On the occasion of the first ever World Youth Skills Day on 15^th July 2015, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) will launch the SKILL INDIA Campaign.  On this historic occasion, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has consented to be the Chief Guest for the event to be held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Announcing this here today, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy has said that during the function, the Prime Minister will formally launch the “National Skill Development Mission”, unveil the new “National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2015”, and roll out on all-India basis the Ministry’s flagship scheme, “Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikash Yojana - PMKVY” – the pilot phase of which has already begun.

He said, the National Mission will converge, coordinate, implement and monitor skilling activities across India. It will also be a vehicle to achieve the objectives of the National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2015, which will provide policy direction and guidance to all stakeholders in the skill development and entrepreneurship ecosystem. Shri Rudy said, the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), the Ministry’s flagship, demand-driven, reward-based skill training scheme will incentivise skill training, by providing financial rewards to candidates who successfuly complete approved skill training programmes. PMKVY will skill 24 lakh youth, across India, over the next one year. For the first time, the skills of young people who lack formal certification, such as workers in India’s vast unorganised sector, will be recognised through an initiative known as ‘Recognition of Prior Learning’ (RPL), who will have a chance to be assessed and certified for the skills that they already possess. 10 lakh youth will be certified under PMKVY’s RPL category over the next one year.  

He said, the launch of the Skill India Campaign is an important milestone towards achieving the objective of skilling with Speed, Scale and Standards accross the country. This event would bring together key stakeholders including Central Ministries/Departments, State Governments, leading Industry Bodies, and trainees. Partnerships with all these these stakeholders is vital to ensure that Skill India, is a success.

MSDE has initiated a range of cross-sectoral partnerships, across Ministries and Departments to scale up skill training efforts. Till date Eight cross-sectoral, overarching MoUs have been signed between MSDE and other key Ministries including (Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Steel, Ministry of Mines, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Department of Fertilisers and Department of Pharmaceuticals). In addition to this, two tri-partite MoUs have been signed between NSDC, NSDF and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) as well as Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd.

These MoUs seek to:

·        Leverage existing government infrastructure to deliver skill training programmes

·        Mobilize CSR funds of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) to support skilling

·        Upgrade equipment of ITIs and NSDC/SSC affiliated training providers

·        Promote and scale up apprenticeship training in PSUs

·        Incentivize hiring of NSQF certified personnel

·        Promote adoption of ITIs by PSUs, including provision of technical and resource support

·        Introduce vocational courses in schools run by Ministries/PSUs

·        Establish ‘Centres of Excellence’ for high quality skill training

·        Align training programmes to NSQF and mobilize workforce for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

·        Scale up skill training programmes, for Persons with Disabilities

Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy said, widespread awareness and mobilisation drives have been initiated, parallel to the event to ensure that the message of Skill India, reaches out to every part of the country. All States/Union Territories have been roped in to organise functions at State/District headquarters in the presence of their Chief Ministers, in order to increase awareness of World Youth Skills Day.

The national event is also being telecast live across more than 10000 ITIs, NSDC training centres, select Nehru Yuva Kendras, and some educational institutions in all States/Union Territories in India.

With a view to focus on the most important stakeholder – India’s youth – trainees will be felicitated at the Skill India launch at Vigyan Bhawan, at Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and NSDC training centres, across the country.  

A ‘Skill Loan’ initiative will be launched at the event, where loans from Rs 5,000-1.5 lakhs will be available to more than 34 lakh youth of India, who seek to attend skill development programmes, over the next five years. Financial constraints will no longer be a hindrance to accessing skill training programmes.

The entire idea of celebrating World Youth Skills Day on a large scale is to underscore the significance of skilling, vocational education and entrepreneurship amongst the youth of the country and make them feel that by skilling, re-skilling, and upskilling, they shall become an integral part of the growth story of India, besides carving out a career trajectory for themselves.

The majority of India’s vast population is of working age. Urgent and effective action to Skill India is critical to capture the demographic potential of India’s youth, so that they can contribute productively to the economy. Recognising the centrality of skills to overall socio-economic development within and across nation-states, the United Nations, at its General Assembly in November 2014, declared 15^th July as World Youth Skills Day. The resolution, endorsed by all UN regional groups, seeks to generate greater awareness and stimulate discussion on the vital role of skill training, in giving youth access to employment and sustainable livelihood pathways.

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