It is expected to enhance employability of the youth in the state.
In the quest to bring Skills in the mainstream and take States on board in the mission of Skill India, Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge) and Parliamentary Affairs, today met the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, to discuss the Government’s focus on skill development within the State.
In line with the initiatives that were discussed between the two Ministers, Madhya Pradesh will soon see state-of-the-art model skill centres which will offer trainings in courses across different trades and job roles, which will extend more opportunities of employment. These will be iconic skill centres that would provide courses under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), which is one the flagship skill development schemes that offers monetary rewards to students and encourages students who cannot afford to pay for the training, to take up the courses and transform their lives.
So far Madhya Pradesh has 592 centres of PMKVY in which 47,257 candidates have already enrolled under the scheme. The Skills Ministry along with NSDC and its training partners has also conducted 18 Kaushal Vikas Melas in the State for student mobilisation and most of the enrolments have happened in sectors such as mining, automotive, beauty and wellness, electronics, construction. There are 136 NSDC affiliated training partners who are actively running the trainings in the state across 25 sectors in 130 job roles.
Shri Rudy briefed the Chief Minister about initiatives and achievements planned and achieved thus far across the country. He stated, “Madhya Pradesh is one of India’s top most state in terms of GDP growth and is also the second most preferred state for the corporate world to get their industries set up. It is imperative that we have a job ready skilled workforce in the state to meet these requirements. NSQF and NCVT standardised skill trainings to the youth of the state will give them ample opportunities of growth within the state and will also help them set up their own entrepreneurial set ups.”
“The skill ecosystem as envisaged by the Ministry of Skill Development would help formalise the skill trainings and the Government of India supported certificates would legitimise the trainings and add value to the employability of the youth. We will also emphasise on placements along with trainings in the identified job roles” he further added.
Chief Minister welcomed the initiatives taken by the Ministry to create a national framework for skill development. He offered his entire support in establishing the iconic skill development centres in the State and also evinced keen interest in setting up a Skill University. Shri Chouhan also shared his concern regarding the shortage of funds for the Modular Employable Skills (MES) courses to which the Skills Minister assured him of getting it examined.
The two Ministers associated on leveraging the existing Government infrastructure in the state to build capacity for skill development. Shri Rudy also informed the Chief Minister that the Ministry is working on the Skill University Bill, which would be soon introduced in the Parliament.
The Directorate General (Training) under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is also working with MPOnline, an e-governance initiative of the Government of Madhya Pradesh to conduct online examinations for the National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT) certification. More than 60,000 students would appear for this examination across 34 trades in the month of January and February, next year.