Initiatives by State Government in Skill Development :

Keeping in view the overall growth dynamics of the State, Government of Himachal Pradesh has taken up an exercise on the formulation of Action plan on Skill Development for 12th Plan (2012–17 and 2017–22). The State Government has fixed the targets under Skill Development activities according to the targets fixed by Government of India, as 4, 55,000 for 2012–17 and 5, 15,000 for 2017–22. Following are the efforts running by government :

(i) A study on mapping the existing skill levels of the Employable Youth and Skill Gaps in Himachal Pradesh was conducted by ICRA (International Credit Rating Agency) in the year 2007.

(ii) State Skill Development Mission (SSDM) was set-up under the Chairpersonship of Chief Secretary to the GoHP, on 6th June, 2009.

(iii) In accordance with the announcement of the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Himachal Pradesh in his budget speech for the year 2012-13, a Skill Up-gradation Council has been set-up in the State.

(iv) Study on improvement of Skill Development initiatives in Himachal Pradesh was conducted by Himachal Pradesh General Industries Corporation Ltd., 2013.

(v) Himachal Pradesh Skill Development Society (HPSDS) has been set up on 27 January 2014 under the Chairmanship of Hon’ble Chief Minister as an Census 2011 data. Independent and autonomous body under the Himachal Pradesh Societies Registration Act, 2006. The broad objective of the society is to promote development of skills as laid down under the charter of the National Skill Development Mission and State Skill Development policies.

(vi) National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) with the assistance of KPMG Advisory Services has independently done a study in 2013 titled District wise Skill Gap Study in the State of Himachal Pradesh for the period 2012-17 and 2017-22, with the objective of identifying district wise skilling requirements in the State for potential growth sectors.

(vii) During the budget speech of the year 2013-14, Hon’ble Chief Minister had announced a Skill Development Allowance Scheme for the unemployed youth which is being run by the Labour and Employment Department.

( viii ) A community college under AICTE (NSQF) Scheme in automobile engineering with three specialized sub sectors i.e. engine testing, vehicle testing and auto electrical & electronics have recently been started in Government Polytechnics , Sunder Nagar, in association with private sector skill knowledge providers with intake capacity of 100 students.

( ix) The Scheme of Community Development through Polytechnics is also being implemented in six Government Polytechnics i.e. Sunder Nagar, Hamirpur, Kangra, Ambota, Kandaghat and Rohru since 2009. Under this scheme, skill development training is being provided to boys and girls in 25 various engineering / non-engineering trades. Under this scheme 8,944 candidates have been trained since 2009.

( x) There are about 3200 seats available for Apprenticeship in Himachal Pradesh (Government/Private establishments) for Skill Training under the Apprenticeship Training Act.

(xi )In addition to this, the department is providing skill development related trainings in various schemes such as STAR scheme, Hunar Se Rozgar Tak, Work Inspectors training, Vishesh Mahila Uthan Yojana, etc.

( xii ) The Department of Higher Education runs the centrally sponsored scheme for imparting vocational education at the secondary and higher secondary levels (classes 9th to 12th) schools. Now the scheme is operated with in the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF), which established a system of clear educational path ways from school to higher education by providing certification of vocational skills. The project was approved for the State of Himachal Pradesh by MHRD on pilot basis. The aim of the project is to make students employable when they complete Higher Secondary Education. Currently, 500 government senior secondary schools are covered under this scheme.

( xiii) 200 Vocational labs and workshops have been established in 100 schools for the practical training of the vocational students. The process for establishing 600 vocational labs for the new 300 schools is under way. These labs will be well equipped with all the equipments and tools required as per the guidelines of MHRD and NSDC. All these schools will be provided with Computer hardware and Internet Connection.

(xiv) The Teacher training programs / workshops are being organized for Vocational Trainers by RMSA and PSSCIVE Bhopal from time to time. All Vocational Trainers are trained / oriented every year.

( xv) At present, the Department of Labour and Employment is providing employment services (registration of candidates, placement activities and vocational guidance etc.) to the youth of the State through its network of employment exchanges in 12 Districts and 55 sub office employment exchanges at Tehsil level. These youth could be unemployed, self-employed, employed on part time, contract, ad-hoc, casual or tenure and those who are seeking better job prospects.

              Himachal Pradesh has started its journey of economic development to emerge as a model of development of hill States in the country and also as a pioneer in the various field of development. The State has made tremendous progress in industries, power, horticulture, agriculture and allied activities due to continuous investment which has drastically changed the socio-economic indicators of the State.