Chidambaram felicitates successful candidates of industry-oriented training courses

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram felicitated, the first batch of over 300 successful candidates from the National Capital Region who have completed their industry oriented training courses under the National Skill Certification and Monetary Reward Scheme.

These candidates who were trained under the STAR scheme skilled in 11 different industry sectors received their STAR certificates on the completion of their respective courses. The scheme was launched by the Finance Minister on August 16, 2013 and is being implemented on a pan-India basis by the

Branded as STAR (Standard Training Assessment and Reward), the scheme is the first of its kind in the country and was first proposed by the Finance Minister in the last Union Budget. A sum of Rs 1,000 crore was allocated for this initiative with an objective to motivate 1 million youth of our country during the first year of launch to acquire a vocational skill which will help make their lives better.

Speaking at the certificate distribution event here yesterday, Chidambaram said, "I would like to congratulate each and every successful candidate on this momentous occasion. This is our first milestone under STAR, an initiative which is in line with the National Skilling Mission. Every certified candidate is now a part of the skilled workforce which is the pride of our nation."

" I strongly encourage more young women and men to join the STAR scheme and build a better future for themselves and the nation. I am particularly proud of the fact that every successful candidate under this unique scheme gets a customised debit card to access their reward money. This is the kind of financial inclusion this Government is committed to," he added.

The STAR Scheme that was launched in August 2013 and rolled-out nationally on September 16, 2013 already has more than 1.1 lakh candidates enrolled.

Over 175 training organizations, comprising NSDC funded training partners, Government affiliated training agencies and other private training providers, are affiliated to Sector Skill Councils under the Scheme, providing a wide coverage of over 2,600 training centres across the country. Eleven (11) independent assessment agencies are affiliated with various Sector Skill Councils, and are conducting these assessments through individual assessors.