Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) today announced an array of initiatives towards strengthening the skills ecosystem in India. The announcement was made by Shri Dharmendra Pradhan,Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship & Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Details of initiatives launched are as below:

1. To ensure standardization of training and learning across all programs, DGT has aligned its courses with National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF), a competencybased framework.  A comprehensive instructional trainer manual for imparting NSQF aligned trainingwas unveiled. This will help createa standardized skilled workforce with high degree of horizontal and vertical mobility.
2. A tripartite MoU was signed between DGT, NSDC and Adobe India. The collaboration with Adobe will follow the launch of Adobe Digital Disha - a program focused on helping Pradhan MantriKaushalKendras and ITIs to leverage the power of Adobe Spark to integrate creativity and digital literacy into classrooms and curriculum, encouraging students to develop essential skills needed for jobs in the digital era. Adobe Digital Disha is expected to touch the lives of over 1 million students and teachers across India by the year 2020.
3. A MoU was signed between National Skill Development Corporation(NSDC) and IBM India to address the demand of skilled workforce in futuristic job roles. NSDC is partnering with IBM Skills Academy to facilitate the provision of Asia Pacific Skills Academy’s Badges, Career Pathways, and related IBM offerings to promote and embolden the Skill India Mission for the Future of Work through NSDC’s approved training providers. Providing students with career-oriented training program on technologies like AI, Cloud, Big Data, Cybersecurity etc., will better prepare millennials for new jobs. With this tie up, Pradhan MantriKaushalKendras will also be able to impart training using the virtual platform of IBM.
4. For the first time, affiliation has been granted to an ITI in Pune Cantonment for 5 trades. MSDE plans to open similar ITIs in other Cantonment areas
5. Affiliation has been granted to an ITI being run by Blind People’s Association- Ahmedabad. Special Divyang friendly trades have been affiliated in the ITI. It is the first affiliation given to an ITI catering to the skilling of Divyangs. MSDE plans to open similar ITIs in other states
6. In line with the MSDE’s mission to ensure the best quality of training in ITIs, a special one month Crafts Instructor Training Scheme (CITS) Course was also announced. This course will help ensure availability of trained instructors in ITIs through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) mode
7. A new course “UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE/DRONE PILOT” was launched to create trained people who can fly drones, observing standard guidelines and carry out its maintenance. It will help create a pool of trained manpower who can fly and control drones in line with Ministry of Civil Aviation’s Drone policy

Speaking on the occasion,Shri Dharmendra Pradhan said, “On the occasion of Teachers Day, I congratulate all teachers who play an immense role in nation building through educating students. I congratulate the ITIs who have been felicitated today and commend them for the wonderful work they are doing to create a skilled workforce in India.The rapid evolution of technology and innovation are changing the fundamentals of skills needed to thrive in today’s digital era. Newer jobs are being created in emerging areas – bringing forward the need of the youth to acquire a new breed of skillsets that will help them leverage the opportunity and maximize their own potential. Today, I am glad that major IT companies like Adobe and IBM have joined us in this mission to drive skills and proficiency in emerging areas among the masses of India”

Coinciding with the Teacher’s Day, on this occasion the Minister also felicitated top 20 ITIs of the country. A total of 4811 ITIs were graded by an independent 3^rd partyThe winners of the 54^th All India Competition for Craftsman were also felicitated at the ceremony.   The objective of this annually held competition is to foster healthy spirit of competition among the trainees of ITIs / ITCs

Shri Rajesh Agarwal, DG, DGT, Mr. Manish Kumar, MD and CEO, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), Mr. KulmeetBawa, MD, Adobe India and Ms. PrativaMohapatra, VP, IBM were also present.

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YB