Through a vast network of skill development centers, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is providing skills under the Skill India Mission.
Following the COVID-19 outbreak, the nation’s Skilling ecosystem was impacted. The closure of training centers as a result of the lockdown limitations had a significant negative impact on the PMKVY program’s ability to skill recruits. Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, training was suspended starting on March 18, 2020, and it was allowed to resume on September 21, 2020 (subject to state-specific directives). Lockdowns that were particular to each state were implemented after the second COVID-19 wave. Candidates showed little interest in being admitted under the Craft Instructor Training Scheme (CITS). Since the Ministry’s programs are demand-driven, state-by-state targets are frequently neither set nor met.
Skill India is an ongoing, dynamic initiative that adjusts to the shifting demands for opportunities and skills. In November of 2014, MSDE was established with the goal of coordinating the activities of all relevant parties in the fields of entrepreneurship and skill development. The government published the National Policy on Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and the National Skill Development Mission in addition to stepping up efforts to enhance and simplify the skilling ecosystem with the creation of a Central Ministry. In order to ensure that the results of government skilling programs are consistent throughout the skilling ecosystem, an increasing number of areas are aligning with the common framework that spans the skilling ecosystem. In order to rationalize and streamline the entire skill development process, MSDE has taken a number of institutional and structural measures, such as establishing the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), a unified regulatory authority that aims to promote a credible learner-centric skill ecosystem by developing minimal, uniform standards to regulate the functioning of the vocational education ecosystem, and introducing Common Norms for all Central Government skilling schemes in terms of cost and other parameters. Additionally, the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF), which makes it easier to establish uniform standards for all skill-related course curricula, is something that the NCVET is mandated to develop and expand. Below is a summary of some significant initiatives:
Standardization of input quality through the SMART Portal: The NSDC developed the SMART accreditation and affiliation platform, which stands for Skill Management & Accreditation of Training Center, to improve quality assurance and create uniformity in the accreditation and affiliation process.
Convergence of data on the Skill India Portal In order to guarantee data congruence and consolidate data related to all skilling programs in the nation, including Central Ministries, State Governments, and enterprises on one platform, the Skill India Portal was created. This is an ongoing effort. After integration is finished, the Skill India Portal will offer precise training program planning and estimation, less duplication and unnecessary spending, and improved visibility of the whole skill ecosystem.
The MSDE has established the National platform for Trainers and Assessors – Takshashila as a specialized web platform for managing the trainers and assessors within the skill ecosystem. It serves as the primary source of information regarding the development of high-quality trainers and assessors.
Through the e-Skill India portal, Bharat Skills portal, future Skills prime platform for reskilling, and upskilling of IT manpower for employability, online skill training is being imparted to address the requirements of Industrial Revolution 4.0 and to impart digital skilling for the youth in the post-COVID scenario. Additionally, digital training programs and vocational education are being developed to supplement the curriculum of ITI students nationwide through blended learning.
The 2015 launch of the Skill India Mission aimed to equip youth with sufficient skills and fulfill the growing need for labor. The government is implementing various skill development schemes across the nation under the Skill India Mission, which is being carried out by more than 20 Central Ministries/Departments, including the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) through the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojna (DDU-GKY) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) through the Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojna-National Urban Livelihood Mission (DAY-NULM). The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship oversees several significant skill development training initiatives, including the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), and Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS). State governments, print media, and electronic media are the channels used to promote the programs. The Ministry is constantly updating its policies and practices in response to feedback from stakeholders, particularly with the goal of facilitating business at all levels to ensure that the nation’s talent development ecosystem functions smoothly. The results of the Third Party Evaluation Reports and recommendations/directions from the Honorable Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee (DRPSC) are consistently taken into consideration when doing this.
