Under the Government of India’s Skill India Mission (SIM), the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) delivers skill, re-skill and up- skill training through an extensive network of skill development centres/ institutes etc. under various schemes, viz. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and Craftsman Training Scheme (CTS) through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), to all the sections of the society across the country. The Government introduced the online skill training in both short term and long term during COVID 19 pandemic period to restore the skilling activities. Online short term training was imparted through eskill India portal and long term training through Bharat skill portal. In the post pandemic period also Government increased the pace to provide digital skills which are crucial to ensure skilling for the youth and also to address the requirements of Industrial Revolution 4.0. The details of initiatives taken by MSDE to promote digital and online skill training are as under:

1. MSDE has launched Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH), a mobile-first digital platform, in September, 2023 to synergize India's skill development, education, employment, and entrepreneurship landscape. Its primary objective is to provide a comprehensive and accessible platform for skill enhancement, offering industry-relevant skill courses, job opportunities, and entrepreneurship support. SIDH is a digital expansion of skilling opportunities and integrated platform that have digital job exchange between stakeholders. SIDH is at the intersection of two of the most important components of the Government- Skill India & Digital India. Built on Mobile-First approach, SIDH caters diverse needs of a citizen for skill development such as discovery of courses, schemes, apprenticeships, and job opportunities based on preferences and aspirations, Learning Management System for digital skilling, Portable Verified Credentials, etc. It aims to serve as India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for skill development, education, employment and entrepreneurship landscape. As on June, 2024, around 88 lakh candidates have been registered, 9.59 lakh mobile app have been downloaded and 7.63 lakh candidates have been enrolled for online courses on SIDH which has 752 online courses, leading to 7.37 lakh minutes of digital content readily available and accessible 24X7 for learners.
2. Directorate General of Training (DGT) under the aegis of MSDE implemented the Skills Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE) project with the objective of improving the relevance and efficiency of skills training provided through ITIs and apprenticeships. Under the project digital content in blended mode was developed for 14 trades in two phases. Further, for immersive learning environment among ITIs, a Virtual Reality (VR) project was conducted as a pilot in 05 ITIs for 04 trades namely electrician, fitter, Mechanic Motor Vehicle and Welder. This includes procurement of hardware and software relevant to imparting trainings under VR mode.
3. The Bharatskills portal launched to support digital skill development, provides access to a range of educational materials, including e-books, question banks, and e-learning videos, available in 12 regional languages. Presently, the portal hosts approximately 553 e-books, 337 question banks, 190 study material videos, and 6201 e-learning videos, available in 12 regional languages, ensuring broad and inclusive access to skill training.
4. The DGT has also signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with leading IT tech companies like IBM, CISCO, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Microsoft. These partnerships facilitate the provision of technical and professional skills training in modern technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data Analytics (BDA), Blockchain, Cloud Computing, and more. This training is available through the Bharatskills portal (https://bharatskills.gov.in), a central repository that supports around 23.7 lakh trainees by offering courses designed to make them industry-ready.
5. Additionally, the DGT, in collaboration with IBM under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), offers a 2-year Advanced Diploma (Vocational) program in IT, Networking, and Cloud Computing across 15 National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs).

This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Shri Jayant Chaudhary in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

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