LinkedIn and IL&FS Skill Development to contribute towards Skill India Mission

The collaboration will upskill blue-collar workers and make job seekers more employable.

The Skill India mission is getting a huge response from the corporate world now. Initially started by the Central Government, the mission is getting traction among the private companies. Many corporates are supporting this mission and making their contribution towards this initiative.

LinkedIn is going to work towards the Skill India programme of the Government. The professional networking firm, in partnership with the vocational training company IL&FS Skills Development Corporation, is going to bring blue-collar workers onto its platform.

The aim is to help upskill the blue-collar workers and job-seekers in the country and improve their employability.

Commenting on the initiative, LinkedIn co-founder, Allen Blue, said that “LinkedIn traditionally has focussed on white-collar jobs. This is an opportunity for us to understand and work with the companies interested in hiring all throughout the skills sector.”

IL&FS Skills will design and provide skilling modules and training environment, and LinkedIn will help the participants find a job. The training material will have Hindi voice over.

The participants will use the LinkedIn platform to create their profile, access learning content, build their network by connecting with classmates, seniors and instructors, and get a job.

Under this programme, initially, a batch of 400 people will get trained in the hospitality sector. Later, it will be extended to other sectors.

Akshay Kothari, country manager and head of product, LinkedIn India said that “India has a massive blue-collar workforce, one that can be a game-changer for businesses and our economy. We hope that this partnership will help narrow the gap between the demand and supply of talent”.

The programme will facilitate the creation of a skill wage premium, which is absent in India, due to information asymmetry in blue-collar jobs. LinkedIn will help them showcase their skills and qualification to potential employers, which they could not do earlier.

LinkedIn’s largest market is the US and the second largest is India. It has a user base of 42 million in India. This is LinkedIn’s first initiative for blue-collar workers.