Skill gap study, Majuli and Lakhimpur

What skills, education and livelihoods do people in two Assam districts need? A study to shape Prachodhan's next interventions.

The question

Skills training only pays off if the skills lead to jobs and higher income. Before expanding its work, Prachodhan Development Services (PDS) asked us what people in Majuli and Lakhimpur actually need in skills, education, entrepreneurship and livelihoods.

What we did

Our team spent a week in each district. We interviewed residents, especially from the Mising tribal community, along with employers, government officials, village heads, NGOs, community leaders, colleges and other training agencies. Past beneficiaries of PDS’s skill programmes told us what had worked for them.

We combined this with secondary data and a review of the literature to build socio-economic profiles of both districts, map the supply of and demand for skilled labour, and spot emerging job roles. We also reviewed PDS’s existing projects.

What came of it

Separate reports for the two districts give PDS a needs map for each, with recommendations to scale up what works and to start new interventions. We also assessed the impact of PDS’s existing work in the same districts.