Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and the Ministry of Railways have come together to implement skill certification program under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). The objective is to enhance customer experience in premiere trains under Project Swarna by upskilling the Railway workforce through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) under PMKVY for 2568 candidates. A batch of 200 candidates commence training through the Divisional Railway Office, Bangalore and 50 candidates in Mumbai, across job roles such as Housekeeping Attendant – Manual Cleaning, Room Attendant and F&B Service Stewards.
Highlights of the partnership
- Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) program under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) to focus on training of 2568 candidates for Project Swarna
- Indian Railways’ Project Swarna aims to train candidates to deliver better services and enhanced experience to travellers
- A batch of 200 candidates commence training in Bangalore and 50 in Mumbai
Project Swarna aims to cover 16 railway zones across 29 trains, and is being conducted in various cities across job roles such as Housekeeping Attendant – Manual Cleaning, Room Attendant and F&B Service Stewards. For this programme, the Ministry had formed nine teams of two officers each from Railway Board to monitor the progress of work under each dimension of Project Swarna. 14 Rajdhani trains and 15 Shatabdi trains have been selected for the first phase of this Project.
Under MSDE’s Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), special focus is given to RPL by recognizing prior competencies of the youth. To improve aesthetics and to offer better services to its travelers, the RPL training program proposes to impart skill training and certification to candidates in various job roles such as housekeeping, linen service, cleaning and F&B services. The training program will be implemented by MSDE’s executive agency, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) through its approved training partner, Tata Strive.
Shri Anantkumar Hegde, Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, commented, “Skill India commits its support to Project Swarna, which focuses to refurbish coach interiors, improve toilets and cleanliness in coaches. This RPL Program is designed for Indian Railways’ staff to provide special training to serve people in a better and effective manner. We believe that the training will help to create a strong service culture supported by skills to build loyal relationships with travellers and also give them a formal skill certificate which is a huge add on to their work experience.”
Speaking about the collaboration, Manish Kumar, MD & CEO, NSDC said, “Project Swarna is an illustrious program of Indian Railways that aims to offer exclusive experience to its passengers. NSDC will facilitate the formal training of the railway staff to provide high-class services, also equipping the trainees with soft skills.”
The 40-hour training program has been developed to include 20-25 hours of classroom learning and remaining hours for on-the-job training. During the practical training, the trainers would accompany the candidates to offer them live experience and hands-on-training. The program lays emphasis on hygiene, on-board cleanliness, catering and usage of trolley for serving food, amongst other services. After completing the training course, the candidates will be assessed and certified.
The Ministry of Railways (MoR) and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) had signed a memorandum of understanding to provide right platform to large number of rural unemployed youth and equip them with skills which would help them to become economically self-reliant and become productive members of the society. The objective can be achieved by leveraging the existing railway infrastructure to deliver skill training aligned to National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) and mobilize workforce through recognition of learning programs.
(This article is based on a press release from Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE)
