Skill Development News Digest -311215

It’s the last fortnight of the year and time to catch up with all that has been happening on the skilling and training scene in India. While there are many headlines that grab our attention, of particular interest are the insights from Moore and Prillaman on workforce training, labour and gender. To quote, “ …women participate in the labour force at strikingly lower rates than men: only 23% of women aged 18-35 are active members of the labour force, compared to 83% of men. And women with secondary education are even less active, with only 15% of these women in the labour force. By contrast, illiterate and primary educated women participate in the labour force at almost twice that rate.” Let’s move on to other news:

News from the states

• Seek’15, a two-day meet organised by the Additional Skill Acquisition Programme (ASAP) in Kerala emphasized on the need for quality training and hands-on experience for proper skilling
• Kerala explores high-end skill development in PPP model including oil and rigs, healthcare, banking finance services sector, construction, security knowledge skills. The government has requested private players to adopt the 76 ITI s in the state.
• Odisha urges Centre to sanction ITI, SDC for LWE affected districts. At present only 5 out of the 19 of these districts have ITIs
• NSDC organized a programme in Mahbubnagar at B R R Degree College to impart skill development training to the students.
• The Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU) is preparing to sign an MoUwith the Agriculture Skill Council of India (ASCI) in the area of skill development. The collaboration would facilitate bridging the skill gap in livestock and poultry industry and generate more employment avenues for the unemployed youths, he said.
• Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) lauded for vocational education as this training is imparted from primary school.
• Tripura CM launches skill development programme for different sectors. In Tripura, the rubber sector has a scope of 0.21 lakh employable workforce, while construction has an opportunity of 1.62 lakh.
• The recently inaugurated ATDC’s Skill Centre in Gangtok will adopt a comprehensive focus on livelihood training, self employment, wage employment as also industrial training.
• The Afro Asian American Chamber of Commerce, Occupational Research and Development (ACCORD) is set to help create skill based training facilities in the North East, particularly Nagaland and Tripura.
• Varanasi will get a model skill training centre which will offer courses across different trades and job roles and create employment opportunities for the local youth.In Varanasi, about 3,990 candidates have so far enrolled in skill development courses.

New initiatives in skill development and vocational training

• Hansraj College sets up 5 centres offering skill-based courses to complement their degree curriculum with various skills. The response has been good for computer and media courses
• BVK college in Visakhapatnam will run skill development centre to offer vocational education under the guidance of eminent academic and industry experts
• The HRD ministry decided to get 10,000-plus engineering colleges to conduct skill training programmes for youngsters with a target to reach 10 lakhs.
• The Institute of Entrepreneurship and Career Development (IECD) of the Bharathidasan University will launch skill development certificate and diploma programmes in trouble shooting and maintenance of electrical and electronics equipment, automobile technology, and logistics and supply chain management.

Central Government

• Govt’s target for Skill Loan for a period of 5 years is 34 lakhs: 6003 numbers of Skill Loan accounts have been opened till September 30, 2015 and the total amount sanctioned is Rs 38.663 crores, according to the Department of Financial Services (DFS).
• Skill development should be brought in the mainstream: Mr. Rudy. He said the country needs to address the bottom of the pyramid and needs to ensure that people get skilled and hence become employable. `
• Union budget 2016-17 may see government doling out IT exemptions to skill training institutes: This benefit could, however, be restricted to ‘A category’ of project implementing institutes; agencies that have completed three or more projects under Aajeevika Skills under the rural development ministry or have trained 20,000 beneficiaries and provided placement to 75% of trainees in the previous five years.

MOUs and partnerships

• OYO Rooms announces MoU with Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council (THSC) to ensure that people employed in unorganised segments can access growth opportunities through up-skilling/ re-skilling and recognition of prior learning.
• MSDE signs MoU with Odisha-based Centurion University to provide apprenticeship to one lakh youth over next 3 years CUTM will act as Third Party Agency between apprentice and employer
• Department of Higher Education, Government of Kerala Partners with Wadhwani Foundation to Support Additional Skill Acquisition Programme (ASAP) in order to improve employability of students and reduce dropouts in Kerala through vocational and other educational training programs
• NSDC signs MoU with Kudremukh Iron Ore Company (KIOCL) to develop a joint curriculum for skill development programmes in mining and steel sector.

Industry sectors

• 2,500 people to get skill development training in solar energy under Surya Mitra scheme This three-month residential programme is offered free-of-cost.
• Punjab to give skill training to 14,790 construction workers engaged at 182 construction sites.
• Railway staff to be trained in soft skills: Ambala division has also collaborated with Chitkara University, Chandigarh unit, to offer special skill development training for its employees.
• Skill training soon to get labour for 3 crore houses under Indira Awaas Yojana: The rural development ministry, which has the task of building 3 crore houses in the next seven years under the Indira Awaas Yojana, wants to ensure there is enough skilled labour available to meet this goal.

Compiled and edited by the Team@NSN

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