New research by the Prince’s Trust group of charities, founded by Prince Charles, finds that a large number of young people in India would like to set up their own business and a majority feel the environmental footprint of a company is important to them when considering a job.
The ‘Future of Work’ international research report, released in London last week, seeks to amplify the voices of young people around the world, exploring their hopes and aspirations and the support they need as the world adapts to Covid-19. The findings related to India highlight that young people in the country want to learn more life skills and build careers that are values-led, entrepreneurial and embedded in tackling the climate crisis.
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Prince Charles, President and Founder of The Prince’s Trust, writes in the Foreword: “Through this report, we are launching a campaign to help support ‘Generation Stand Up, Start Up’.
“We want to give more young people the opportunity to develop the skills suitable for the world of work. We want to nurture talent and give support to this emerging generation of entrepreneurs. For the future of our world, it is vital that we put young people at the heart of this recovery,” he writes.
The international research, supported by HSBC, was conducted across eight countries including India, Canada, Ghana, Jordan, Kenya, Pakistan, the UK and the US. It highlighted three key areas central to the future of work for young people in India: sustainability, future skills and entrepreneurship.
“It is exciting to see so many young people determined to make a difference to our world – they are the agents of change, and we must support them to achieve their ambitions,” said Will Straw, Chief Executive of Prince’s Trust International.
“Our work in India gives young people the opportunity to build valuable skills like self-reliance and confidence. Delivered in partnership with the Aga Khan Foundation, Project Lehar empowers young women with life skills and enterprise skills to enable them to make informed decisions around entrepreneurship,” he said.
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Among those surveyed in India, 88 per cent cited skills such as self-confidence, teamwork and reliability as vital to the future of work and more important than basic schooling (86 per cent) and university qualifications (83 per cent). Young people were also united (85 per cent) in thinking that digital literacy is important.
The report shows that young people in India want to work in emerging green areas such as sustainable agriculture, recycling and environmental work and be agents of sustainable change, with 85 per cent interested in a green job.
And, in the area of entrepreneurship, 40 per cent young Indians said they would like to set up their own business, on par with a job working for the government (41 per cent) and ahead of working for a large business (34 per cent). This figure was equal across men and women but was highest among those with an undergraduate university degree (46 per cent).
Based on the findings, Prince’s Trust International said it is calling for investment in future skills programmes to prepare more young people for the workplace and for partnerships with employers to create entry level jobs in the green and digital sectors, with focused educational opportunities.
It has also committed to supporting the new generation of entrepreneurs with further training and investment through its work with the Aga Khan Foundation on Project Lehar, an initiative empowering young women who are no longer in education in India.