India, Nov. 17 -- When a young person steps into a training centre, there is only one hope: that a few months of learning will translate into a lifetime of dignity. The aspiration is simple and universal. The idea is to master a skill, secure a job, support a family, and move one rung up the ladder of opportunity, gradually emerging from the poverty and inequality they have faced for years.

However, not every skilling programme has promised such a drastic change, except for the Skill India mission. When the mission was launched, the idea was to act as a bridge between candidates who aspire to have a career and the industry that struggles to get skilled manpower. The idea that it would be implemented at scale, from urban to semi-urban to ...