[Answered] ‘Earn while you learn’ scheme needs to be strengthened to make vocational education and skill training meaningful” Comment

The Ministry of Tourism is implementing a Scheme titled ‘Earn While You Learn’. It envisages to inculcate appropriate tourism travel traits and knowledge amongst trainees to enable them to work as ‘student volunteers’.  

This scheme provides short term training, dedicated to travel industry, to college-going students pursuing graduation courses or graduates in the age group of 18 to 25 years. 

Benefits of ‘Earn While You Learn’ Program  

1. Provides opportunities to students to earn while learning to meet their expenses. 
2. Exposes the students to the world of work before actual employment. 
3. Gives students hands on experience and confidence thereby prepares them better for taking up jobs in future. 
4. Enables the students to explore their subject preferences and develop them into a career. 
5. Helps inculcate in the students values of hard work and dignity of labour. 
6. Helps to channelize the in exhaustive energy of the young students in positive activities. 

Making vocational training meaningful  

1. Burden of providing for household expenses prevents many young people from undertaking vocational training which creates a void in daily income.  
2. Has the potential to attract more people towards undertaking such programmes when income is ensured.  
3. Give students hands on experience and thereby prepare them better for taking up jobs in future. 
4. Help India reap its rich demographic dividend transition from a jobless growth economy to employable economy.