In an effort to guide youth towards meaningful career choices and improve employment opportunities, the labour ministry plans to establish career counselling centres in all major universities across India, Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced on Wednesday.
“This initiative will be a tripartite effort involving industry bodies like the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), universities, and the government (labour ministry). It will help students map their career paths more effectively. Skills naturally evolve as demand increases, and students will find this initiative highly beneficial,” the minister said.
The announcement was made at an event jointly organised by CII and the labour ministry, focusing on the future of work and its implications for India’s employment landscape.
By integrating databases such as the National Career Services (NCS) portal, the migrant workers portal, and E-Shram, the proposed career counselling centres aim to create a precise demand-supply map of skills and job opportunities in the market.
The minister also suggested granting industry the status of an establishment to impart skills training tailored to sectoral needs, creating demand-driven, skilled manpower.
Additionally, Mandaviya called for redefining the concept of “jobs” to include self-employment and women engaged in household work to enhance female labour force participation.
“India has manpower, brainpower, and skill power. There is a need to redefine ‘jobs’ to include self-employed individuals and women performing household chores as part of the nation’s workforce,” Mandaviya said.