Why Skilling is important in India ?

• Skilling youth in new tasks and jobs is an emerging strategy for realising the full potential of our young workforce.
• With the nation's average age of 29, skilling youth at scale with speed and standards is the key to development.
• As the scenario is changing to concepts like 'Smart Factory', we are in need of skilling the youth towards these emerging technologies to reap the demographic dividend.
• In order to make the Indian skilled workforce surplus by the year 2030, we need to make the skilling programmes to youth.

What are the interventions by GOI in the area of skilling ?

• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana - initiative by the GOI to train youth to prepare them for global markets through industry related training.
• Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission - sustainable livelihood through skilling and up skilling of urban poor for salaried employment or self employment opportunities.
• Director general of training - Modular Employable Skills - scheme for school dropouts and existing workers in the unorganized sector for improving gainful employment through vocational training and apprenticeship program.
• Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana - placement linked skill development program for the rural youth.
• The National Skill Development Corporation India was setup as a one of its kind, Public Private Partnership Company with the primary mandate of catalyzing the skills landscape in India.
• The National Skill Development Agency, an autonomous body, (registered as a Society under the Society's Registration Act 1860) was created with the mandate to co-ordinateand harmonise the skill development activities in the country, is part of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
• Aajeevika - National Rural Livelihoods Mission - aims to provide opportunities to youth from rural areas to upgrade their skills and provide placement support.
• Atal Innovation Mission - initiative to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship by providing a platform for idea generation and incubator and mentorm support.
• Startup India - scheme to boost startup ecosystem. The action plan of this initiative is based on simplification and handholding of Startups, funding support and Incentives, industry-academia partnership and incubation support.

What is the current scenario to which skilling should be oriented ?

• Industry 4.0 is characterized by increasing digitization, connected machines, amalgamation of emerging technologies, business analytics and cyber physical systems.
• This is the concept of "Smart Factory" where machines talk to each other through sensors, which will lead to productivity enhancement and resource optimization.
• With fast emerging Fourth Industrial Revolution in India, emerging skills in the domains like IOT, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual reality, Augmented Reality, Robotics and 3D printing will be in greater demand.
• India has the capacity to leapfrog various stages of industry 4.0 through its pool of IT savvy youth.
• Re-skilling or up-skilling models of the existing workforce have to be designed to equip them with the changed task/roles.
• The IT sector is going through a period of disruption that features protectionism,automation and global challenges; all this is a great opportunity for our technology savvy youth.