New-age, standardised courses in skill ministry's 100-day plan

In the first 100 days of the next government, the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship (MSDE) is planning to introduce new-age courses to suit the changing industry needs.

It is set to standardise skilling courses to facilitate easier migration of workers and introduce counselling and mentorship on the Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) portal.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi — during a Cabinet meeting — was reported to have instructed his ministers to draft roadmaps for the first 100 days and next five years of the next government.

The new-age courses being planned may prominently feature in the fields of sunrise sectors, such as green technologies, fitness, wellness, hospitality and healthcare.

Courses will be selected on the basis of studies done by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) over the last year.

“Foreign languages have emerged as one of the most-preferred courses given that Indian workers are now seamlessly migrating to countries in West Asia and the Pacific.

"Hence, we will introduce more courses on these languages to make our workers job ready.

"There will be courses on soft skills and cultivating lifelong skills as envisaged under the new education policy so that people remain employable,” the person said.

Besides, the ministry may also work on aligning the existing industry courses to the standards set by the National Council of Vocational Training (NCVT) along with integrating different apprenticeship platforms at the state level with the centralised portal.

This will help create a one-stop solution for apprenticeship promotion in the country.

“The ministry is looking to bridge the standardisation gap that exists in both the taxonomy and geography of the courses.

"In the G20 declaration, there was a significant emphasis on standardising skilling courses across the countries as well as industries to propel easy migration of workers.

"As a measure, we will first look to develop a common taxonomy for the courses that are being run by various industries in India.

Also, we will generate awareness about apprenticeship and smoothen the whole process.

"Hence, the need to create one portal,” the person cited above added.

The SIDH portal, which was launched last September as a comprehensive information gateway for all government-led skilling and entrepreneurship initiatives in the country, will also see an expansion in its scope.

The plan is to expand courses available and provide counselling along with mentorship on the platform and integrate it with other government portals.

“The plan in the short run is to comprehensively do away with the demand and supply mismatch that has emerged in our studies regarding the type of courses that the industry needs and the courses that students require.

"SIDH will see an expansion and on-boarding of other services by keeping this in mind,” the person said.