IndiaSkills to invest Rs 200 cr for training 1 mn people

IndiaSkills, a joint venture between India's leading higher learning organisation Manipal Education and UK-based City & Guilds, will invest Rs 200 crore over the next five years to offer vocational training courses across sectors like hospitality and retail.     

IndiaSkills plans to commence operations by January and open up to 100 centres in about 20 cities and towns across the country within the first year of operations.     

"The JV will invest around Rs 200 crore over the next five years to train up to a million people in various vocations like tourism, hospitality, banking and financial services, personal care and retail," Manipal Education Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Anand Sudarshan said.     

IndiaSkills will have 500 Vocational Training Centres and will cover around 50 per cent of the country's districts within five years, he added.     

While City & Guilds will provide basic course material and international level assessment and certification of skills to the students, the Indian partner will focus on areas like faculty training, marketing and research as well as tailoring the courses to meet local requirements.     

Sudarshan said the duration of courses will range from 45 days to a year and cost from Rs 15,000 to around Rs 50,000. Students from matriculation onwards will be eligible to apply for these courses, which will also focus on skills like English speaking.