Year-end report of MSDE -More than One Crore youth annually joining and benefitting from the Skill India program;

Press Information Bureau

Government of India

Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

26-December-2018 16:36 IST

Year-end report of MSDE -More than One Crore youth annually joining and benefitting from the Skill India program;

Core focus on converging all skill development initiatives in the country under one National Skills Qualification Framework;

Skill India– Highlights 2018

This year, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) completed its 4 successful years, since its inception in 2014. For the first time, a ministry created by the Government of India,is keeping its core focus on converging all skill development initiatives in the country under one National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF).Annually, more than One Crore youth, have been joining and benefitting from the Skill India program, a mission under the Ministry to equip youth with skills for better livelihood.

Some of the key achievements of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship are:

I. Policy, Framework & Standards 

• Launch of the National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in 2015: First ever comprehensive policy framework for skill development of the country 
• National Skill Development Mission,launched in 2015 by Hon’ble Prime Minister – First ever national implementation plan covering all states, territories and people 
• Common Norms – launched in 2015 to provide harmonization of training costs, processes, assessments, certification and outcome. Presently over 20 Ministries are implementing skill development schemes 
• Common Norms Alignment with other schemes and programs; 18 out of 20 Ministries aligned; Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) exempted because of special nature 
• Enforcement of National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) –more than 2,000 Qualification Packs developed in four years 

II. Programs/Initiatives

• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): It is one of the flagship schemes of the Ministry aimed at providing free-of-cost skill training to over 1 Crore youth in 4 years in 221+ job roles;offering short term training between 2 months to 6 months. 
• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK): It is an initiative towards creation of “Model Training Centers”with standardized infrastructure for delivery of skill development training to be opened in every district of India; aiming to make benchmark institutions that can demonstrate aspirational value for competency based skill development amongst key stakeholders- industry and trainees. 
• National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS): The scheme is aimed to increase the involvement of industries and employers in engaging youth as apprentices and providing on-the-job skill training to create a ready workforce. The government reimburses part of stipend paid by the employer. 
• Establishing Academic Equivalence: Skill India aimsto make skilling aspirational and bring vocational training in equivalence with the academic education system, especially to provide horizontal and vertical mobility pathway to candidates pursuing vocational education. The Directorate General of Training wing under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) under Ministry of Human Resource Development have signed a MoU to put in place a system for academic equivalence to vocational/ITI qualification, thereby opening gate way to meet aspirations of ITI candidates to attain high academic qualification in addition to their skills. This MoU also opens pathways for ex-trainees of ITI, holding National Trade Certificate (NTC) to earn secondary/senior secondary qualification. 
• Capacity building in long term skill development: One of the initiatives towards building capacity of the skill ecosystem is uniform nomenclature of all the skill institutes across country as National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs), and merging of NSTIs, with courses in ITIs, establishment of Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) and inspections and de-affiliation of various ITIs etc.  

Investment in Skill Development Infrastructure

• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras: In year 2018, MSDE focused extensively on building industry standardized infrastructure for driving skill development training under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKK). PMKK has the potential to become the benchmark of skill development infrastructure, training, and placement in the respective district and; also in the country. Its objective is to make skill development quality oriented, sustainable and aspirational. 
• As on December 2018, 719 PMKKs have been allocated across 29 States and 6 UTs, covering 631 Districts and 521 Parliamentary Constituencies (PC). Out of which, 515 PMKKs have been established and work is under progress to establish 204 additional PMKK Centres. Further, 419 PMKKs have been inaugurated by Local Members of Parliament, Members of Legislative Assembly and other dignitaries. A total of 100 PMKKs have been inaugurated and 65 PMKKs established in 2018. 
• National Skill Training Institute (NSTI): MSDE also laid down the foundation stone of the first National Skill Training Institute (erstwhile RVTI) in Telangana, Hyderabad by the Hon’ble Vice President of India. The foundation stone for NSTI(W) Mohali was also laid down by the Minister for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Sh. Dharmendra Pradhan in July 2018. 
• National Skill Training Institute (W): Under the Central Scheme, regular vocational training programmes are being conducted through an Institutional Network of 18 central Institutes called National Skill Training Institute for Women, providing training facilities exclusively for women in skills having high wage-employment and self-employment potential besides Instructor training programmes. 
• The NSTIs(W), Noida, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Jaipur, Allahabad, Kolkata, Tura, Panipat, Vadodara and Indore are housed in their own permanent premises. NSTI(W) Mumbai is currently under operation from a two-floor building provided by the State Government of Maharashtra. NSTIs(W) at Shimla, Mohali, Trichy, Agartala, Patna, Goa and Hyderabad are functioning from temporary buildings provided by the respective State Governments. Besides these 18 operational institutes, the land has been identified for NSTI (W) in Jammu & Kashmir. 
• Regular skill training programmes are being organized under Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS) and Craft Instructors Training Scheme (CITS) in trades/areas having high demand for wage/self-employment/Trained Instructors. A total of 4,904 regular seats (2784 CTS+2120 CITS) have been sanctioned in the NSTIs(W) in 2018-19 as on November 2018. Besides this, in CTS/CITS courses 2nd units are also being conducted in the trades having high demand. 
• Long Term Training is presently conducted in functional areas such as Office Management, Electronics, Architecture, Computer, Dress Making, Cosmetology, Fruits and Vegetables Processing, Desktop Publishing, Surface Ornamentation Techniques, Fashion Design & Technology, Catering and Hospitality, Sewing Technology, Travel & Tour, Computer Aided Embroidery & Designing, Food and Beverages Service Assistant, Food Production (General), Draughtsman Civil, and Interior Decoration & Designing etc. Besides these, Short Term Training is also provided in 18 NSTIs(W) in the above-mentioned trades. Placement support is also provided to the pass out trainees by organizing Campus Interviews. Apprenticeship Training support is extended to the trainees. Off-campus Short Term Training programsare being conducted by the NSTIs(W). 
• Indian Institute of Skills (IIS): These state-of-the-art centers of excellence are being set up across four regions of India, on the lines of premiere global institutes such as Institute of Technical Education (ITE), Singapore. The Hon’ble Prime Minister had launched the first IIS in Kanpur in December 2016, which was conceptualized by the Prime Minister during his visit to ITE Singapore. M/S NBCC has been hired for planning, designing and construction of new building for IIS Kanpur. M/S NBCC has hired an agency and construction work has started. Further, IIS Mumbai will be set up in collaboration with TATA group. Total budget of Rs. 476 Crore has been laid down for building IIS, which will provide hands-on training in advanced courses such as energy efficient construction, industrial electronics and automation etc. 

Programs and Achievements made

• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is implementing flagship scheme known as Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) on pan–India basis. 
• PMKVY (1.0) was launched as a pilot in 2015, as a reward based scheme providing entire cost of training as a reward to successful candidates. The scheme was designed as a skill certification and reward scheme with an aim to enable and mobilize a large number of Indian youth to take up skill training and become employable for sustainable livelihood. Under the scheme, monetary reward was provided to successfully trained candidates. During its pilot phase, PMKVY (1.0) trained over 18 Lakh candidates in 375 job roles. 
• Owing to its successful first year of implementation, the Union Cabinet approved the Scheme for another four years PMKVY (2.0)(2016-2020) to impart skilling to 1 Crore youth of the country with an outlay of Rs. 12,000 crores. PMKVY(2.0) enables large number of prospective youth which also includes tribal community, persons with disability and other disadvantaged youth, to take up Short Term Training (STT) and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) through accredited and affiliated training partner/training centers. 

The schemes runs across more than 250 job roles related to nearly 38 Sector Skill Councils for Short term training, Special Projects (SPL) and RPL, which is a diverse and exhaustive representation of the industry.

• Under PMKVY(2.0), as on December 12, 2018, 33,43,335(STT+SPL+RPL) candidates have been trained (23,32,544 STT + 9,38,420 RPL + 73,389 under SPL) and undergoing training (82,482 STT as on 12th Dec,2018) under Short Term Training and 9,951 for SPL and 5,680 for RPL. 
• In FY 2018-19, till December 12, 2018,under PMKVY (2.0)6,88,388 candidates under STT, 2,35,258 candidates under RPL and 41,939 candidates under Special Projects have been trained. 10,07,292 candidates were assessed and 9,44,455 candidates were certified in FY 2018 – 19, under the program. 
• Under the Centrally Sponsored State Monitored (CSSM) component of PMKVY (2.0), wherein the skill training is managed by the states, however, funded by the centre – as on 12th December 2018, a total of 1.82 lakh candidates have been enrolled and 94,349 candidates have been trained. A total of 87,722 candidates are currently undergoing training across 169 job roles. 
• The flagship program PMKVY has successfully registered close to 10 lakh placements in 2018. The scheme emphasizes on bringing scale and speed to standards in the skill ecosystem and creating employment opportunities for the youth and women. Encouragingly, women have outshone men with over 5 lakhs registering for the placement drive. The number of male registrations is just a shade under 4.5 lakh and expected to climb in a few months. 
• Since 2018, as a new initiative, each candidate certified under PMKVY (2.0) also gets covered under Personal Accident insurance sum of 2 lakhs which is valid upto 2 years. The cost of this insurance is being covered by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. 
• Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)with Best in Class Employers: RPL certifies the skills of people with prior experience or those trained informally. Since 2016, the program has benefitted close to 8 lakh people across the country. To scale up this initiative, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship launched RPL with Best in Class Employers in 2018 – an initiative to directly collaborate with reputed employers across various sectors. The event saw commitment made by Sector Skill Councils and prominent employers across sectors. A few are listed below: 

1. Hydrocarbon Sector – Targeted to certify more than 9 Lakh candidates in partnership with 3 employers 
2. Retail Sector – Targeted to certify more than 5 Lakh candidates across 60+ employers 
3. Tourism Sector – Targeted to certify more than 5 Lakh candidates across 24 employers 
4. Life Sciences Sector – Targeted to certify more than 75 thousand candidates with more than 21 employers 
5. Plumbing Sector – Informal and unorganized sectors such as plumbing are also coming along to collaborate for this ambitious initiative in a big way 

• MSDE launched a dedicated portal for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) program which will provide a platform for individuals to get information of RPL Centers across the country and register for an upcoming batch. 
• Fee Based Trainings: Under the student paid model for skill trainings being implemented by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)approved training providers, over 104 lakh trainings have been conducted till December 13, 2018 since inception. In FY 18-19 till November 2018, more than 23 lakh trainings have been reported in high demand job roles, across 35+ priority sectors, which include renewable energy efficiency specialist, smart cities – concept and implementation, solar technicians, rooftop gardening and F&B services specialist amongst others.
• Long Term Training: Under the Long-term training module, there are a total of 15,042 ITIs in the country, out of which 2,229 ITIs got affiliated in 2108. The seating capacity of the ITIs in the country has been increased by 2,94,196 including supernumerary. Directorate General of Training (DGT) which is governing ITIs around the country, published under “Affiliation Norms 2018” which is available on www.ncvtmis.gov.in

1. Grading of ITIs: Directorate General of Training under the aegis of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship launched grading exercise for ITIs to provide “Star Rating” to the performing institutes and gave an opportunity to the others to improve upon. The first phase of grading process commenced in November 2017 and the entire process has been completed by June 2018. A Total 4811 ITIs including 2940 Pvt. ITIs have been graded and final grades were published on DGT/NCVT  MIS website in June 2018. 
2. Directorate General of Training is in process of launching the second phase of grading, addressing the feedback received from Phase I and recommendation of the core grading committee. The second phase of grading process will be launched with the aim of grading all the remaining ITIs in the country. 
3. Dual System of Training: The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship signed 27 MoUs with varied industries under the dual system of training (DST) in six states – namely, Odisha, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Around 80 more MoUs are in the pipeline for Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. The DST scheme is inspired by the German Vocational Training Model, which enables industries to partner with Government and Private Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) for conducting training programmes under high employ ability courses to fulfil the needs of industries. The ITI and industry have the freedom to choose the training pattern either in a block mode (i.e. few months in ITI then few months in industry) or mixed mode (i.e. few days in a week shared between ITI and industry). The dual system of training is currently available in 16 trades for one and two year’s duration. The theory portion and basics about safety and tools, equipment along with foundation practical is conducted in the ITIs. And the industrial training relevant to practical/ lab training portion of the curriculum is taught in the industry. The students are paid a small amount of stipend in their training period at the industry and are awarded National Trade Certificate in dual mode on the successful completion of trainings 

• SANKALP: Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) project aims to implement the mandate of the National Skill Development Mission (NSDM), which was launched on 15th July by Ministry of Skill Development through its core sub-missions. The project will be implemented in mission mode through World Bank support. 
• The project was made effective in January 2018 with 28 States and 7 UTs across the country having submitted their consent for participating in SANKALP. The process of disbursements of funds to States/ UTs is underway. Regional workshops with States/ UTs are also being held to facilitate roll out. To promote decentralized planning, “Award for excellence in District Skill Development Planning (DSDP)” has been launched under SANKALP. 223 districts across 19 States/ UTs participated in this. To provide support to aspirational districts in skill development, Aspirational Skilling Abhiyaan has been launched by the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. Financial assistance of Rs 10 Lakh is provided to each aspirational district through the SANKALP fund. Some other highlights under SANKALP projects are as below: 

1. To strengthen the decision making and brining more transparency in the vocational education and skill training system, the Skill India portal has been launched under SANKALP. In the coming years, Skill India portal will be a platform where most of skilling schemes related data of Central & State/ UT will be available. 
2. A Global Skill Gap study has been undertaken to evaluate the current scenario and future-outlook for overseas employment of skilled workers from India.Collaboration with Singapore Polytechnic is aimed to strengthen the academies for training of trainers and assessors. 

• STRIVE: “Skills Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE)” is a Rs 2,200 crore – central sector project, with half of the project outlay as World Bank assistance. STRIVE is an outcome-based project, marking a shift in government’s implementation strategy in vocational education and training from inputs to results building in a strong shift to an outcome-based skill ecosystem. The STRIVE project aims at creating awareness through industry clusters/ geographical chambers that would address the challenge of involvement of Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs). The Project would also aim at integrating and enhancing delivery quality of ITIs. These ITI would be competitively selected for upgradation under the project in order to ensure achievement of the outcome. Currently the operations manual of the project is been prepared which would lay down the standard operating procedure to be followed by the various implementing agencies. Post finalization and approval of the operations manual the implementation phase of the project would commence. 
• National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET):The Union Cabinet chaired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, approved the merger of the existing regulatory institutions in the skills space – National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) and the National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) into the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET). NCVET will regulate the functioning of entities engaged in vocational education and training, both long-term and short-term, and establish minimum standards for the functioning of such entities. The primary functions of NCVET will include – recognition and regulation of awarding bodies, assessment bodies and skill related information providers; approval of qualifications developed by awarding bodies and Sector Skill Councils (SSCs); indirect regulation of vocational training institutes through awarding bodies and assessment agencies; research and information dissemination; and grievance redressal. 
• Jan Shikshan Sansthan(JSS) – The JSS component of scheme of support to voluntary agencies for adult education has been transferred from Ministry of Human Resource Development to Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship on 2nd July, 2018. At present, 271 Jan Shikshan Sansthans are present in 27 States and 2 UTs in the country. As on December 2018, 247 JSSs are functional. The Jan Shikshan Sansthans are set up under the aegis of either a voluntary organization (as its Parent body) or a University or as an Independent agency under Act 1860 of Societies Registration. JSS is funded through 100% annual grant from the Government of India. The affairs of the Jan Shikshan Sansthans are managed by its independent Board of Management constituted with the concurrence of Government of India for a period of three years. 

1. Jan Shikshan Sansthans are imparting vocational skill training programmes at the door step of the beneficiaries with a minimum cost and infrastructure. The JSS are not working in isolation, but also conduct convergence programmes with different departments. JSS impart training in various types of trades/courses such as cutting & tailoring, soft toys making, bag making, beauty culture, electrical repairs, food processing, welding, auto repairing, plumbing, zari work etc.The Scheme of Support of Jan Shikshan Sansthan (NGOs) for Skill Development under MSDE was approved by the Standing Finance Committee (SFC) in its meeting held on 4th September 2018, upto March 2020. 

CONVERGENCE WITH OTHER MINISTRIES

• Skill India for farmers: In order to develop skills and increase productive of the rural youth, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) inked an agreement. Both MSDE and MoA&FW recognize the importance of providing employable skills to the youth, to improve their livelihood. Under the MoU signed, MSDE will identify job roles to attract rural youth towards agriculture sector in order to fulfill their needs and aspirations. To begin with the Pilot at a few selected Krishi Vikas Kendras involving aspirational and technologically oriented job roles (Micro irrigation Technician, Green House Operators, Green House Fitter, Aquaculture technicians) under Agriculture / Allied Sector, Food Processing and related sectors can lay a very strong foundation for new Pan India Model. The MoUhas been signed for duration of five years andaims to encourage youth to undergo skill training on various vocations in agriculture for gainful wage or self-employment. 
• Skill India and Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation have joinedhands to train 50,000 masons in four states: While starting with the training of a thousand masons from Jhansi and the surrounding areas, more such training sessions are currently underway in other regions, with an approximate target of skilling 50,000 masons by NSDC and their training partners. Depending on the skill levels of the masons, they are undergoing Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) which is a seven-day training program designed to recognize and certify the informal learning and on the job skills that the candidate may have picked up and giving it equal acceptance as the formal NSQF levels. The masons receiving the skill training are being taught to construct a much smaller and cheaper twin pit system. This method involves the construction of two leach pits, with a ‘Y’ junction, so that one pit can be filled at a time. The practice being to fill one pit, which may take the average family five to eight years, cover it over when nearly full, and to leave it to stand while the second pit is used. 
• Inter-ministerial collaborations – Recognizing that skilling is not the sole mandate of MSDE, but a key requirement of several other ministries to implement their flagship program, MSDE is collaborating with several national missions, projects and ministries. 

1. MSDE is providing bridge training to electrical lineman involved with Saubhagya scheme which is initiated by the Ministry of Power 
2. Assisting in the upgradation of skills of railway staff under the Swarna Project under Ministry of Railway 
3. Contributing to the Swacchh Bharat Mission by skilling quality masons who are key to our move to Open Defecation Free India – by constructing quality toilets speedily 
4. Supporting the Urja Ganga Gas Pipeline Project and Namami Gange. 
5. Supporting the “Transformation of Aspirational Districts” program of NITI Aayog, which was formally launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in January 2018, will cover 117 districts across India. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) commenced its “Aspirational Skilling Abhiyan 2018-19”. 

• Aspirational Skilling Abhiyanhas been conceived to aid and complement the Transformation of Aspirational Districts program. The campaign will support the skilling initiatives/component of the aspirational districts by addressing district level challenges. Dedicated team of over 150 officers from MSDE, Directorate General of Training (DGT), National Skill Development Agency (NSDA), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) are being deputed to work with these districts in three phases. Through this program, MSDE endeavors to facilitate strengthening of governance and institutional infrastructure in the aspirational districts. 

Other Developments 

• MSDE also signed an MoU with social media platforms like Facebook and Adobe, to leverage their platform for youth empowerment 
• Operational Framework for Apprenticeship: Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship have brought about comprehensive reforms in the Apprenticeship Act in 2014 & the Apprenticeship rules in 2015 to make apprenticeship more industry friendly. MSDE launched an Operational Framework for the Apprenticeship Actin 2018 which provides operational guidelines listing out roles & responsibilities of the stakeholders at the National and State level. This also provides detailed information regarding the execution of National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) which incentivize corporates to engage apprentices across different sectors. 

1. The reforms also saw launch of Guidelines for Training of Trainer (ToT) and Training of Assessors (ToA) for short-term skill development programs to further strengthen the teaching pedagogy in the ecosystem. This was done in partnership with Temasek Foundation and technical support from Singapore Polytechnic. These would enable convergence of multiple stakeholders such as DGT, NSDC, SSCs, Skill universities and private partners for ToT and To A programs.
2. The NAPS scheme aims to promote apprenticeship training and incentivize employers who wish to engage apprentices extending them an opportunity to earn while they learn by enrolling into on the job training. The financial benefit to establishments under NAPS includes i) sharing of 25% of the prescribed stipend, subject to a maximum of INR 1,500 per month per apprentice and ii) sharing of cost of basic training with basic training providers; upto INR 7,500 for 3 months. The apprenticeship scheme engages students from ITIs, Polytechnics, schools, colleges and short-term courses (PMKVY, DDU-GKY, SDI and others). It was earlier restricted to only the manufacturing sector; but the government sees more opportunity for engagement of apprentices in service sector now.
3. The employers are also given the freedom to build their own curriculum under to conduct the apprenticeship scheme. These reforms have been brought about in the Apprenticeship Act of 1961 so that both the industry and the candidate can get more benefit and equal opportunities of growth. More than 4.8 Lakh candidates and more than 74,000 establishment have registered under the Act since the launch of NAPS.
4. Skill India Portal: Minister for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan announced the launch of Skill India Portal. This improved skill development management system will provide an end-to-end solution to bring all the stakeholders in the skill ecosystem to a robust unified platform. The Skill India portal aims to bring the entire candidate and training partner database on a single platform. This would be a unified interface which would act as an integrated platform for all skilling initiatives and schemes run by various Central Ministries, state governments, NSDC and Corporates among others. This portal will help in empowering skill training by creating a repository of candidates, their skilling life cycle, placement etc. and would be a rich data pool for better analytics, which would empower informed decision making for future development programs. 
5. MSDE conducted nearly 400 Rozgar Melas between April’18 and November’18 covering 24 states and 250 districts. There have been 1.37 lakh registrations and around 65,000 candidates have been shortlisted. So far over 800 employers have participated in Rozgar Melas. 
6. Agreements and partnerships have been struck with the private sector to boost the Skill India programme. Collaborations with corporates like NASSCOM, SAP, IBM, Adobe helped create curriculum aligned with jobs of the future. The programme will help to facilitate development of skills, including in areas of new-generation technology like artificial intelligence, automation, robotics and block-chain technology 
7. Skill Saathi – A Mega Counselling Program – Skill India has also created a platform to provide skill-based career counselling to potential candidates through initiatives like Skill Saathi. Guidance and counselling is an important aspect of developing skillful youth. It is an important part of a pupil’s support system and should be provided at all levels. It helps candidates develop their skills and learning abilities.Initiatives like Skill Saathi also keep in mind the demand side of industry and business by providing the potential workforce with decision-making skills, pre-employment skills, increased worker maturity, reduction in the rate of attrition, increase in the rate of productivity and employment of candidates as per their areas of interest, aptitude and training. 

• Through the counselling model under Skill India, MSDE is making an endeavor to introduce youth to non-traditional education pathways in the technical and vocational streams including: 

1. ITI courses on offer – including those aligned to the new age Industrial 4.0 skills of AI, IoT, AR/VR technologies 
2. Short term courses – with guidance on how to contact and connect with Training Providers 
3. Apprenticeship Opportunities – both in Short-term and Long-term training courses 
4. Degree Apprenticeship Opportunities – an earning while learning program recognized by UGC and set to be offered by select Universities 
5. Skill Universities 

The objective is to spread awareness on a large scale about the avenues available for those uninterested in academic routes, while also providing more avenues to those seeking higher education in a formal setup. 

Special Projects under PMKVY especially focused on tribal populations have been initiated in 2018.Below are few of them: 

• (i) Bru Project: The project aims for skilling of BRU TRIBE of Mizoram, who were displaced and currently living in the Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps in the districts of North Tripura. Under the project, 556 candidates have been benefited.
• (ii) Katkari primitive tribe: Project aims to skill 1020 candidates from the Katkari tribe in Maharashtra.
• (iii) Skill Development scheme for LWE districts: Government is taking many initiatives to bring back the Naxalites to the mainstream of our country.We are implementing the scheme “Skill Development in 47 Districts Affected by Left Wing Extremism”, in the 47 districts affected by LWE. The scheme is assisting State Governments to establish 1 new ITI in each of 47 affected Districts. Out of the 47 districts, 39 districts are Aspirational. Apart from that, 2 Skill Development Centers are also being established in each of 34 affected districts.It will help the local youth to lead a decent livelihood by way of acquiring skill in these institutes. 

1. In 2018, DGT relaxed the entry qualification to ITIs for surrendered Naxalites, as per policy of Government, under which the beneficiary will undergo one-year pre-ITI Foundation course. 
2. The foundation course will enable them to fill the gap of regular academic attainment and enable them to understand the ITI curriculum. On successful completion of the course, they will be admitted to ITI for one- or two-year duration regular trades. 
3. These candidates will also be eligible for one year “National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS)” after successful completion of ITI Program. 
4. Every beneficiary will be eligible for a monthly stipend of Rs. 6000/- for a maximum period of 36 months under the scheme “Surrender-cum-Rehabilitation Scheme of Left Wing Extremists” being implemented by MHA. 

• (iv) Common Facility Centre for Filigree Craftsman: Odisha has a rich heritage of art and crafts that has been made popular by the work of local artisans, work that dates back over 1000 years. In an endeavor to further upgrade the skills of these talented artisans, and make them self-reliant, the Skill-cum-Common Facility Centre for Filigree Craftsman at Cuttack was launchedin April 2018.The centre enables further industry level training using/in latest technology. It also provides training on marketing strategies, including ecommerce, so that the artisans can be self-sustained and engage directly with buyers. The Common Facility Centre equipped with the relevant machinery and latest technology will be accessible to practitioners wanting to generate their own livelihood, towards promoting self-employment.The centre carries the aim to train future goldsmiths, while also serve as the cornerstone of revival of Filigree handicraft. The vision of the program is to have an international-level Filigree exhibition-cum-workshop in Cuttack to provide wider opportunities to Filigree Craftsmen living in rural areas.

Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has partnered with Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) to conduct the following programs: 

• Support MoLE’s skill development scheme for persons with disabilities which is run through the Vocational Rehabilitation Centers (VRCs) 
• To address the issue of Child Labour by empowering them through training under Jan Sikshan Sansthan Scheme and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra Scheme. 4 pilot programs are underway across 4 districts 
• To support the skilling and rehabilitation of bonded labour identified by MoLE under a pilot project in 5 districts 
• Skilling of building and other construction workers and their family members will be facilitated under PMKVY in all job roles identified by Construction SSC under both the models i.e. Short-Term Training (STT) and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) under PMKVY for capacity building and empowerment 
• Skill training will be imparted for providing alternative employment/livelihood for Beedi workers and their dependents with funding initially by Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), as for other trainee International Collabo International Collaboratons and forms of engagement ernatiol Collabortions and Platforms of engagement

In Platforms of engagementrations and Plat 

• MoC with Government of Japan: A Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on Technical Intern Training Program (TITP) was signed between the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and Government of Japan at Tokyo. The first batch of 17 students has completed pre–departure training at CII’s Chennai facility and have received their Internship Offer Letters form a leading Automotive manufacturer in Japan. They have been trained by native Japanese Trainers, engaged specifically for the programme to ensure high quality training in varied divisions like production, quality department, technical department etc. These interns mostly hail from rural villages of Southern Tamil Nadu. They belong to economically weaker sections of the society with average family income ranging from INR 40,000 – INR 80,000 per annum. As per the Program requirement they come with an experience of 6 months to 1 year. Most of them were engaged in the manufacturing sector where they earned INR 8000 to INR 10000 per month. Under the Program, they are receiving nearly INR 65000 per month, post statutory deductions. The program is giving them a huge financial and professional advantage, which will not only enhance their standard of living but will also benefit their families. 
• India Skills Finals: Team India is all set for 45th World Skills International competition to be held in Kazan in Russia. 

1. India Skills 2018, the biggest skills competition of the country, designed to encourage and prepare the youth for the global stage, ended on a grand note in New Delhi in October 2018. More than 400 competitors from 27 states displayed their skills in 46 skills, 7 traditional skills and 4 demo skills, before experts and jury members. More than 15,000 visitors attended the India Skills 2018 competition. A total of 164 winners were awarded medals in their respective skill categories. Of these, 45 won gold medals, while 47 won silver and the bronze medal went to 43 winners. Maharashtra topped the medals tally with 23 medals, followed by Odisha, which had 21 winners. Karnataka and Delhi came third with 16 medals each, while Chandigarh finished in the fifth position with 12 medals. The finalists will represent India at the 45th World Skills Competition to be held in 2019. 
2. Team India is led by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the guidance of the MSDE at the event. 2017 saw one of the most successful year for Team India, which won 1 Silver, 1 Bronze and 9 Medallions for Excellence at the World Skill competition held in Abu Dhabi in 2017. This is the best medal tally that India had since it started participating at these competiti on sin 2007. 
3. Euro Skills 2018: Euro Skills is the European Championship of young professionals, a promotion of latest skill development around Europe. Euro Skills was held at Budapest, Hungary, from 26th to 28th September 2018. It has more than 28 countries participating in the competition out of which India was one of the guest countries, along with other countries like Japan, UAE and Korea.