Education and skill development as per the current requirements is vital for both economic and social development. India has seen a population growth of around 1 billion since the time of independence and has surpassed China this year. Growth in population can be seen on one hand as an increase in the burden on available resources but can also be seen as a valuable addition in the generation of resources. This can only be achieved if we are able to educate and train the growing younger population to suffice the needs human resource market.

The health sector in particular faces a huge challenge when it comes to available resources. Most of the countries around the globe face a huge scarcity of medical personnel including doctors, nursing staff, paramedical staff and health care workers. About 95% of hospitals around the globe are working with marginal human resources under normal conditions and when it comes to confronting public health emergencies the challenge to get healthcare staff remains unmet. Additionally, other sectors such as mining, manufacturing etc. also face fewer available skilled workers.

Industries in the Western world work on the automation of various processes to overcome human resource scarcity. However, the current trend in population growth around the world shows that in 2050 the total world population will be around 9.7 billion if the current population growth rate remains +0.9%.  Now we have a chance to start building the skill set of our younger population so that they can have a better living and secure future.  This involves identifying the areas of need for human resource capacity building and developing a road map to fulfil it. With the advancement in IT technology, distance learning and other tools to impart better education and training, we can impart better education and high standard training to the young population.

The forum recognises this as a challenge and would like to explore ideas in the field of education and training to build human resource capacity.