February 14 was a busy day in the National Capital. An event called the ‘India Summit on Education Knowledge Exchange’, organised by the World Bank saw the participation of representatives from 20 nations – mostly from Africa and Asia. On the agenda were discussions around the ‘Skill India’ initiative and how it has helped impart much-needed skills to the Indian workforce, while also upskilling and re-skilling those who already have expertise in various fields. By the end of the discussions, the representatives were convinced that Skill India Digital would be of tremendous use to their own countries, effectively paving the way for another component of India’s digital public infrastructure to go global.
Among the countries that were represented were Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Malaysia, Mali, Thailand, Vietnam, etc. All the countries belong to the Global South – a bloc of developing and underdeveloped countries that India has chosen to lend a voice to and extend all possible help to aid their development journeys. Whether it be providing such countries with elements of its digital public infrastructure or paving the way for them to emulate the GatiShakti Masterplan, to even signing agreements expanding the use of UPI – India is making a concerted effort at being perceived as a natural partner for nations in the Global South.
A Decade of Empowering Indians with Skills
Coming back to the specifics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made his vision clear: India has the potential to emerge as one of the largest providers of skilled workforce in the world. With over 65 per cent of its youth in the working age group, India holds the advantage of a budding demographic dividend unlike any other country in the world. Efforts to capitalise on this demography started as early as 2014, with the creation of the dedicated Ministry for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. This was followed by the launch of the Skill India Mission in 2015.
The mission offers courses in almost 40 sectors across India. These courses are specifically designed to equip an individual with hands-on knowledge and practical skills required for their job so that once employed, their employer would not be required to make further investments in their training and capacity development.
The Skill India Mission has, under its ambit, the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, Jan Shikshan Sansthan, National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme, and Craftsmen Training Scheme through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).
PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana, for example, imparts short-term skill development training and certification to youth, including in rural areas. At present, there are about 2,640 training centres, including PM Kaushal Kendras, offering the latest pedagogy backed by the use of technology. Until October 2023, these centres trained over 1.40 crore candidates with funding of more than Rs 10,000 crore.
Similarly, the Jan Shikshan Sansthan scheme is providing comprehensive support to individuals who are non-literates, neo-literates, school dropouts or those with low levels of education. The primary objective of this scheme is to equip such individuals with essential vocational skills, improving their access to livelihood opportunities. Here, priority is given to SCs, STs, OBCs, minorities, and women. Since 2018-19, over 22.58 lakh persons have been trained under JSS.
Besides, India has also witnessed the addition of 5000 new ITIs over the past nine years, resulting in an addition of over four lakh new ITI seats. As a result, over 15,000 such centres are now operating in the country, having trained over 65 lakh students since 2018.
The Modi government also plans to set up 30 Skill India International Centres across the country to facilitate the mobility of skilled workforce as per demands in different countries. In addition, MoUs have been signed with nearly 11 countries including Australia, China, Germany, among others in the field of skill development and vocational training.
The Centre has also established the National Skill Development Corporation International, under which a network of institutions will be set up throughout India to develop and hone diverse skills meeting international standards, and providing an effective linkage between skilled candidates and global employers. There are also plans to set up at least three Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Kanpur. These are especially important components of India’s plan to become the “world’s skill capital”. As a result of various interventions, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her interim budget speech revealed that the Skill India Mission has so far trained 1.4 crore youth, upskilled and reskilled 54 lakh youth.
However, challenges do remain. A recent parliamentary standing committee report on labour, textiles and skill development pointed out the various challenges and gaps that remain in imparting skill training to Indians and recommended that the “satisfaction level of employers on the training imparted to candidates” be gauged under the PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana. The biggest challenge remains ensuring jobs are provided to those seeking skill training. There are also allegations on grounds of poor training, no certification and lack of competent trainers.
Skill India Digital: A Boon for the Global South
As India takes steps domestically to equip its people with requisite skills which will open avenues of employment and entrepreneurship for them, the goal is to have an Indian workforce spread all over the world. The government’s plan is to take advantage of India’s young demography and not just limit them to work within the country, equipping them instead to work anywhere in the world. Similarly, countries of the Global South stand to benefit from Skill India Digital, which will effectively provide them with a unified digital platform to access quality skill development, relevant opportunities, and entrepreneurial support.
According to Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, the platform creates a unified and centralised hub for skill development initiatives. Skill India Digital has received over 40 lakh registrations since its launch in September 2023, and the platform today offers more than 550 courses. It is pretty much like a school where one gets exposure to hundreds of skills.
As the world navigates through the challenges of the 21st century, India’s emphasis on skill development complements the larger goal of turning the country into a global manufacturing and innovation hub. With each skill imparted, India paves a path towards a more prosperous, interconnected, and resilient global community, where every individual has the opportunity to thrive and contribute to the collective advancement of humanity.
Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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