The union cabinet has cleared a three-tiered institutional framework for national skill development mission under the new skill development policy.

Announcing cabinet okay for various other schemes on Thursday, finance minister Arun Jaitley said the first integrated national policy for skill development and entrepreneurship 2015 will promote a culture of innovation-based entrepreneurship to generate employment and wealth.

The national skill development council will be headed by prime minister Narendra Modi.

The policy will bring the world of education and training closer to the world of work to build a strong India.

The vision of the policy is “to create an ecosystem of empowerment by skilling on a large scale at speed with high standards so as to ensure sustainable livelihoods for all citizens and to place India in the comity of front ranking entrepreneurial and innovative nations."

The mission is to create a demand for skilling across the country; correct and align the skilling with required competencies; connect the supply of skilled human resources with sectoral demands; certify and assess in alignment with global and national standards; and catalyse an eco system wherein opportunity based and innovative entrepreneurship germinates, sustains and grows leading to creation of a more dynamic entrepreneurial economy.

It says the need of the hour is to make skill development aspirational for the youth in our country.

The policy: click here

Interview with skill development minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy : click here

National skill development mission

The national skill development mission will provide a strong institutional framework at the centre and states for implementation of skilling activities in the country.

The mission will have a three-tiered, high powered decision making structure. At its apex, the mission’s governing council, chaired by the prime minister, will provide overall guidance and policy direction. The steering committee, chaired by minister in charge of skill development, will review the mission’s activities in line with the direction set by the governing council.

The mission directorate, with secretary, skill development as mission director, will ensure implementation, coordination and convergence of skilling activities across central ministries/departments and state governments. The mission will also run select sub-missions in high priority areas.

Further, the national skill development agency (NSDA), the national skill development corporation (NSDC) and the directorate of training will function under the overall guidance of the mission. The ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) provides a natural home for the Mission, organically linking all three decision making levels and facilitating linkages to all Central Ministries/Departments and State Governments.

Common norms for skill development schemes implemented by Government of India

Currently, over 70-odd skill development programmes (SDPs) are being implemented by government of India, each with its own norms for eligibility criteria, duration of training, cost of training, outcomes, monitoring and tracking mechanism etc. This multiplicity of norms and parameters has created a diffusive effect of SDPs, which need to be streamlined in order to achieve the final outcomes envisaged. Common Norms seek to rationalise the whole spectrum of skill development processes and systems including inputs, outputs, funding/cost norms, third party certification and assessment, monitoring/tracking mechanisms, and empanelment of training providers.

Common norms define the activities constituting ‘skill development’ in the country, skill development courses and their alignment with the national skills qualification framework, broad input standards for training programmes and the outcomes expected from these programmes. The outcomes of skill training programmes have been defined in terms of placement achieved in wage and self- employment, both for fresh trainees as well as existing workers who have undergone recognition of prior learning. Since the common norms are aimed at being outcome focused, the cost norms and fund flow mechanism for skill development programmes have also been linked to specific outcomes achieved. Cost norms include support for components like mobilisation of candidates, trainers’ training, placement expenses, post-placement tracking/monitoring and infrastructure costs.

The proposal envisages the creation of a common norms committee under the chairmanship of secretary, ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship to bring about uniformity and standardisation among the skill development schemes of the central government. The committee will also consist of eight other representatives from relevant central ministries/departments, State governments, NSDA and NSDC, with a provision for inviting experts and other significant stakeholders who may be necessary in the decision making process. It will be empowered to revise/amend the common norms, schedules of the notification, training costs and funding norms for skill development programmes.

While the common norms would be applicable to the skill development schemes of the government of India being implemented through various ministries/departments, the state governments are also expected to align their skill development schemes with the common norms so as to bring in uniformity and standardization.