If vocational education is implemented with equity at its core, NEP 2020 can serve as a strategic lever to boost women’s participation in the workforce.
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This essay is part of the series “Five Years of NEP 2020: From Vision to Reality”
When the first monthly bulletin of the Periodic Labour Force Survey was released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in May of this year, it demonstrated the government's commitment to tracking employment data monthly. It highlighted the stark contrast between male and female labour force participation in India, standing at 77.7 percent and 34.2 percent respectively (for males and females above the age of 15 in rural and urban areas). Women’s participation in the labour force has been a policy conundrum for the past few decades, despite the gains in formal education. This is primarily a result of gender norms that inhibit women’s workforce participation and restrict their access to vocational training. Vocational training can provide women with occupational choices and expand their work opportunities. Studies show that women in India who have attended skills training programmes, whether formal or informal, are more likely to be in the workforce, regardless of educational levels.
The gender gap found in labour force participation is also present in skills. According to a 2023 report by the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) on vocational education and training in India, the proportion of youth taking vocational training or other courses is lower for girls at 4.5 percent compared to boys at 6.8 percent. The report found major gender gaps in the uptake of vocational training in most districts among youth aged 17-18 years, and that girls who took vocational training were more likely to be enrolled in shorter courses. Girls who were interviewed for the report were inclined towards pursuing traditional livelihoods through vocational training, like sewing and working in beauty salons, as they had female role models for these vocations, and it allowed them to be able to work while managing household chores.
With its vision for integrating vocational education for women and girls into the mainstream education system, the NEP has the potential to address the barriers that women face.
This is where the mandate for vocational training outlined in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 becomes critical. The NEP emphasises “full equity and inclusion as the cornerstone of all educational decisions” to achieve gender equality in education. It references key concepts on gender sensitivity and includes a Gender Inclusion Fund (GIF) for addressing gender-based disparities in education. It also stresses “no hard separations” between vocational and academic streams to address the hierarchies between the two. To reimagine vocational education in India, it mandates vocational education at an early age in middle and secondary school, and ensures every child learns at least one vocation and is exposed to several more. With its vision for integrating vocational education for women and girls into the mainstream education system, the NEP has the potential to address the barriers that women face.
Progress on the policy front appears promising. The Samagra Shiksha scheme, a key scheme funded under GIF, is an integrated programme covering education from pre-primary to Class XII that has been aligned with the goals of NEP 2020 to promote inclusive and equitable learning. For the period from 2021 to 2026, approximately US$35.5 billion has been allocated under the scheme, aiming to support 1.16 million schools and extend vocational education to around 156 million students at the secondary and senior secondary levels. Several states have begun to operationalise this vision. For instance, in Delhi, approximately 257 government schools introduced new vocational courses in 2025, focusing on emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, finance, fashion, and information technology.
Under the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs), a sub-scheme of the Samagra Shiksha scheme, girls from disadvantaged communities get access to residential vocational schools. Uttar Pradesh has made notable strides, where over 80,000 girls in KGBVs are currently receiving financial and digital literacy training through the ‘Passport to Earning’ programme.
Technical and non-traditional skills were rarely available due to weak infrastructure, a lack of trained faculty, and uneven state-level rollouts.
However, on-ground implementation remains a challenge, particularly in KGBVs. A 2023 NCERT evaluation found that only 27 percent of surveyed KGBVs offered certificate-based vocational training, which was primarily confined to gender-stereotyped domains such as tailoring, embroidery, and beauty and wellness. Technical and non-traditional skills were rarely available due to weak infrastructure, a lack of trained faculty, and uneven state-level rollouts. Over 73 percent of students in Classes IX–XII reported receiving no formal vocational education, and more than 45 percent of KGBVs lacked dedicated vocational educators. A 2024 report reinforced this evaluation of KGBVs, noting that over 60 percent needed major repairs and lacked laboratories or digital tools. The overall quality of the centres was rated as sub-par, with additional concerns raised regarding safety, hygiene, and basic operational efficiency.
While the NEP seeks to elevate the status of vocational education, it falls short of providing a comprehensive framework to dismantle gender stereotypes. A report by Azad Foundation, an organisation that advocates for non-traditional livelihoods for women, found that though the policy promotes local skill mapping and industry collaboration to address skills gaps, it lacks an explicit gender lens, risking the reinforcement of traditional gender roles instead of challenging them. Therefore, it remains gender-responsive in language, but not gender-transformative in practice. Recent efforts such as the introduction of the pilot scheme ‘NAVYA’ under the PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana Kendra flagship programme, seek to equip adolescent girls with non-traditional skills such as drone assembling, CCTV installation, and smartphone technician, which offers a welcome shift.
There is also limited clarity on how vocational credits transfer into the National Higher Education Qualifications Framework (NHEQF)—an initiative under NEP aimed at standardising qualifications—which restricts learners’ ability to move between academic and skill-based tracks.
Apart from existing schemes, societal barriers continue to shape access to vocational training for girls. Data from the Skill India Mission shows that between 2020–23, 16 lakh beneficiaries were trained, with 69 percent from rural areas and about 81 percent being women. While this suggests strong participation, the data obscures deeper inequities, for instance, only 2.7 percent of trainees were from tribal areas, and information disaggregated by caste or disability remains limited.
Socio-cultural norms often discourage families from allowing girls to participate in field training or apprenticeships, especially when travel is involved. Concerns around safety and mobility limit access to skilling opportunities and reduce the chances of girls transitioning into employment.
In addition, the lack of reliable gender-disaggregated data on enrolment, completion, and post-training outcomes further strains policy outcomes. A report by the ILO highlights how these data gaps weaken institutional accountability and mask the barriers faced by disadvantaged girls.
India’s economic transformation will depend, in part, on how effectively it brings more women into the labour force and equips them with the skills needed for emerging job markets. As automation, digitisation, and green technologies reshape labour markets, vocational education must equip women to build these 21st-century capabilities.
First, targeted public investment is essential to expanding access to vocational training in non-traditional sectors. States should prioritise infrastructure and funding for courses in high-growth areas such as electronics, renewable energy, and information technology.
Second, vocational education must offer clear pathways into higher education and employment. The integration of credit transfer systems under the NHEQF should be fast-tracked to ensure horizontal and vertical mobility. This would enable girls to transition from secondary-level training into professional or university-level qualifications, making vocational education a launching pad rather than a dead end.
States should design gender-specific skilling, based on local market demands and strengthen gender segregated data to inform policy and enhance impact.
Third, industry linkages must be more intentional and gender-responsive. Public-private partnerships under the National Skill Development Corporation and the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS) 2.0 should include targets for female apprentices, along with financial incentives for companies that create inclusive training environments. Structured internships and job placements for girls in sectors such as logistics, green construction, or automotive services could help shift norms and create genuine employment pipelines.
Finally, implementation must be locally grounded and nationally aligned. States should design gender-specific skilling, based on local market demands and strengthen gender segregated data to inform policy and enhance impact. The Centre can support these efforts with technical guidance, financing linked to gender outcomes, and platforms for cross-state learning. Community engagement and awareness campaigns must also be prioritised to address socio-cultural norms that limit female vocational training, especially in field training and apprenticeships.
Making vocational education work for women does not stop at expanding access, but also ensuring quality, relevance, and upward mobility. If implemented with equity at its core, NEP 2020 can serve as a strategic lever to boost women’s participation in the workforce.
Sunaina Kumar is a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation.
Sharon Sarah Thawaney is the Executive Assistant to the Director of ORF Kolkata and CNED, Nilanjan Ghosh.
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Sunaina Kumar is Director - CNED and Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation. She previously served as Executive Director at Think20 India Secretariat under ...
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Sharon Sarah Thawaney is the Executive Assistant to the Director - ORF Kolkata and CNED, Dr. Nilanjan Ghosh. She holds a Master of Social Work ...
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