NSDC, Facebook partner to train youth on digital skills

Facebook and the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) have entered into strategic partnership to train youth and entrepreneurs in the country on digital skills.

The partnership will enable Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) to incorporate Facebook's training on digital marketing skills in its courses, besides providing trainees with access to local, domestic and international markets, a statement said.

The programme includes courses on digital marketing, online safety and financial literacy in regional languages with Facebook training master trainers nominated by the NSDC, it added.

This will up-skill job seekers and increase their prospects of employment and trainees will also have access to Facebook's Jobs tool to easily search for job openings, the statement noted.

"This partnership with Facebook aims to leverage the digital opportunity which can assist in creating a market place for many businesses and service offerings for candidates getting trained under our skill ecosystem," Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said.

Ankhi Das, Public Policy Director - India, South and Central Asia for ?Facebook, said digital skills unlock new opportunities and empower people to grow.

"This skilled workforce and successful businesses are imperative for boosting employment and economic growth in the country," she added.

Facebook has upskilled more than two lakh youth and entrepreneurs under the #BoostYourBusiness programme across 16 Indian states and an additional 30,000 women entrepreneurs being trained under the #SheMeansBusiness programme.

The US-based company, which has launched the Digital Training Hub in 2017, aims to train five lakh youth and entrepreneurs by 2020.