SkillEd India and RASCI collaborate to advance digital learning for youth in Retail Sector

In an endeavor to promote digital learning in the retail sector, SkillEd India (JV of Manav Rachna Educational Institutions and Kunskapsskolan Education) in collaboration with Retailers Association’s Skill Council of India (RASCI), recently launched an indigenous Digital Learning Portal on its Learning Management System LMS platform. In line with the government’s Skill India Mission, the RASCI-SkillEd India digital learning portal & LMS portal aims to provide standardized and quality online training to professionals and students through e-skilling, upskilling & re-skilling learning modules and certifications.

The courses are structured on the Swedish KED Learning Methodology and the portal offers a variety of QP-NOS aligned courses to meet the current & future learning requirements of workforce and trainers across government and corporate sector. Through the portal, SkillEd India would be offering online QP-NOS aligned Vocational Training programs for the Retail Sector approved by RASCI and developed using the Kunskapsskolan learning methodology framework from Sweden. Each online course available under the sector will have on an average more than 800 videos/ animations, slide shows with audios, Interactive webpage and PDF’s to enhance the learning coupled with ample practical demonstrations. All courses are available in Hindi and English providing trainees to choose their preferred language for learning at the start of the program.

The portal was formally inaugurated through a webinar by Dr. Manish Kumar, MD & CEO of National Skill Development Council (NSDC) in the presence of Mr. Avijit Mitra, Chairman of RASCI and CEO, Infiniti Retail Ltd (Tata Group); Mr. Peje Emilsson, Executive Chairman, Kunskapsskolan Education, Sweden; Dr. Prashant Bhalla, President, Manav Rachna Educational Institutions (MREI); Mrs. Cecilia Carnefeldt, CEO and President – Kunskapsskolan Education, Mr. Anders Bauer, Group Executive VP, Kunskapsskolan Education; Dr. Amit Bhalla, VP, MREI; Mr. James Raphael, Executive Head – RASCI and Joint Central Apprenticeship Adviser – Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (GOI) and Mr. Rajiv Mathur, CEO of SkillEd India.

Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Avijit Mitra, Chairman RASCI and CEO, Infiniti Retail Ltd. (Tata Group) said, “This digital tool will have a massive impact. There will be change in trajectory with SkillEd India & RASCI collaboration. I assure that the Tata Group itself will align to this and we will really work together. I am sure there will other groups joining soon, if we are able to justify this association.”

Mr. Peje Emilsson, Executive Chairman Kunskapsskolan Education, Sweden AB, Chairman Magnora AB said, “I am hopeful that this association will empower trainees with the right skill set and knowledge, build their confidence by enhancing their communication and interpersonal skills through practical hands-on activities and real-time experiences, make them technology- savvy with its digital approach, and ultimately enable them to take on these different roles with complete confidence”.

Sharing the details of the LMS platform, Dr. Prashant Bhalla, President Manav Rachna Educational Institutions, said, “The online vocational courses for Schools from 9th to 12th are NSQF compliant and have been created in consultation with the Retail Skill Council, NSDC and PSSCIVE Bhopal. With interactive resources embedded in the school course, it gives a thorough training on concepts and practical demonstrations. These online courses prepare students, for taking up job as Store Operations Assistant or Trainee Associate. In addition, it will prepare the student for passing their final board examination successfully, for this vocational subject. We are thankful to RASCI for supporting us and certifying the courses offered under the portal”.

Few of the courses to be offered by the portal include Retail Trainee Associate, Retail Store Operations Assistant, Individual Sales Professional, Distributor Salesman, Retail Sales Associate in addition to many more. The RASCI – KEDSkills LMS portal is a secured robust, device-agnostic, cloud-based platform equipped with features like ease of use and seamless integration with other platforms, support for mobile learning, support for blended learning, AI-enabled online assessment and testing, reporting & tracking. A key feature of this allows for peer to peer learning where learners, trainees & professionals can compare their progress with fellow members in their group.

The retail business in India has witnessed a phenomenal growth in the last decade, with development taking place not only in the metros, but also in Tier II and Tier III cities. Retail has emerged as a strong, organized industry that is generating significant employment opportunities in the economy. For its future growth phase, the need for a skill based workforce will be important, which makes formal training in vocational streams a crucial imperative at this stage.