Himachal Pradesh Skill Development Policy ( Him Kaushal), 2016 :

Vision of the Policy :

The Skill Development Policy of the State will be called as “Him Kaushal” and shall be undertaken in a Mission mode.  The vision of the policy is “To empower all individuals of the State between the ages of 15 to 45 years to enhance learning and lifelong employment opportunities so as to increase the productive wage force of the State to take part in the economic growth of Himachal Pradesh and India and bridge its skill deficit”.

  Objectives of the Policy :The objectives of the policy are as follows:

•  To achieve convergence and harmonisation of different training programs run by various State departments / organisations with the aim of providing a platform for best available placement opportunities to the youth of the State.
•  To prepare a prioritized road map for skill development, training and employment for the horizon years 2012-17 and 2017-22 for students passing out from higher secondary schools, school drop-outs, un-skilled workers, unemployed youth, informal sector workers, women, differently abled and other disadvantaged or marginalized groups.
• To make skill training and quality vocational training an aspirational choice in the outlook of the youth and also with employers when linked with increased productivity.
• To correct and align skilling with required competencies, including national standards, so as to create an outcome based system for skilling.
• To formulate appropriate policy and measures to measure skill gaps at district and block levels.
•  To create benchmarks and standards for research, development and quality of vocational and professional skill training courses including examination, certification, affiliation and accreditation.
• To establish an IT and modern technology based information system for aggregation of skill based information and efforts which will be accessible to all stakeholders.
•  To operationalise a well defined quality assurance framework for the skill ecosystem of the State.
•  To encourage self employment and entrepreneurship skills and opportunities for the youth of the State
• To create a single access platform for job seekers and provide guidance in self employment opportunities.
• To create tie-ups with different skill development and placement agencies in public and private sectors.
• To create an enabling environment for attracting investment in skill development domain.
•  To undertake the capacity building programs and measures for different stakeholders in skill development sector.
• To collaborate with different ministries in Union Government, appropriate organizations, designated Skill Development Missions of other States, Sector Skill Councils, establish appropriate national/ international linkages and network etc. with the objective of optimizing resources for rapid and sustained skill development among the people of State.
• To ensure equitable access to skill training and related opportunities for all socially and geographically disadvantaged groups like SCs, STs, OBCs, women, minorities and differently-abled and backward areas of the State.

Initiatives under Skill Development Policy  :

To achieve its objectives under the Skill Development Policy, the following initiatives will be introduced in a phased and time bound manner.

Creation of a Skill System Harmoniser :  (i) Himachal Pradesh Kaushal Vikas Nigam (HPKVN), the newly formed corporation, will act as an overarching body for implementation of skill development policy and programs in the State. (ii) HPKVN will pool the resources and programs available under the State or Central government through any State department / organization and will implement all these programs in a systematic manner in consultation and cooperation with the concerned departments.

Demand-driven Training Programs : (i) Training will be provided by the State Government Institutes and Departments, Private Sector, and Industries/Industrial Associations with : a. Flexible delivery in training period. b. Development of need based curricula. c. Different levels of training program to match the needs. d. Uniform testing & certification. e. The focus of the scheme is to provide employment after training. (ii) This shall help to achieve economies of scale in cost of trainings and other procedures and shall help achieve uniformity of standards as well as robust accreditation system.

Multipurpose Training and Marketing Centres : (i) Multipurpose training and marketing centres will be developed in rural areas at ITIs, in a phased manner. (ii) These centres will function as convergence point of various schemes being implemented by the HPKVN. (iii) These will operate in a Hub and Spoke Model, with each centre being monitored by a District Skill Development Centre.

Financing of Skills Development Programme:  State Government will provide sufficient funds for improving/enhancing the skilling activities in the State. The funds for skilling activities will also be pooled from Central Government Skill Programmes. Government of India has approved ADB, External Assistance Project, Supporting Skill Development in Himachal Pradesh, amounting Rs.640 crore to strengthen skill development activities and skill infrastructure in the State.

Entrepreneurship Development : Self-employment and Entrepreneurship will be encouraged in the State for creation of opportunity driven competent entrepreneurs who progress to set up sustainable enterprises for creation of employment and generation of economic growth.

Focus Sectors :Task HPKVN will address the needs and requirement of manpower in the following sector to draw upon the strengths of the local workforce: (i) Agriculture (ii) Horticulture (iii) Tourism and Hospitality  (iv) Construction (v) IT Enabled services (vi) Banking and Financial services HPKVN will be endeavour to work out skill gaps at local level, identification of new job roles, potential opportunities, modalities of introduction of innovative technologies, engagement with private sector, introduction of pilot projects, and strategy for outreach to remote areas of the State etc.

Engagement with Private Sector :The State Government and its organizations will empanel reputed private training providers to supplement the efforts of State departments and institutions in providing skill training.

Skills University :  (i) A Skill University will be set up to impart skill-based academic programs to students with higher secondary or equivalent qualification. (ii) It will provide vertical link to graduates of Vocational Secondary Schools as well as ITIs candidates, to synergies enrolment in the University.

Skilling in Local Arts and Crafts : (i) Special emphasis will be given to the local skills of Himachal Pradesh which are being carried forward by generations of artisans, weavers and artists.

Grievance Redressal All trainees, certified candidates, training partners, other private stakeholders who are aggrieved by a decision or a order on part of the State Authority or District Authority will have the right to make a representation to a designated authority within HPKVN.