MSDE seminar on building capacities through digital skill training among SCO partner nations

A seminar on “Building Capacities through Skill Training and a New Generation of Entrepreneurs in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Partner Nations towards the Usage Setup of Digital IT Platforms” was organised by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) on February 21, 2023.

India highlighted its top digital transformation practises at the seminar, focusing particularly on industries that assisted in addressing the welfare issues that the public faced during the pandemic.

Eight member nations, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Cambodia, the Maldives, and Nepal, attended the sessions. In addition, 50 delegates from SCO member states, observer states, and dialogue partners participated in a hybrid mode.

The event was attended by key dignitaries and senior Indian officials including Shri. Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, MSDE; KK Dwivedi, Joint Secretary, MSDE; Ms. Trishaljit Sethi, Additional Secretary/ Director General (Training), DGT, MSDE; Ved Mani Tiwari, CEO, NSDC and MD, NSDC International; Dr. Maneesh Mishra, Executive VP, NSDC; Anil Sahasrabudhe, chairman, National Educational Technology Forum and National Board of Accreditation; Kirti Seth, CEO, NASSCOM; Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary and CEO, NeGD/DIC, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology; Alina Vladimirovna Doshkanova, Deputy General Director, Agency for the Development of Professional Skills (WorldSkills Russia); Anurag Jain, Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Dr. Sam Sethserey, General Secretariat, DGC, Director General, IDRI of CADT among other esteemed delegates, a few representatives from the partner nations also virtually attended the seminar.

Discussions and deliberations focused on building connections between industry and skill-based education in a variety of areas, including health, education, skilling, and IT, among others, as well as developing the digital infrastructure for the rapidly occurring digital transformation.

Several studies and best practises from organisations like Urban Company, the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), Invest India, WorldSkills Russia, and others were shared during the sessions, highlighting the need for institutional alignment and increased stakeholder engagement to achieve digital integration across SCO partner nations. Along with empowering small businesses through skill-based capacity building using IT platforms, entrepreneurship initiatives, and trends. It was also stressed how important it is to strengthen the capacities of aspiring entrepreneurs.

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, the Hon’ble Minister of Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, addressed the gathering via video message, emphasising the significance of establishing multiple entry and exit points in the educational system to promote vertical and horizontal mobility across a variety of disciplines, general education, and skill education. Bring attention to the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF), which Shri Dharmendra Pradhan identified as an important enabler of the multidisciplinary ecosystem and the important role it plays in developing a system for accumulating, transferring, and redeeming digital credits using IT platforms. Furthermore, he emphasised the importance of open-source digital tools in assisting India in achieving its goals in the education and skill sectors, as well as shed light on how security and economic development are increasingly converging across countries, particularly the SCO countries.

In line with Hon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mantra of “skilling, reskilling, and upskilling” and with recent announcements in the Budget 2023–24 on the Skill India Digital platform, an elaborate presentation was prepared to showcase how the platform is expanding the digital skill ecosystem by enabling demand-based formal skilling and facilitating access to entrepreneurship schemes.

Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, MSDE, delivered a speech on the occasion and stated, “Cooperation among SCO nations on skilling, reskilling, and upskilling will be essential to unlock economic value and create a path to shared prosperity. Emerging technologies are revolutionising the training industry as a whole. The technology advancements applied to learning delivery methods have also made the learning experience far more detailed, individualised, and measurable than ever before, paving the way for new opportunities. I am certain that the seminar will not only provide a platform for SCO nations to interact and offer transformative public goods and services through IT platforms, but will also provide new insights and pathways for countries to embark on a digital journey.”

SCO’s Deputy Secretary General, Grigory Logninov, lauded the initiative and stated that the pandemic has given new digital technologies a significant push forward in all areas of human activity. Every year, the SCO member states have an increasing need for the availability of online learning, as well as the creation of platforms and search engines for teachers and students. The seminar focuses on incorporating new digital educational resources into the educational process, the use of artificial intelligence, and technologies to improve digital literacy.

Also read: NIELIT organised the 1st International Conference on Digital Skilling https://nationalskillsnetwork.in/nielit-organised-the-1st-international-conference-on-digital-skilling/

India joined the SCO in 2005 as an observer state and then joined as a member state in 2017. The SCO was founded in 2001. The Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi highlighted India’s experience with digital technologies in its development projects during the first meeting of the SCO on September 17, 2021, in Dushanbe, and he offered to share open-source solutions with other SCO members.