5-Aug-2022: Industry Institute linkages in Skill Development Mission
The National Skill Development Mission (NSDM) aimed at creating convergence across sectors and States in terms of skill training activities. Training is not only done by the Central Ministries and Departments but also by the State Governments. Both short-term and long-term skill training is being imparted under the aegis of the Mission. In the short-term training eco-system, 37 Sector Skill Councils have been set up as industry-led bodies to create National Occupational Standards, develop competency framework, conduct Training of Trainers programs, affiliate Vocational Training Institutes, conduct skill gap studies in their respective sectors for Labour Market Information System, and assess and certify trainees on the curriculum aligned to NOSs. In the long-term training eco-system, the Dual System of Training Scheme was introduced in 2016 with the objective to enable industries and establishments to partner with the Government and Private Industrial Training Institutes for conducting training programmes towards fulfilling skilled manpower requirements. The Scheme is an amalgamation of theoretical training imparted through ITIs and practical training imparted through the Industry, which enable industry linkages and provide hands-on experience to students on the latest industry-relevant technologies. Revised DST guidelines were issued in 2019, after which 1,061 Memoranda of Understanding have been signed with industries until 31.01.2021. In addition, a Flexible MoU scheme has been designed to cater to the needs of both industry as well as trainees, allowing industries to train candidates as per their skill set requirements and providing trainees with an industry environment aligned with the market demand and latest technology to undergo training.
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has been actively pursuing global partnerships with governments of other countries, with the aim of promoting global mobility, strengthening the Indian skilling eco-system, and sharing of knowledge. In October 2017, MSDE had signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of the Government of Japan, with an aim to transform India’s skill eco-system by sending and accepting technical interns from India to Japan, and enabling Indian industries to imbibe the best practices of Japanese industries. So far, India has sent 220 candidates to Japan under various sectors such as Agriculture, Construction, Manufacturing, and Healthcare. More than 600 candidates are currently being trained by the Indian Sending Organizations. In January 2021, the Union Cabinet has approved the signing of another Memorandum of Cooperation between the Governments of India and Japan, on a Basic Framework for Partnership for Proper Operation of the System Pertaining to "Specified Skilled Worker". This Memorandum of Cooperation would set an institutional mechanism for partnership and cooperation between India and Japan on sending and accepting skilled Indian workers, who have qualified the required skill and Japanese language test, to work in fourteen specified sectors in Japan.
An MoU was signed between MSDE and the National Qualifications Authority, United Arab Emirates on 29.04.2016 to collaborate in mutual recognition of qualifications. The National Skill Development Corporation is working with the Ministry of Human Resource and Emiratisation and Abu Dhabi Quality & Conformity Council for benchmarking qualifications, assessment and certification. Under the India – United Arab Emirates Skill Harmonization Program, a pilot program to operationalize the benchmarking of 16 UAE skill qualifications to 13 Indian skill qualifications in construction and automotive sectors has been successfully conducted. In the pilot program, 133 candidates have been assessed on mutually recognized qualifications. 63 candidates were interviewed and selected, out of which 18 candidates have already been deployed to the UAE. MSDE/NSDC have also signed MoUs with various entities in countries like Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Australia, Finland and Switzerland for cooperation in the field of skill development, vocational and professional education and training.
5-Feb-2021: Beneficiaries of National Skill Development Mission
The National Skill Development Mission (NSDM) was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 15.07.2015 to create convergence across sectors and States in terms of skill training activities and for skilling at scale with speed and standards. Training is not only done by the Central Ministries and Departments but also by the State Governments. Training is also done by industries/employers in their premises. There are more than 20 Central Ministries/ Departments which are running schemes/programmes to impart skill training to the youth of the nation. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is implementing its flagship scheme known as the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) on pan-India basis, besides Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) and National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) in the short-term skilling eco-system, while long-term training is being imparted through the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) under the Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS).
The Sub-Missions are part of the NSDM. The Governing Council of the NSDM, chaired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, has the power to identify Sub-Missions in high priority areas as per need. Seven Sub-Missions on: (i) Institutional Training; (ii) Infrastructure; (iii) Convergence; (iv) Trainers; (v) Overseas Employment; (vi)Sustainable Livelihoods, and (vii) Leveraging Public Infrastructure were approved. The progress of work and way forward in respect of each Sub-Mission is monitored by the Executive Committee of the NSDM, chaired by Secretary, MSDE. The objectives and enablers of the Sub-Missions are such that proportion of individuals benefiting from them cannot be quantified.
12-Feb-2021: Support to Returnees from Gulf Countries
The Government of India launched an initiative SWADES (Skilled Workers Arrival Database for Employment Support) to conduct skill mapping of the returning citizens under the Vande Bharat Mission (VBM). SWADES was a joint initiative of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of External Affairs which aimed to create a database of returning citizens based on their skill sets and experience. The returning citizens were required to fill up an online SWADES Skill Card, containing details related to the work sector, job title, employment and years of experience. As on 25th January 2021, more than 30,500 citizens have registered for SWADES Skill Card, out of which more than 24,500 (~80%) citizens have returned from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain).
Details of SWADES registrations have been integrated with Skill India’s ASEEM (Aatmanirbhar Skilled Employee Employer Mapping) portal. Currently, 800+ employers are registered on ASEEM portal and have posted a combined demand of more than 5 Lakh employees in India. Through ASEEM, employer-specific reach out for SWADES candidates is also being conducted for providing relevant job opportunities. There is scope for workers including Gulf returnees to work in other countries including migration corridors under the Memorandum of Understanding/Memorandum of Cooperation signed with various countries.
3-Jun-2020: Government to conduct skill mapping of citizens returning from overseas
With the aim of making the best of our skilled workforce returning to the country due to the ongoing pandemic, the Government of India has launched a new initiative SWADES (Skilled Workers Arrival Database for Employment Support) to conduct a skill mapping exercise of the returning citizens under the Vande Bharat Mission. This is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of External Affairs which aims to create a database of qualified citizens based on their skillsets and experience to tap into and fulfil demand of Indian and foreign companies.
The collected information will be shared with the companies for suitable placement opportunities in the country. The returning citizens are required to fill up an online SWADES Skills Card. The card will facilitate a strategic framework to provide the returning citizens with suitable employment opportunities through discussions with key stakeholders including State Governments, Industry Associations and Employers. MSDE’s implementation arm National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) is supporting the implementation of the project.
Commenting on the collaboration, Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Union Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, said, “These are testing times and it is crucial that the entire country comes together and supports the Centre in its efforts to address the challenges posed by the economic downturn caused by the COVID – 19 pandemic. We are pleased to partner with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Ministry of External Affairs to conduct this skill mapping of overseas returning citizens under the Vande Bharat Mission. Inspired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of security and growth for all, the data collected through SWADES Skill Card will help the citizens with job prospects and bridge the demand-supply gap.”
The spread of COVID-19 across the globe has had a significant economic impact with thousands of workers losing their jobs and hundreds of companies shutting down globally. Many of our citizens returning to the country through the Vande Bharat Mission of the Government of India may be facing uncertainty regarding their future employment opportunities. Lakhs of citizens have registered at the various Indian missions requesting to return to the country and so far, more than 57,000 people have already returned to the country.
Sharing his thoughts on the initiative, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Civil Aviation Minister, said, “When we started Vande Bharat Mission, we observed that a lot of our overseas workers returning to India due to job losses, possess international skill sets and experience which can be of great value for domestic and international markets. We reached out to MSDE to create an online portal for gathering database of these workers. To ensure dissemination of information on SWADES Skill Card, In-flight announcements are being made by Air India and Air Indian Express that are operating flights under the Vande Bharat Mission. Airport Authority of India and other private airports have also put up banners/standees and digital signages to ensure that all our migrants returning from abroad can be informed about this initiative.
Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs commented, “In view of the global emergency caused by the unprecedented spread of the Novel Coronavirus, we are committed to provide every possible support to our citizens stranded abroad and the challenges they are facing due to job losses. We shall actively promote the SWADES Skill Card initiative through our Embassies/ High Commissions/Consulates across different countries. The initiative will help in deployment of returning Indian workforce matching their skill sets.”
The online form available on www.nsdcindia.org/swades has been created to gather required details of the returning citizens. The form contains the details such as details related to the work sector, job title, employment, years of experience. A Toll free call centre facility has also been set up to support the citizens for any queries related to filling the form.
The SWADES Skill Form (online) was made live on 30th May 2020 and has garnered around 7000 registrations till 3rd June 2020 ( 2 pm). Amongst the data gathered so far, the top countries from where the citizens are returning are UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. As per the skill mapping, these citizens had been primarily employed in sectors such as oil & gas, construction, tourism & hospitality, Automotive and Aviation. The data also suggests that the States which have shown highest returning labour are Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana.
12-Feb-2021: Establishment of IISC for employment opportunity to the youth abroad
To facilitate international workforce mobility, the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) launched India International Skill Centre (IISC) Network on 11th February, 2020. The IISC network is a nodal platform to facilitate international workforce mobility opportunities for Indians. It is a fee based, market driven model, determined by global workforce supply and demand dynamics. It comprises of Member Organizations involved in activities related to overseas workforce mobility like incremental skill training on international standards or testing/assessment of skills for overseas employment, operating through several fixed centres called as IISCs. Through the IISC Network, Member Organizations are supported to work across various country clusters: Gulf cooperation council (GCC); Japan, Russia, South East Asia; North America; Australia, New Zealand; and Europe. NSDC provides access to the following benefits to the members of the IISC Network:
- Knowledge and Research to facilitate International Workforce Mobility.
- Government-to-Government/Business-to-Business facilitation.
- International Skill Standard Benchmarking and Harmonization
- Advocacy and Branding
- International Workforce Facilitation - Employer Connect.
- Funding support - Candidate and business loans.
- International Assessment Centres.
- Technological Support through IT platform - Data Management and Monitoring system.
In India, 95 organizations are part of the network operating through 537 IISCs across more than240 districts as on January, 2021. The Government has taken several initiatives to provide employment opportunity to the youth abroad by signing Memorandum of Understanding /Memorandum of Cooperation with various countries such as Germany, Japan, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Belarus, United Kingdom and France.