Weekly Newsbytes on Skills and Education

This week’s NSN Newsbytes highlights India’s skilling ecosystem continues to gain strong momentum, with governments, industry leaders, academia, and CSR partners accelerating efforts to build a future-ready workforce. These developments reflect a sharp focus on emerging technologies, industry-aligned training, and inclusive skilling pathways designed to improve employability across regions and sectors.

At the national level, initiatives such as PMKVY 4.0 telecom training, industry–government dialogues led by MSDE and CII, and NCVET’s collaboration with Flipkart highlight a push toward standardised, outcome-driven skilling. States are playing an equally critical role, rolling out reforms that range from AI and quantum technology training in Uttar Pradesh and World Skills Centre models in Bihar, to ITI modernisation under PM-SETU, large-scale construction worker upskilling in Tamil Nadu, and international mobility partnerships in Nagaland and Meghalaya.

Industry partnerships are further strengthening the ecosystem, with global and Indian companies like IBM, Cognizant, Samsung, Tata Group, Google, and Tata BlueScope Steel investing in AI, green energy, electronics manufacturing, research internships, and workforce expansion. Complementing these efforts, CSR initiatives by Anudip Foundation, Sun Pharma, and Pearl Academy are ensuring last-mile access to skilling for underserved youth and women.

Together, these updates underscore India’s coordinated, multi-stakeholder approach to creating a skilled, inclusive, and globally competitive workforce aligned with Vision 2047.

Inviting Expressions of Interest – PM-SETU

Gujarat invited industry EOIs to modernise 60 government ITIs across 12 clusters under the PM-SETU scheme, adopting a hub-and-spoke model to deliver industry-led curricula, advanced infrastructure, and future-ready skills aligned with high-growth sectors. Read More
The Chandigarh Directorate of Technical Education invited Expressions of Interest under the PM-SETU scheme to upgrade government ITIs through an industry-led hub-and-spoke model, aiming to modernise infrastructure, introduce future-ready courses, and strengthen employability outcomes nationwide. Read More

Here we go with this week’s edition of our weekly newsbytes –

Newbytes – Government initiatives

National missions and strategic launches in skill development

BSNL’s RGMTTC Chennai announced free Skill India and PMKVY 4.0 telecom training programmes starting December 15, offering 400 hours of hands-on skilling in modern telecom technologies.
MSDE and CII hosted a high-level industry interaction in Mumbai to strengthen government – industry collaboration and advance industry-aligned skilling and Centres of Excellence.
NSDC International signed an agreement with Manipur University to establish a Japanese language training centre, expanding global employment opportunities for youth in the Northeast.
The government will incentivise states and districts to adopt a hyper-local, industry-linked approach to skill development, aligning training with district and cluster-level investment needs.
NCVET signed an agreement with Flipkart to create nationally recognised, industry-led skilling pathways for India’s e-commerce and logistics workforce under the Skill India Mission.

State-led skilling and institutional reforms

Samagra Shiksha Nagaland organised a State-Level Job Fair 2025 in Kohima to connect vocational students with employers, apprenticeships, and career opportunities.
Indian Railways’ IRIMEE partnered with Bihar to provide advanced technical training to ITI faculty under the PM Sector Review Project, enhancing teaching quality and student skill outcomes.
UP CM Shri Yogi Adityanath inaugurated a new ITI built by POWERGRID in Gorakhpur, expanding technical training opportunities for youth across eastern Uttar Pradesh districts.
Uttar Pradesh has announced plans to train its youth in AI, quantum technologies, semiconductors, green energy, and drones to boost employability under its Vision 2047.
Mizoram concluded the State-Level Skill Competition 2025, with 1,048 youth participants showcasing talents and highlighting the growing importance of digital and employment-oriented skills.
The Odisha government started implementing the PM-Setu scheme, planning a ₹480 crore upgrade of 10 ITIs into hub-and-spoke centres for modern, industry-aligned skilling.
Sikkim’s National AYUSH Mission concluded a three-day residential training to enhance AYUSH doctors’ clinical skills in metabolic disorders, mental health, Marma Therapy, and integrative care.
Nagaland hosted the third NEP-aligned Training of Trainers workshop in Dimapur, strengthening vocational pedagogy across 26 government schools under the Multi-Sector Skill Education pilot.
Jammu and Kashmir’s Horticulture Department held awareness programmes at GDC and ITI Gool, promoting job-oriented schemes and self-employment opportunities in horticulture and allied sectors.
Tamil Nadu trained nearly 30,000 construction workers through ITI-led skill upgradation, with plans to cover 50,000 more under a ₹45 crore programme.
Bihar plans to introduce the World Skills Centre model to train youth in AI, drones, EVs, and 3D printing for global employability.
Nagaland signed an MoU with Germany’s Jobs-in-Germany GmbH to expand international skilling pathways and global employment opportunities for the state’s technical youth.
Meghalaya State Skill Development Society signed an MoU with Accel Skill Edutech to enable international employment and apprenticeship pathways for youth across the state.
Generation India Foundation and UPSDM signed an MoU to embed data-driven training in skilling programmes, improving youth employment and retention outcomes in Uttar Pradesh.

Industry partnerships for a strong skill ecosystem

Gujarat’s Centre for Entrepreneurship Development signed an MoU with Bosch Home Comfort to set up HVAC skill development centres across northern Gujarat, boosting employability and technical training.
Tata BlueScope Steel partnered with Tata STRIVE to train Telangana youth as Solar PV Installers under the Surya Mitra programme, supporting green energy employment.
Google opened applications for its 2026 Student Researcher Internship and Apprenticeship Programme, offering students hands-on experience in large-scale research projects until February 26.
The Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC) 2.0 scheme is set to create 1.8 lakh jobs across 10 states, with ₹1.46 lakh crore investment to boost electronics manufacturing.
Samsung certified 750 students in Andhra Pradesh under its Innovation Campus programme, strengthening future-tech skilling at Visakhapatnam’s Vignan and DIET colleges.
IBM committed to train up to five million learners in India by 2030 through SkillsBuild, focusing on AI, cybersecurity, and quantum computing.
Cognizant expanded its Synapse skilling initiative, setting a new target to upskill two million people globally by 2030, focusing on AI-driven workforce readiness.
Tata Group and the Uttar Pradesh government discussed expanding TCS’s workforce in Lucknow and Noida to around 30,000, boosting employment and IT sector growth.
The Economic Times hosted the 6th edition of EDNXT Lucknow 2025, uniting policymakers, educators, and industry leaders to strengthen employability and higher education outcomes.
Southeastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), a subsidiary of Coal India Limited, trained over 2,000 youth across Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh through CSR-led skill programmes in partnership with CIPET to boost employability in mining regions.

CSR initiatives in skilling and education

Anudip Foundation and DBS Bank India launched a DeepTech Training Centre in Navi Mumbai to skill underserved youth and drive tech-enabled employability.
Sun Pharma and ELFA International inaugurated an Electrician Skill Training Centre in Samba under CSR, aiming to boost youth employability and self-reliance.
Pearl Academy partnered with SETU Foundation to train 260 women in fashion and beauty skills, enabling employability and income generation through industry-aligned creative education.

To know more, check out the latest updates on CSR and ESG initiatives that are creating a meaningful impact in skill development and education here: https://nationalskillsnetwork.in/csr-and-esg-in-skill-education/

Skilling and upskilling in academia and emerging technologies

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India (MBRDI), expanded the NCVET-approved Future-In-Charge EV charging skilling programme to Pune, Kolkata, and Bengaluru under Phase 2 implementation.
Sasken Technologies highlighted the success of Sasken Academy, advancing industry-aligned engineering education through university partnerships and real-world, emerging-technology training programmes.
IGMPI expanded its FSSAI-approved FoSTaC food safety training nationwide, offering basic to advanced courses to strengthen hygiene, compliance, and safety culture across food businesses.
Over 8.65 lakh Indians have completed training in AI, cybersecurity, and data analytics, reflecting the government’s push to prepare a future-ready, tech-skilled workforce.

*IMPORTANT:

The Weekly Newsbytes on skills and education from NSN are curated and adapted from various sources with the sole objective of keeping our readers updated about the evolving skills industry in India.