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Skill India’s Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) was designed to help young people gain skills, become employable and earn a livelihood. But completing training is not the same as receiving a usable credential or finding a relevant job at a sustainable wage. Interviews from Varanasi published by Scroll.in and IndiaSpend.com on August 31, 2024, describe interrupted courses, missing certificates and disappointing job offers. They are individual reported experiences—not a representative survey or proof of scheme-wide outcomes.
What the Varanasi graduates reported
The investigation by Akanksha Kumar documents several ways training could fall short of a graduate’s expectations. These accounts show the stakes for individual participants; they do not establish how often each problem occurs across PMKVY.
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A tailoring course that stopped early
Payal Ratan said she enrolled in a six-month tailoring course in Varanasi in 2022. She expected a sewing machine and a stipend, and said she paid for application and garment materials. She described learning buttonholes, cutting, tailoring and finishing garments, but said the course stopped after two months. When students returned, she said, the centre was locked. She did not receive a certificate. “When all this was wrapped up, I had to sit at home. Kuch bhi nahi kiye (I couldn’t do anything),” she told the investigation.
A course, a certificate and a disputed duration
Anil Kumar told the reporter that his air-conditioner and home-appliance classes lasted four months, although his certificate described a ten-month course. He said only one or two classmates began receiving regular work. The institute’s custodian offered a different account: the centre could place 80%–85% of candidates, and some experienced workers earned Rs 18,000–Rs 20,000 a month. These are opposing attributed statements, not independently audited placement or wage results. Kumar summed up his view: “Kaushal Vikas (skill development) is only in name, there aren’t real jobs.”
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An offer that did not cover the cost of living
Pramod Patel said he spent nearly a year on a customer-care course and later received an offer of Rs 7,000 a month in Delhi. He declined it, saying, “It wouldn’t have been possible to sustain myself at this salary in a city like Delhi.” The investigation reported that he later worked as a nonprofit volunteer for Rs 14,000 a month. His experience illustrates why a job offer alone does not establish that training led to suitable or financially viable work; it is not a typical outcome estimate for graduates.
Training counts are not job outcomes
PMKVY launched on July 15, 2015, as an initiative of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. The investigation reported an initial outlay of Rs 12,000 crore and an original goal of training 10 million young people. Those figures describe the programme’s launch, not what participants ultimately earned or whether they found work.
Government figures reported by the investigation as of December 9, 2023, counted candidates trained under PMKVY 1.0–3.0. Separately, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour, Textiles and Skill Development reported historical placement rates for PMKVY 2.0 and 3.0 in September 2022. The measures have different scopes and should not be treated as a single completion-to-employment funnel.
| Measure | Reported figure | What it describes |
|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh candidates trained | 1.92 million of 1.99 million enrolled | Government figures for PMKVY 1.0–3.0, reported as of December 9, 2023 |
| National candidates trained | 13.72 million of 14.27 million enrolled | Government figures for PMKVY 1.0–3.0, reported as of December 9, 2023 |
| PMKVY 2.0 placement rate | 23% | Figure attributed to the parliamentary committee in September 2022 |
| PMKVY 3.0 placement rate | 8% | Figure attributed to the parliamentary committee in September 2022 |
The source investigation reports these figures secondhand; they are historical, not current 2026 rates. Training counts do not reveal how many participants completed the course as advertised, passed a skills assessment, received a credential, found a job related to the training, or kept that job. Nor do the cited placement percentages, as presented in the investigation, supply a common definition or time window that would settle those questions.
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Why a certificate or placement may still disappoint
A credential can document training without guaranteeing that the course lasted as advertised, that a graduate can demonstrate the relevant skill, or that employers nearby are hiring. Likewise, a reported placement says little by itself about whether the work matches the course, offers enough hours, pays enough to live on, or lasts. Patel’s declined offer and the conflicting accounts around Kumar’s course show why job quality and job relevance matter alongside placement totals.
The investigation also reported graduates’ dissatisfaction with offers at job fairs. The point is not that every offer was unsuitable, but that counting offers without describing wages, working conditions, relevance and retention can give an incomplete picture of whether training helped participants earn a livelihood.
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- AUTHOR NOTE: Ray Noe has taught for more than 25 years at Big Ten universities, including Michigan State University and University of Minnesota. Professor Noe conducts research and teaches all levels of students - from undergraduates to executives - in human resource management, training and development, performance management, and talent management. He has published articles an
Whether courses match demand is the larger policy question
Experts quoted by the investigation questioned whether training choices respond to actual employer demand. Santosh Mehrotra, a visiting professor at the Centre for Development Studies, University of Bath, said: “A successful government programme which is financed by the government itself is demand-driven anywhere in the world.” Retired Jawaharlal Nehru University professor Arun Kumar warned that teaching sewing, carpentry or plumbing where demand is inadequate would leave trainees with little to gain.
That criticism concerns more than choosing fashionable subjects. A useful course needs credible local or reachable job opportunities, practical instruction, a verifiable assessment, and employers willing to hire at wages that make the work viable. The investigation’s cases raise questions about these links but do not measure course quality or local demand across the programme.
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The government press release quoted in the investigation described PMKVY 4.0 as emphasizing on-the-job training, industry partnerships and alignment of courses with industry needs. It also listed newer subjects—including coding, artificial intelligence, robotics, mechatronics, the Internet of Things, 3D printing and drones—along with soft skills.
These are stated design priorities, not evidence that they have been implemented everywhere or improved completion, placement, retention or earnings. The investigation, published August 31, 2024, did not establish the latest PMKVY 4.0 outcomes; the historical figures above should not be presented as its results.
What graduates and families should check before enrolling
The reported cases suggest practical questions to ask a training centre before committing time or money. Written answers and documents are more useful than a broad promise of “placement.”
- Course duration and schedule: Ask for the total course length, class hours, practical hours and attendance requirements in writing.
- Costs and support: Confirm whether application fees, materials, tools, travel or other expenses are required, and get the terms of any stipend or equipment support.
- Credential: Ask what certificate is awarded, who issues it, what assessment is required and how to verify it.
- Placement evidence: Request the centre’s placement definition, recent numbers of graduates and placed candidates, the period measured, and whether jobs were related to the course.
- Job conditions: Ask for examples of employers, locations, wages, hours and retention—not just a placement percentage or offer-letter count.
- What happens if a centre closes: Keep copies of enrolment records, receipts, attendance, course materials and messages. Ask the programme administrator or relevant government office what formal complaint or transfer process applies; the investigation does not establish a universal remedy for a closed centre.
For a current decision, verify the centre’s status and the applicable course terms directly with the relevant official programme channel. The investigation’s reported cases cannot establish whether a particular centre is operating properly today.
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