that India will have nearly 700 million people in the working age bracket, 500 million of which would require some level of vocational and skill building training. At present, only 10% of the workforce receives some level of training, accounting to 48% of employers in India finding it difficult to fill jobs.
Gap between supply and demand of skilled workers
India cannot optimize the benefits of a fast growing economy due to the growing disconnects between the supply and demand for skilled labor. With limited access to vocational training opportunities, the majority of India’s population cannot realize the employment opportunities necessary to improve their income and contribute positively to India’s growth. In response to this, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and India @75, an initiative of Confederation of Indian Industry, developed the 1st national-level competition of which Power to Empower 2015 is its’ 4th edition. It is expected that this competition will help narrow the gap between supply and demand of growth-enabling skilled workers, while catalyzing improved livelihoods for many Indians.
Identifying social enterprises for job-creation
Ronald van het Hof, joint managing director Women on Wings India: “Ennovent is managing the Power to Empower 2015 competition on behalf of NSDC, with whom we also partner, to find innovative and sustainable enterprises and solutions in the skills development ecosystem in India. This is where we come in; identifying enterprises and organizations that could join in the challenge. It’s a great opportunity to partner in this competition and find more social ventures to co-create jobs with for women in rural India.”
