Skilling at the Grassroots: Assessing Jan Shikshan Sansthan Scheme in Delhi (2018-2024)

Abstract

Skill development occupies a central position in India's contemporary policy discourse, with the "Skill India" mission operationalizing vocational education as a structural instrument for economic inclusion. The initiative reflects a broader recognition that marginalized groups — particularly women, Scheduled Castes (SCs), and Scheduled Tribes (STs) — face compounded disadvantages in accessing formal labour markets, and that targeted skilling interventions may serve as a corrective mechanism. The Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) scheme embodies this intent at the institutional level, functioning as a community-based, non-formal training apparatus designed to enhance self-employment and wage employment prospects among socio-economically vulnerable populations.This paper presents an empirical assessment of three JSS centres in Delhi — Peeragarhi, Jahangirpuri, and West Patel Nagar — utilizing secondary data from 2018 to 2024. Performance is evaluated against six outcome indicators specified within the scheme's normative framework: enrolment and training completion, demographic representation, post-training employment, community awareness activities, job fair participation, and loan facility utilisation. The analysis employs a comparative cross-centre methodology to identify patterns of convergence and divergence in programme delivery and outcome achievement.Findings indicate that while all three centres demonstrated compliance with enrolment and training targets, post-training employment outcomes were significantly below expected thresholds. Formal credit utilisation among self-employed trainees was similarly negligible. These results suggest a structural disjunction between skill acquisition and economic integration — a gap that existing programme design has yet to adequately address. The paper concludes by proposing evidence-based recommendations for strengthening employment linkages and financial inclusion mechanisms within the JSS framework.