NITI Aayog Launches High-Powered Committee to Bridge Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship
The Committee, chaired by NITI Aayog CEO Nidhi Chibber, brings together representatives from key Union ministries, state governments, industry associations and academic experts to formulate long-term strategies for employment generation,
Nidhi Chibber, CEO, NITI Aayog
New Delhi: NITI Aayog has convened the first meeting of the newly constituted high-powered ‘Education to Employment and Enterprise’ Standing Committee aimed at aligning India’s education and skilling ecosystem with emerging employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in the services-driven economy.
The initiative follows the announcement made in the Union Budget 2026-27, where the Government proposed the formation of a dedicated committee to help India secure a 10 percent share in the global services market by 2047.
The Committee, chaired by NITI Aayog CEO Nidhi Chibber, brings together representatives from key Union ministries, state governments, industry associations and academic experts to formulate long-term strategies for employment generation, workforce preparedness and services sector expansion.
The panel includes representatives from the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ministry of Electronics and IT, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Department of Commerce, Department of Higher Education, Department of Economic Affairs and Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. State governments including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh are also represented.
Industry bodies such as NASSCOM, FICCI, CII, FISME and SEPC are part of the committee alongside experts from academia and policy institutions.
The first meeting, held on May 22, focused on strengthening the linkage between education, skills and employment in the context of rapidly evolving economic and technological realities.
Dr Sonia Pant, Programme Director, Services Division at NITI Aayog, presented an overview of the services sector’s growing role in economic value creation, exports and employment generation.
Addressing the meeting, Nidhi Chibber highlighted the need for sustained policy interventions to align education and skilling systems with future industry requirements.
“India’s demographic dividend presents a significant opportunity to accelerate economic growth through productive employment generation and entrepreneurial expansion,” she observed.
The discussions covered labour force participation, youth employment, formal and informal sector transitions, workforce preparedness and the growing impact of frontier technologies including artificial intelligence on future jobs and skills demand.
Participants also deliberated on strategies to facilitate labour movement towards non-farm sectors, strengthen industry-oriented skilling pathways and improve employability through coordinated policy measures.
The Committee noted that the services sector remains central to India’s economic resilience, export competitiveness and integration into global value chains. Members emphasised that the sector would play a critical role in achieving the broader vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.
The Standing Committee will meet regularly to develop actionable recommendations focused on enhancing employability, accelerating entrepreneurship, promoting industry-relevant skills and supporting growth in the services sector.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to transform India’s demographic dividend into a long-term growth dividend through stronger coordination among the Centre, states, industry, academia and the skilling ecosystem.
