Government plans skilled workforce database in India

To meet the rising demand for skilled workforce from the corporate sector, the government is creating a national database of labour market information system, which would help the industry sourcing their manpower requirement, J.P. Rai, director general, National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) said Tuesday.

"We are at present collating database from the states on the labour force and will put out comprehensive information on labour market shortly," he said at an ongoing workshop here on Youth and Inclusive Citizenship organised by civil society group PRIA and Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education (ASPBAE).

Rai said that after getting sufficient information on the labour market, the accreditation of manpower agencies would be done so that the industry can access information on the manpower requirement efficiently.

He said the government is working on a plan to make existing Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) more representative so that the issues and concern of workers at the bottom of the value chain are addressed.

At present, the government has set up 30 SSCs representing sector such as jewellery, leather, auto components and rubber. "For instance in case of rubber skill council, often the issues affecting rubber tappers are not reflected in the skill enhancement programme thus leading to gaps," Rai said.

He also said NSDA is trying to formulate a programme where Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) would be certified by government agencies. It is estimated that there are one million people joining workforce every month in the country. In the non-farm sector, 90 percent of the jobs are in the MSMEs domain.

Even for the Naxal affected districts, the government is working on a special skill enhancement programme for addressing the economic deprivation faced by large mass of people, he said, adding that: "We recognise that Naxal issue can be dealt effectively through economic means by providing necessary skill for youth and making them employable."