The need for high quality 'purposeful' education over mere literacy rates was highlighted at the inaugural session of the two-day national conference on 'Linking Learning & Livelihoods in the New Economy: Ideas, Innovations, Solutions' in Hyderabad. The conference was organised by Dr Reddy's Foundation in collaboration with QUEST programme of USAID and the PESLE programme sponsored by the European Commission. Maintaining that the manufacturing industry would inevitably grow, service sector continues its robust growth, and agriculture sector demand new knowledge and skills, the speakers highlighted the need for a well-educated and trained workforce.