EVEN a year after the launch of the ‘Skill India' program, a lot of impetus is being given to it as the initiative aims at training the youth of the country in specific skills through which they can earn a livelihood and live with pride. With an aim to generate surplus manpower of, at least, five crore over the next decade with skilled labor, India will be able to tackle global challenges. It is estimated that a meager 2.3 percent of the workforce in India has formal training as compared to the UK (68 percent) and the US (80 percent). Since the launch of ‘Skill India', a number of training universities, institutes and schools have mushroomed across the country and tied up with the state governments to enroll the maximum number of youth. So far, over 55 lakh people have received training and 23 lakh people have been employed. Over the last year, the number of training centers crossed the 3,000 mark and the government has tied up with around 250 training partners. The campaign's vision is to train over 40 crore people by 2022 in different skills. [caption id="attachment_115385" align="alignright" width="300"] President Mukherjee releasing the publication on the occasion of the World Youth Skills Day[/caption]‘Skill India' resolves to bridge the digital divide by providing basic digital literacy opportunities to all skill- seekers. The web skilling opportunities come with the convenience of learning and practicing skill-nuggets with a mobile app as well. The ambitious program completed one year in July 2016 and on the first anniversary of the initiative, the Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (independent charge), Rajiv Pratap Rudy, reinforced the commitment promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During an event in New Delhi, in the presence of President Dr. Pranab Mukherjee, Rudy outlined the following programs that will chart the way forward. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana-2 As of July 18, 2016, 17.93 lakh candidates were trained out of 18 lakh who enrolled. In 2015, the scheme had an outlay of Rs.1,500 crore, with a target to cover 24 lakh persons within the next year under skill training (including 10 lakh under Recognition of Prior Learning). PM Modi this year approved the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) with an outlay of Rs.12,000 crore to impart skilling to one crore people over the next four years (2016-2020). Under this scheme, around 60 lakh youth will get trained and skill training would be imparted based on industry-led standards aligned to the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF). There will be special focus on placement of trainees along with incentives. This scheme will emphasize on skill training as per international standards for employment in Gulf countries, Europe and other overseas destinations. Students undergoing training in high-end job roles will be provided scholarships. India International Skill Centers The first anniversary of ‘Skill India' saw announcement of 50 India International Skill Centers, slated to open by the end of 2016. In the first phase, 15 centers were launched by President Mukherjee. These will be set up through National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and will implement the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) and Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PKVY) to the youth seeking global mobility for jobs. The first 15 centers will be in Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab and Rajasthan. India Skills Online, a national competition under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and NSDC, to select the best talent to lead India's participation at the biennial World Skills International Competition scheduled at Abu Dhabi in 2017. National Labor Market Information System (LMIS) It is a single window to aggregate supply and demand trends in the Indian skill development ecosystem. This is an integrated set of institutional arrangements, procedures, mechanisms and data systems designed to produce labor market information as per global standards and best practices. Through LMIS, statistical and non-statistical information on labor market will be generated. The National Skills Development Agency (NSDA) is designated as the lead agency for the development of the national LMIS. National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme This ambitious scheme has an outlay of Rs.10,000 crore with a target of 50 lakh apprentices to be trained by 2019-20. The scheme would be implemented by Director General of Training (DGT) under MSDE. It provides for incentivizing employers to engage apprentices. Apprenticeship training is considered to be one of the most efficient ways to develop skilled manpower. It aims to achieve the objective as stated in the National Policy, 2015. The policy proposes to work proactively with the industry including MSMEs to facilitate 10-fold increase in opportunities by 2020.
