Budget Reaction: Education Sector Embraces Digital & Skill Growth

Nikhil Barshikar, Founder & CEO of Imarticus Learning and Chairman of the Advisory Council at Imarticus School of Finance & Business.

The Union Budget 2026–27 signals a transition from reactive skilling to proactive human capital engineering through the new 'Education to Employment and Enterprise' (E2E) framework. 

A cornerstone of this vision is the institutionalisation of a 'Corporate Mitra' cadre, accredited para-professionals trained via short-term, modular courses designed by premier bodies like ICAI, ICSI, and ICMAI.By deploying these specialists specifically in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, the government is addressing the 'compliance-capability gap' that hinders MSME scalability. 

This is not merely an educational update; it is a three-pronged economic strategy that links equity via the new ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund with professional handholding to ensure our workforce is resilient against AI-led disruptions and capable of capturing 10% of the global services market by 2047.