Skill India Mission Programme – Objectives and Advantages

India has the largest youth population in the world, which gives the country great potential to become a bigger economy. However, as the problem of unemployment rises, one questions the system and the opportunities it creates for the youth and whether the population is actually trained and skilled. This is when Skill India Mission to bridge this gap between jobs and

This article will take a closer look into the transformative impact of the Skill India Mission and its multifaceted approach to youth empowerment and economic development.

What is Skill India Mission?

The Skill India Mission, initiated by the government in 2015, serves as a comprehensive scheme encompassing various skilling programs and initiatives. With a primary objective of empowering the nation’s youth, it focuses on equipping them with essential skill sets crucial for employment in diverse sectors while also fostering enhanced productivity.

What are the objectives of Skill India Mission?

The Skill India Mission is driven by several key objectives aimed at empowering the nation’s youth and enhancing their employability in the evolving job market. These objectives include:

• Providing market-relevant skills training to over 40 crore young individuals by 2023, ensuring they are equipped for success in their chosen fields.
• Creating ample opportunities for talent development among Indian youth, thereby fostering growth and innovation across various sectors.
• Developing and recognising skill-intensive sectors while also identifying emerging areas for skill development to cater to evolving industry demands.
• Bridging the gap between industry skill requirements and the skill sets possessed by individuals, thereby facilitating employment generation and economic growth.
• Contributing to poverty reduction by empowering individuals with the skills necessary to secure sustainable livelihoods.
• Enhancing the competitiveness of Indian businesses through a skilled workforce capable of driving innovation and productivity.
• Ensuring that skill training programs are relevant, of high quality, and aligned with industry standards to effectively meet the job market’s needs.
• Preparing Indian workers to compete in the global manpower/resources market, thus positioning them as valuable assets on the international stage.
• Diversifying existing skill development initiatives to address contemporary challenges and emerging trends in various industries.
• Focusing on building practical competencies rather than merely providing qualifications, ensuring individuals are equipped to excel in real-world scenarios.
• Offering opportunities for lifelong learning and skill enhancement, enabling individuals to adapt to evolving industry requirements and technological advancements.
• Facilitating active engagement of social partners and fostering strong public-private partnerships in skill development efforts to leverage expertise and resources effectively.
• Mobilising adequate investments for sustainable financing of skill development initiatives, ensuring long-term viability and impact.

Through these multifaceted objectives, the Skill India Mission aims to transform India’s workforce and position the nation as a global leader in skill development and innovation.

Key Features of Skill India Mission

The Skill India Mission stands out from previous skill development initiatives due to its unique features designed to enhance employability and foster entrepreneurship among the youth. Some of these distinctive features include:

• Focus on Employability: The primary focus of the mission is to improve the employability of youth, enabling them to secure gainful employment opportunities while also encouraging entrepreneurship.
• Comprehensive Training: The mission offers training, guidance, and support across a wide range of traditional employment sectors such as weaving, cobbling, carpentry, welding, nursing, and more.
• Emphasis on New Domains: In addition to traditional sectors, the mission focuses on emerging domains such as real estate, transportation, construction, gem industry, textiles, banking, tourism, and others where skill levels may be inadequate.
• International Standards: Training imparted under the Skill India Mission adheres to international standards, ensuring that Indian youth are equipped to pursue opportunities both domestically and abroad where there is demand for skilled workers.
• Rural India Skill: A hallmark initiative under the mission, Rural India Skill, aims to uplift rural communities by providing them with skill development opportunities tailored to their specific needs and aspirations.
• Customised Programmes: The mission introduces need-based programmes customised for specific age groups, focusing on communication, life skills, positive thinking, language proficiency, behavioural skills, management skills, and more.
• Innovative Course Methodology: Course methodologies employed by the mission are unconventional and innovative, incorporating elements such as games, brainstorming sessions, group discussions, case studies, and interactive activities to enhance learning outcomes and engagement.

Components of Skill India Mission

The Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), considered the flagship skill development scheme under Skill India, aims to empower youth by providing them with training opportunities for better livelihoods. Here are the components of PMKVY:

• Short-term training: This module offers training to school and college dropouts as well as unemployed individuals. Training covers various fields such as soft skills, digital literacy, and entrepreneurship, aligning with the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) to ensure standardized skill development.
• Kaushal and Rozgar Mela: These events promote community participation and transparency by bringing together stakeholders involved in skill development. They serve as platforms for showcasing skills, fostering networking opportunities, and facilitating job placements.
• Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): Individuals with prior experience can undergo skill assessment and certification, enabling them to bridge any knowledge gaps through specialised Bridge Courses.
• Special projects: This component accommodates training programs that deviate from the standard framework, allowing flexibility to address specific skill needs or emerging industry trends.
• Monitoring guidelines: PMKVY ensures quality assurance by implementing rigorous monitoring mechanisms at training centres. Regular inspections and assessments help maintain standards and accountability.
• Placement guidelines: The scheme emphasises the proper placement of skilled individuals based on market demand. Placement rules and guidelines ensure that the trained workforce is directed towards suitable employment opportunities, thereby enhancing their employability and contributing to economic growth.

Courses Offered Under Skill India Mission

These courses cover various skills and competencies to empower individuals and promote economic growth through entrepreneurship and employment opportunities. Let’s explore some of them below: 

Management and Development Programs

• Financial Statement Analysis
• Modern Office Practice
• Marketing for Managers

Training of Trainers

• Accreditation Program for EM Trainers
• Technology Infusion

Entrepreneurship Development Programs

• Women Entrepreneurship Development Program (EDP)
• Women Empowerment
• CRR Scheme (Credit Risk Ratio Scheme)

Skill Development Programs

• Dairy-based Entrepreneurship Skill Development Program (ESDP)
• Carpentry
• Electroplating
• Fashion Designing

Other Skills

• Promotion of Micro-enterprises
• Cluster Development
• Lending Strategies for MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises)

Why Does India Need Skill Development?

India requires a robust skills development program to address several critical challenges and opportunities:

• Low Formal Skill Levels: Only 2% of India’s workforce is formally skilled, highlighting a significant gap in vocational training and professional education.
• Employability Crisis: Despite education, many individuals struggle to secure employment due to a lack of relevant vocational skills, hindering their ability to adapt to evolving market demands and technologies.
• Growing Manpower Demand: Studies project a need for around 12 crores skilled workers across 24 key sectors by 2022, indicating a pressing need to bridge the skills gap and meet industry demands.
• Limited Access to Training: Casual workers, comprising a majority of the labor force, often lack access to adequate training opportunities, exacerbating the skills shortage.
• Social Stigma: Vocational education faces social stigma, hindering its acceptance and adoption despite its critical role in addressing unemployment and empowering individuals.
• Complex Labor Laws: Existing labour laws present barriers to effective skill development, but recent efforts to simplify and codify these laws offer promise for streamlining training initiatives.
• Technological Advancements: Rapid technological changes necessitate continuous skill upgrades among workers to remain competitive in the job market, underscoring the importance of lifelong learning and skill development.
• Infrastructure Deficiency: Many training institutes suffer from inadequate infrastructure, limiting their capacity to deliver high-quality skill development programs.
• Quality of Trainers: The shortage of skilled trainers results in subpar training outcomes, leading to low employability among students trained by underqualified instructors.
• Standardisation Challenges: Inconsistent skill standards across the country hinder mobility and recognition of skills, emphasising the need for standardised, nationally recognised certifications aligned with international benchmarks.

Importance of Skilling 

Skilling holds significant importance for several key reasons:

• Demographic Dividend: India boasts a favourable demographic dividend with a large young population. To fully leverage this advantage and meet the demands of the global job market, it is crucial to provide adequate skill training to enhance employability. The window of opportunity to capitalise on this demographic dividend is limited to a few decades, making skilling imperative for sustainable economic growth.
• Low Skill Training Penetration: Despite the demographic advantage, only 10% of India’s workforce receives formal skill training, a stark contrast to other leading economies like Germany (75%), Japan (80%), and South Korea (96%). Increasing skill training penetration is essential to bridge the gap between workforce capabilities and industry requirements.
• Sectoral Mobilization: With advancements in technology and mechanisation, the agriculture sector is witnessing increased productivity, leading to a shift in labour demand from agriculture to secondary and tertiary sectors. Effective skilling initiatives can facilitate this transition by equipping individuals with the necessary skills to thrive in evolving sectors, driving overall economic growth and development.

By prioritising skilling initiatives and investing in workforce development, India can harness its demographic dividend, enhance productivity across sectors, and ensure sustainable socio-economic progress in the years to come.

Schemes Under Skill India Mission

Skill India encompasses various sub-schemes and initiatives aimed at fostering skill development across different sectors. Here are some notable sub-schemes under Skill India:

1. National Skill Development Mission (NSDM): Launched to create convergence across sectors and states, NSDM facilitates decision-making and coordination of skill training efforts on a large scale.
2. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): A skill certification scheme encouraging youth to undertake industry-relevant training programs. PMKVY includes components like the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
3. Indian Skill Development Service (ISDS): Established as a Group ‘A’ central government service within the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. ISDS aims to enhance the effectiveness of skill development schemes through talent recruitment and efficiency.
4. National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2015: Designed to address skill development challenges by aligning activities with common standards, connecting skilling with demand centers, and establishing an institutional framework to achieve desired outcomes.
5. Skill Loan Scheme: Offering loans ranging from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 1.5 lakhs to individuals seeking skill development programs, this scheme aims to remove financial barriers hindering skill enhancement and learning opportunities.

These sub-schemes under Skill India cater to diverse needs and objectives, fostering a conducive environment for skill development and entrepreneurship across the nation.

Other Related Government-Run Schemes

In addition to the major schemes, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship implements several other initiatives aimed at fostering entrepreneurship and skill development. Here are two notable schemes:

Pradhan Mantri Yuva Udyamita Vikas Abhiyan (PM-YUVA): It is a centrally-sponsored scheme focusing on entrepreneurship education and training.

Objectives include:

• Providing entrepreneurship education to all citizens through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and eLearning systems.
• Designing assessment and certification mechanisms for entrepreneurship education.
• Equipping institutes to deliver entrepreneurship educational programs of global standards.
• Promoting social entrepreneurship.
• Establishing an online platform connecting entrepreneurs, investors, financial institutions, and business services.
• Creating a national mentor network for budding entrepreneurs.
• Establishing a network of incubators, credit agencies, and business service providers.
• Setting up a National Entrepreneurship Resource and Coordination Hub.
• Promoting entrepreneurship culture through branding and media.
• Conducting entrepreneurship research and advocacy.
• Organising social entrepreneurship awareness programs for marginalised sections.

Apprenticeship Protsahan Yojana: This is a revamped version of the Apprenticeship Act of 1961. It aims to create a conducive legal framework for both industries and young people. It also aims to promote apprenticeship opportunities and skill development among youth, align with industry needs, and enhance employability.

These schemes complement the major initiatives under Skill India, contributing to the holistic development of entrepreneurship and skills across various sectors in the country.

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