Government Schemes Under Skill India Mission By NSDC

Skill India Mission is the largest umbrella initiative by the government of India to raise the employability ratios amongst Indian youth. Currently, India is leading the world in terms of youth population. India ranks first as the world’s largest youth democracy with about 1.44 billion young people. To cater to this large mass of population government of India is running its skill development program to empower and encourage youth for better career opportunities.

Skill India Mission was launched in the year 2015, with the primary objective of closing the skill gap in India while opening newer career pathways for young individuals. The Skill India program runs with the assistance of the National Skill Development Corporation. It has various sub-schemes under it, a few of which will be discussed further in this article.

Need for Skill Development in Current Times

Among diverse factors for increasing inclination towards skill development, the one that shines primarily is the rising skill gap amidst a significant job opportunity crunch. Nowadays, one of the recurring reasons for unemployment is a lack of job-related skill set. Employers are seeking individuals with certain skills to consider them for jobs. 

Secondly, even the people who are currently working are fearing layoffs due to lack of continuous skill upgradation, and are even losing jobs due to redundancy of their skill sets. Therefore, government schemes under initiatives like the Skill India Mission aid young people from all walks of life, while some schemes are focused on graduates, some skill development schemes also focus on non-literate or marginal youth. 

Government Schemes Under Skill India Mission

1. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 4.0

PMKVY is a flagship scheme launched under the Skill India Mission. Currently, the scheme is in its 4th phase after witnessing success in the first three phases since 2015. The main motive behind this scheme is to enable Indian youth to become adept in industry-related skills and secure a better livelihood. 

The scheme has 3 components: Short-term training, Recognition of prior learning, and special projects. Under the scheme’s features, young candidates are trained and imparted with necessary skills in diverse fields, also they are given vocational learning and crash course programs based on the relevant job opportunities at hand.

2. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKK)

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras is another government scheme under the Skill India Mission, through which the government sets up state-of-the-art facilities equipped with modern learning technologies to impart industry-focused courses of high quality with a main focus on employability. 

PMKK aims to change mandate-driven short-term training into a long-term Institutional model, with smart classrooms, audio-visual aids, and counselling & placement cells. 

3. Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS)

Jan Shikshan Sansthan is a skill India scheme under which skill development cells are set up by the government to provide vocational training to non-literates, neo-literates, and school dropouts by identifying skills relevant to the market. This Skill India scheme aims to uplift people from rural and remote areas in skills across industries such as food processing, apparel, IT-ITes, handicrafts, and electronics. 

Similarly, the government of India has a separate scheme under the Skill India Mission called Vocational Training Programme For Women, through which marginalized women are brought into the mainstream by upskilling them with Industrial skills under the Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS), Craft Instructors Training Scheme (CITS), etc.

4. SANKALP Programme 

The SANKALP (Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion) Programme under Skill India, comes with loan assistance from the World Bank. It aims to improve short-term training in key result areas such as Institutional Strengthening, Enhancing Market Relevance and Quality, Inclusion of Marginalized Communities, and Special Projects.

The ultimate objective of the SANKALP scheme is to obtain improved market connectivity including marginalized sections of society.

5. National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS-2)

The NAPS-2 Scheme is the second leg of the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme launched by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). It is also a centrally-sponsored scheme under the umbrella initiative of the Skill India Programme.

The main goal of this scheme is to boost youth participation in apprenticeship programs to develop a highly skilled workforce while promoting the concept of on-the-job training. Individuals who are recent IT Pass-outs, pursuing or completed graduation/diploma courses, or even fresh apprentices can avail the benefits of this scheme.

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To conclude, in the rapidly evolving Indian job market, the Skill India Mission comes as an aid of relief for young Individuals to navigate their pathways through the streams of employment. There are various schemes under Skill India to ensure maximum youth in need of employment can get the right opportunities for a better future.