India is a country with a growing population and significant economic expansion. Therefore, skilling young people so they can contribute to this economic expansion is now a crucial goal for educational policy levels and the actions of educational institutions. Yet, apart from general statements concerning the ‘lack of attractiveness of vocational education’, little research-informed policies and practices exist about this important topic in India. In addressing this gap, this chapter draws upon studies undertaken so far on the issue of the attractiveness of VET in India. Its analysis focused mainly on the perspective of employers, but also on those of students and their parents and vocational teachers. The focus is on the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), which are important vocational education institutions in India. These institutes account for the largest share of formal VET provisions in India and are administered by either the state or private sector. Interviews in South India with employers of ITI graduates are described and discussed. The comparison with findings focused on the other stakeholders indicates that even when the motives are different; the attractiveness of VET in India is very low. The study explores three major influencing factors: The quality of VET programs including employability, payment and productivity and career perspectives in combination with further training. Then some means are advanced by which it might be possible to elevate the standing of vocational education through changes to the current situation on the policy level and the individual ITI and employer. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
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