Skill education has become a key element of national development in the light of globalisation, advancement in technology and the dynamic labor market needs. The education policy in India is decisive in the orientation and provision of skills based learning. This paper includes a comparative review of skill education as seen in 1986 National Policy on Education (NPE) and 2020 National Education Policy (NEP). Despite the three-plus decades between them, both policies recognize the need for competency development to develop employability and to enhance social fairness and the ability to boost economic growth. The paper looks at how the two policies are similar in the context of their vocational orientation focus, experiential learning, inclusion, state responsibility, and their national development objectives. Simultaneously, the paper demonstrates the major differences, which can be interpreted as the shift in the educational philosophy and practice. Although NPE 1986 dated its focus on skill education as a form of vocational education to particular occupations and applied it as an alternative to general academics, NEP 2020 is holistic and integrative in nature. The new policy focuses on exposure to skills at an early age, multidisciplinary education, flexibility in the education pathway, education through technology, entrepreneurship, and life-long learning. The paper also examines institutional differences in the integration, evaluation systems, teacher training, and application of online platforms to master skills. The paper highlights the development process of skill education in India as a limited vocational model to an all-encompassing, learner-focused, and future-oriented ecosystem. The discussion adds to the existing knowledge of the continuity and change of policies, providing an insight into whether NEP 2020 could overcome the modern workforce challenges and improve the development of human capital in India.

Keywords: Skill Education, NPE 1986, NEP 2020.