Published on December 2025 | Jan Shikshan Sansthans, non-state initiatives led by industrial and business houses, and grassroots economic models including Self-Help Groups (SHGs)

Vocational Education, Skill Development, and Lifelong Learning in India: From Workforce Preparation to the Vision of a Learning Society

Vocational Education, Skill Development, and Lifelong Learning in India: From Workforce Preparation to the Vision of a Learning Society, authored by Dr. Priyanka Sambhaji Jadhavar (Shivaji University, Kolhapur) and Ganesh Shrirang Nale (Central University of Haryana), presents a comprehensive and interdisciplinary analysis of India’s vocational education and skill development ecosystem within the broader framework of lifelong learning. The article situates vocational education as a strategic pillar of India’s socio-economic transformation in the context of rapid technological change, labor market restructuring, and inclusive growth imperatives. It critically examines the limitations of traditional, degree-oriented education systems in addressing employability, entrepreneurship, and workforce adaptability. Drawing upon policy frameworks, institutional mechanisms, and socio-economic outcomes, the paper evaluates how vocational education is operationalized through adult education, continuing education, and lifelong learning models. Special emphasis is placed on state-supported institutions such as Jan Shikshan Sansthans, non-state initiatives led by industrial and business houses, and grassroots economic models including Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and large-scale collective enterprises like the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA). The study further analyzes flagship national initiatives under the Skilling India framework, including sector skill councils, certification systems, recognition of prior learning, and equivalence structures. Beyond employability and economic productivity, the article advances a futuristic vision of lifelong learning that transcends literacy and formal schooling. It advocates personalized, network-based, culturally localized, and open learning models as foundations for building a democratic and inclusive learning society. The paper concludes that India’s long-term development depends on integrated, flexible, and equitable educational policies that recognize learning as a continuous, life-wide, and life-deep process.