Skill development program

( Role of Educational Institutions )

Abstract
In todays world , most countries have emphasized the development of human
capital as an instrument for economic growth, sustainable development, and
improved global competitiveness. Also , Nations with high skill capital tend to be
prosperous from the perspectives of both GDP and per capita income. . As an
economy evolves from being factor and commodity centric to knowledge centric,
growth becomes increasingly predicated on availability of skills. For India, skill
development is critical for both economic growth and social development. Human
capital can be developed by enhancing the skill sets of its citizens . Providing a
mechanism to acquire skills, opportunities and creating a skill growth program
for continuous improvement is the surest way of achieving inclusive and
sustainable growth. Maintaining the growth path and competiveness of various
sectors of the economy necessitates a skilled workforce aligned to industry
requirement.

Introduction
Skill sets defined as: single units or combinations of units which link to a license
or regulatory requirement, or defined industry need (National Quality Council
2006) have emerged as an important component of a flexible and responsive
vocational education and training (VET) system. While the term skills refers to a
wide set of attributes ranging from physical abilities to cognitive and interpersonal
skills required for desired job performance, marketable skill specifically refers to
expertise which has an economic value or has potential of being utilized for
generating income in the Country.

Skill Development - Meaning and Focus

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The objective of Skill Development is to create a workforce empowered with

the necessary and continuously upgraded skills, knowledge and internationally
recognized qualifications to gain access to decent employment and ensure
Indias competitiveness in the dynamic global market. It aims at increasing the
productivity and employability of workforce (wage and self-employed) both in
the organized and the unorganized sectors. It seeks increased participation of
youth, women, disabled and other disadvantaged sections and to synergize
efforts of various sectors and reform the present system with the enhanced
capability to adapt to changing technologies and labour market demands.
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) Skill
development is of key importance in stimulating a sustainable development
process and can make a contribution in facilitating the transition from an
informal to formal economy. It is also essential to address the opportunities and
challenges to meet new demands of changing economies and new technologies
in the context of globalization.
Skills development can help build a virtuous circle in which the quality and
relevance of education and training for women and men fuels the innovation,
investment, technological change, enterprise development, economic
diversification and competitiveness that economies need to accelerate the
creation of more jobs.

Indian Skill Development Ecosystem

The vocational skill development ecosystem in India is multi-faceted, large and

provides skill development to an extremely heterogeneous population across a
varied employability landscape. The formal skill development ecosystem has
evolved over a couple of years for creating a skilled workforce in the country.
Focus on enhancing skills has enhanced in past few years. As per todays
scenario , along with the public sector the participation of private sector
participation has accelerated towards various skills development programs. The
focus of skill development is varied and encompasses provisioning of both simple
manual skills for basic employment and comprehensive skill development for
industrial employment. In India, skill development occurs through two broad
institutional structures formal and informal.
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The formal structure includes higher technical education in colleges, vocational

education in postsecondary schools, technical skilling in specialised institutions
and apprenticeship training. As part of the Governments social development
agenda, there are several schemes which provide basic employability skill
development.
Vocational skill development in India can be broadly segmented into vocational
training and vocational education. Vocational training in India is delivered through
a multitude of institutions in both private and public sector. While the public sector
institutions have dominated vocational training in India, private sector participation
has greatly increased during the last few years.
Also ,several states have
implemented state specific vocational training programs in addition to the Central
Government initiatives to address demands of local economy.
Current Structure and Supply of Education and Skill Development system in
India

Education, including all aspects higher education and college education falls under
the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The University and Higher
Education arm is responsible for all college education (Arts, Science, Commerce,
etc.), while engineering education, polytechnics, etc., fall under the category of
Technical Education. The University Grants Commission (UGC) provides funds in
the form of grants and also coordinates as well as sets standards for teaching,
examination and research in universities. The All India Council for Technical
Education (AICTE) is the regulatory body for Technical Education in India. Its
objectives are: promotion of quality in technical education, planning and
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coordinated development of technical education system, regulation and

maintenance of norms and standards. A large part of the current vocational training
infrastructure, the Government ITIs and Private ITCs, falls under the Ministry of
Labour and Employments Directorate General of Employment and Training
(DGET). The National Council on Vocation Training (NCVT) plays a key role in
the formation of training curriculum, policies, standards, as well as in certification
by means of the trade test. The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)
has been set up under Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode as a Section-25
Company under the Ministry of Finance to provide viability gap funding and
coordinate private sector initiatives. The Prime Ministers National Council on
Skill Development has been formulated to coordinate action on skill development.
Key Trends
This section reviews the key trends in the Education and Skill Development
Services Sector across: Schools, Education, Higher Education ,Vocational
Training.
With rising incomes and changing demographic profile, the proportion of private
institutions spending on Skill enhancement has increased . There is a gradual
increase in the number of Schools, Higher Education Institutions etc over the past
few years . Some of the prominent schools are playing a major role in bridging the
access to quality education as well as bridge the gap in the student to teacher ratio.
Also, Many schools have started to use Information and Communication
Technology (ICT )enabled content to aid in delivery. Besides this , there is also an
increase in the employability through skill development programmes as evidenced
by strong market linkages, institute industry coordination, specialised skill
development, continuation of learning, etc. Higher education institutes are devoted
to arts, science and commerce, medical colleges, engineering and technology
colleges.
Industrial training institutes (ITIs) and polytechnics supply the largest volumes of
technical training. The former have certificate courses while the latter offer
diploma programmes in both engineering and non-engineering disciplines.
Technical training infrastructure also includes apprentice training in 254 industries
and vocational education at the higher secondary level in schools. However , yhe
emphasis is on institution-based skills development through polytechnics, ITIs,
vocational training centres, apprenticeship training, training for self-employment
and entrepreneurial ventures, addressing the training requirements of retired
persons, and expanding the outreach of e-learning and distance learning.
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Recognizing the importance of increasing and diversifying the skills-building

capacity in the country, the National Skill Development Policy (NSDP) has been
announced which puts forth the target of achieving 500 million skilled people in
the country by the year 2022. The newly-established National Skill Development
Corporation (NSDC), comprising distinguished technical professionals, will set up
industry-specific skill councils. It will be instrumental in forging skills
development initiatives by involving the private sector through public-privatepartnerships (PPPs). Efforts have already been initiated to establish 1,500 ITIs and
5,000 skills development centres through the PPP mode. The new policy is also
expected to set standards for competency-based qualifications and certificates on
national- approved criteria. The NSDC, ITIs and polytechnics are expected to
substantially increase their training capacities over the next decade so as to achieve
the target of equipping 500 million people by 2022. The implementation of the
NSDP is expected to substantially increase opportunities for foreign technical
training providers.

Suggested Role of Educational Institutions

Educational Institions can play a great role in skill development by ensuring
effective delivery of skills courses in Instituions.
Vocational Education in schools should be enhanced. This will present
a channel for students to acquire skills, both life skills and industryspecific skills during schooling.
Quality should be ensured in the delivery of Content and Curriculum
designing.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT)- led

interventions to be used to achieve scaleability, standardisation, and
maximisation of impact. ICT can have a role to play in the following
areas:
Need Assessment and Sourcing (through media, internet, community based
mobilisation, employer views)
Curriculum Design and Development (standardised curriculum which can be
easily replicated and offered at multiple locations to aid scale up)
Education and Training Delivery (through recorded/interactive teaching
input)
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 Assessment and Certification (through e-testing, computer based tests,

supporting current theory and practical tests)
Placement linkages (employer and student views on demand, centralised
placement systems).
Focus should be on Formulation of institutional mechanisms for
content formation, delivery, and assessment.
The training needs of the unorganized sector should be addressed by
all formal training agencies including government institutes, private
agencies and civil society organizations.
With an objective to achieve the higher number of skilled workers , it
is imperative to have a time-bound framework for expanding
institutional training capacities.
An extensive participation of private technical training providers to be
ensured at country level to build up the skills of its workforce.
Schools and training centers providing technical and vocational
education should take initiatives to link schools and training centers
more closely with industry, update curricula and instructional
materials, train instructors, strengthen management, and update
facilities and equipment.
Improvements in access to general education at primary and
secondary levels are taking place and pushing vocational content later
in the curriculum as perhaps it should be to take advantage of the
foundation basic education provides for acquiring skills for the
workplace.
Another reform that can promote mobility in education and opens
pathways to further education is the blending of academic and
vocational curriculum. Wilson (2005) asserts that one of the effects of
globalization has been the increasing convergence between academic
and vocational education. The integration of these two streams is
broadening the choices for students and reaching the widest possible
range of young people. This approach, its cost, and impact on student
choices, further education, and work, would benefit from a
comparison with the double-qualifications approach .
To strengthen the connection of school and work are also evident as a
means to improving quality and relevance of technical and vocational
education.
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 To improve the relevance of skills developed to employment and

mobilize additional resources for training, schools should attempt to
strengthen their link to local industry.
Engaging industry in sharing equipment with schools, providing
internships for students, and even short-term attachments for
instructors. By building stronger linkages with industry, schools hope
to improve the relevance of the skills they offer and the placement of
students. They also strive to mobilize additional resources from
industry to expand access and improve the quality of training offered.
Focus should be on modular competency-based training (CBT)
approach in to shift attention from schooling inputs to outcomes and
promotes greater accountability.
Curriculum changes to be accompanies with pedagogical reforms for
shifting instruction from a teacher-centered to a learner-center mode
that empowers students for lifelong learning.

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