Trainers' shortage key hurdle to skill development: Rudy

Govt to tap 60,000 defence personnel for skill training, use defunct engineering colleges as skill development centres

With the Government of India targeting to impart skill training to 10 million youth every year, the Union minister for skill development and entrepreneurship today admitted that it is a challenge to get resource person to impart training.

"It is a challenge to get the resource persons to train the people. There is a huge shortage of trainers. The ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship is partnering with the Ministry of defence and an MoU (memorandum of understanding) has been signed to meet the shortage," said Rajiv Pratap Rudy, minister of state for Skill Development and entrepreneurship (independent charge) and parliamentary affairs. He was here to attend a Consultative Committee Meeting with along with 11 MPs to discuss the "Role of Sector Skill Councils".

More than 60,000 defence personnel below the rank of junior commissioned officer (JCO) retiring annually will be aligned with the skill training system so that they come out as skill trainers, he added.

The ministry is going full throttle to create this large resource pool of trainers for skilling institution with the ministry of defence, he added.

Rudy said, the government is planning to convert several engineering colleges that have closed down, into skill development centres.

Multi-skill development centres at all districts would come up under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.

Rudy inaugurated a state-of-the-art model skill centre by Centurion University of Technology and Management for increasing employability in the youth.

The Integrated Skill Development Centre launched is spread over 15,000 sq ft in size and will have the latest equipment for smart classrooms. It will also have biometric attendance marking to ensure delivery of trainings. There will be a separate counselling, mobilisation and placement cell as well.

The state-of-the-art model skill centre which will offer trainings in courses across different trades and job roles, which will extend more opportunities of employment. It will focus on three groups of trades: mechanical (fitter and welder), electrical and electronics (tower technician, embedded systems, VLSI) and IT & ITes (basic IT literacy, BPO lab and language lab). The centre caters to all students like those from Bachelor in Technology (BTech), Diploma, ITI and short term government programs and also those who are school dropouts, said a release.