Skill India

India is a country that is vastly populated and is home to a variety of resources. And among those varied resources stands out the most abundant one of all, the labour workforce. This workforce is largely divided into skilled and unskilled labour. Talent is something that exists naturally, whereas skill is only developed by relentlessly working on it, day in and day out.

The need of the hour is skilled labour, and the Government of India has realised the need for the same. Bearing this in mind, the Skill India initiative was launched in 2015. To create an empowered workforce by the year 2022 is the vision of the Skill India initiative. It encompasses various programmes and initiatives under it, each one focusing on one particular niche.

The idea is to have a workforce that is skilled and will thus spearhead India’s development as a whole and help it achieve superpower status at the earliest. The registration process for Skill India is fairly straightforward and provides an individual with the option of being either a candidate or a trainer/instructor.

Budget 2025 Expectations on Skill India

With the rise of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), blockchain, and cybersecurity, the Union Budget 2025 is expected to propose expanding Skill India to focus more on digital literacy and technology skills. It is anticipated that the Budget 2025 will introduce measures to foster public-private partnerships for skill development and enhance programs like Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) to reach underserved areas. Another expectation would be to create a balanced subsidy structure between the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS), which would ensure that both employers and apprentices receive fair financial assistance.

Schemes Under the Skill India Initiative

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)

The Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana is the heart of the Skill India initiative. It is a programme that encourages the youth to develop industry-relevant skills and training, thus ensuring them better sources of livelihood. The skills and training that an individual undergoes will also be certified once he/she successfully completes the course.

The PMKVY training also includes soft skills training, personal grooming, education with regard to the appropriate workplace ethics and appropriate behaviour in the workplace.
 

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK)

The National Skill Development Corporation (NSC) has devised a plan to ensure that every district is equipped with state-of-the-art Model Training Centers (MTCs), also known as Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra.
 

The PMKKs aims to:-

• Provide state-of-the-art institutions that will set a precedent for competency-based skill training.
• Equip the trainees to focus on quality, sustainability and the ability to connect with the stakeholders.
• Strive towards the development of a sustainable development model.

Rozgar Melas

These are events that are organised at least once in six months so as to ensure that the people who have received training under the PMKVY scheme and are certified in that regard are also provided with ample opportunities to secure employment, and thereby a proper source of livelihood.

Through Rozgar Melas, the meeting of job seekers and job providers is fast-tracked, thus speeding up operations and deploying human resources at a steady pace. The melas generally cater to youth who are 18-35 years of age with basic educational qualifications. The Rozgar Melas also include ancillary programmes for the candidates such as counselling sessions, loan facilitation, skill exhibition, etc.
 

India International Skill Centre (IISC)

The very fact that India has a youthful workforce presents an opportunity that could potentially transform itself into a skilled workforce of the highest quality. Bearing this in mind and keeping in mind the demand of the global workforce, the NSDC introduced the India International Skill Centres (IISCs).

These IISCs serve as a network with the outside world, where the Government of India strikes up partnerships and collaborations on a global level so as to enhance workforce mobility. This is done in line with the target of India becoming the Skill Capital of the world.
 

Pre-Departure Orientation Training (PDOT)

The PDOT program has been launched in order to educate the candidates who seek jobs outside India regarding the basic dos and don’ts, the cultural aspects, the etiquettes and mannerisms, emigration procedure, language and all other necessary information. The idea is to have them fully equipped to carry on their lives in another country without any confusion or difficulty, whatsoever.
 

Benefits of Skill India

Access to Better Paying Jobs

As the candidates are graduates of skill workshops and programmes that are certified and recognised on a large scale basis, their job profiles tend to be particularly impressive with regard to the skill set they have at their disposal. Skill India programme equips the candidates with the requisite training and skill development so as to ensure that they land great jobs.

Equal Growth Sector-wise

Since the training programmes focus on skill development at the grassroot levels, every sector becomes the recipient of a certain level of growth, ensuring all-round development in all the sectors.
 

Boosts Economic Growth

There is an ever present demand for skilled labour, and the Skill India initiative was formed in order to meet that very demand. The introduction of trained individuals into the labour workpool ensures the availability of skilled and quality labour, which in turn accelerates the overall growth of the economy. 

The Skill Development Management System (SDMS) portal that is in place also ensures that the candidates are recipients of the highest quality training and that the level of quality remains the same throughout the course under the Skill India programme.

Assistance is also provided to the candidates in the form of monitoring and providing necessary support to those candidates that are budding entrepreneurs, providing them with the necessary guidance and mentoring under the Skill India initiative.