National Workshop on Integrated Skill Development Scheme held

The workshop on Integrated Skill Development Scheme was held by the Ministry of Textiles on 27th August, 2015, at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, with the active collaboration of industry partners and other institutions implementing the scheme.

The Workshop was inaugurated by the Minister of State for Textiles (I/C), Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar. The highlight of the inaugural session was the experience sharing by ISDS beneficiaries, all from very humble backgrounds, which demonstrated the transformative potential of the programme. The Textiles Minister said in his keynote address that the example of these girls can be a powerful motivating force for many.

Thanking the industry partners, the Minister exhorted them to look upon skilling as a responsibility we all have to fulfill.

Shri Sanjay Kumar Panda, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles opened the inaugural address by thanking ‘the young sisters’; “what they said is our certificate”, the Secretary said. He said that the self-confidence these ISDS beneficiaries have acquired is their biggest strength. He said that the scheme is powerful in connecting training agencies on the one hand with beneficiaries in villages on the other. The Secretary then outlined the approach the Government has been taking for skill development in both the organized and unorganized sectors.

On the occasion, the Textiles Minister gave away awards to best-performing implementing agencies. He also released two booklets on ISDS. The facility of online certificate generation was also launched by Secretary, Textiles, Dr. Sanjay Kumar Panda. This innovative facility provides for easy, fast and seamless generation of certificates, promising to be a boon to both trainees as well as training agencies.

The inaugural session was followed by panel discussions on various themes. Some of the key points which came up during the deliberations are given below:
Convergence and evolution with the dynamic skilling ecosystem across sub sectors
Pre-counselling and post-counselling of trainees to be of utmost importance
Creation of multi-skill units / centres for production and training
Soft skills to be a major point of focus in the short run
Invitation to states to play a complementary role for successful implementation of the scheme, such as through facilitation of boarding and lodging
Standardization of courses, assessment and certification processes
Provision of infrastructure support to training partners
Provision of additional funding to difficult areas and state government agencies
Tap the potential of self-employment in the sector
Aim to create a workforce of trained trainers for ensuring quality standards and effective provision of training to candidates
Greater participation from industry partners to be ensured
Skill gap studies to be considered while ascertaining state-specific requirements across each sub sector of textiles
This was the first National Workshop on the scheme. The Workshop was very well attended, by various state government representatives, industry partners and other implementing institutions. The Government’s efforts to improve the scheme are continuous; this Workshop has turned out to be a landmark step in this direction.

Related:
Textiles Minister inaugurates National Workshop on Integrated Skill Development Scheme
: http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=126380

Government to hold National Workshop to give boost to Skill Development : http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=126344

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Textiles Minister inaugurates National Workshop on Integrated Skill Development Scheme

My personality changed completely due to ISDS: Ms. Siddiqui, from a small village in UP

The training programme under ISDS has been able to show us a way for the future. My monthly income has improved from around 5000 rupees to more than 8000 rupees now. I am able to admit my children in a good school, take responsibility for them and support my husband. I am very grateful to the implementing agency and the Ministry of Textiles. – Ms. Mamta Negi, ISDS beneficiary.

My personality has changed completely. I now want to take my monthly earning from the present 7000 to 7 lakh rupees. I want to set up my training institute and train other girls, and enable them to craft a brighter future. – Ms. Shabnoor Siddiqui, ISDS beneficiary, from a small village in Uttar Pradesh.

I used to think: what can be a bigger poverty than poverty itself? I applied for the training under ISDS without informing my parents, and later secured their permission after much persuasion. The 40-day training has transformed my life, please bring in more such programmes. – Ms. Pratibha Yadav, ISDS beneficiary, Uttar Pradesh.

These are some of the moving stories which the beneficiaries of Integrated Skill Development Scheme (ISDS) shared with the audience at the National Workshop on ISDS.

Delivering the keynote address, the Minister of State for Textiles (I/C), Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar said that the example of these girls can be a powerful motivating force for many. The Minister said that we need to utilize the untapped potential of our people. He said that almost everyone today wants to work and earn. Thanking the industry partners, the Minister exhorted them to look upon skilling as a responsibility we all have to fulfill.

Underscoring the importance of skill development, the Minister said that India needs a total of six crore skilled people in the textile sector by 2022. He said that a change in mind-set has been brought about by the new Government under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The Minister said that the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is a step in this direction.

Shri Gangwar said that we have to go to the person in need; skilling programmes have to reach those in need of them. He said that this area of work is not confined to cities, but extends to villages and remote corners of the country as well. The Minister spoke of the need for training programmes to be linked with microfinance, so that those wanting to start enterprises on their own upon completion of training, get some financial assistance.Expressing happiness at the employment of large number of women in the textile and allied sectors, the Textiles Minister hoped that the Workshop would give a new direction to the Integrated Skill Development Scheme and take it forward with renewed vigour.

Shri Panda said that youth today are impatient and in search of opportunities. They can get meaningful employment if the right type of skill is provided. For this, he said that the skill imparted has to be of good quality and as per industry needs.

As regards the organized textile sector, Shri Panda said that there is a need to scale up production and employment, ensuring zero defect (in products) and zero effect (on environment) as per the directions of the Hon’ble Prime Minister. He said that India’s demographic dividend can be the answer to increasing the national share in world’s textiles. He said that the approach of the Government has been to help industry players and enable them to take this forward, by steps such as improving ease of doing business. He said that standardization of syllabi as per industry requirements and building infrastructure for training have been measures in this direction. He appealed to the industry to take the programme to greater heights, ensuring a minimum placement of 70%.

The Secretary said that in the unorganized sector, skilling programmes should not end with training; efforts are being taken to organize the trainees into Self Help Groups on completion of training. He said that Common Facility Centres are also being set up in order to provide the requisite infrastructure, training and design support. Dr. Panda talked about the special focus being given to impart skill training for disadvantaged sections. He highlighted the efforts of the Government to make growth inclusive, highlighting the example of Apparel and Garment Making Centres which are being set up in the North East Region.

Earlier, welcoming the audience, Smt. Pushpa Subrahmanyam, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Textiles said that ISDS has moved a long way from its inception. She recalled that the programme has already trained more than 4.5 lakh youth, placing more than 70% of the trainees in various industry sectors. She thanked all stakeholders for the success of the programme, and said that the programme aims to train 10 lakh youth in the next two years. She also said that there has been a clear focus recently on basic training programmes and on expanding industry partnerships.

Shri Pawan Kumar Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, congratulated the Ministry of Textiles for putting in place a very robust system for training in apparel and textile space. He said that the sector has a very high employment potential. He talked about the work of the Skill Development Ministry in scaling up skilling initiatives and thereby building an ecosystem for skilling at both national and state levels. He said that if everyone works together, we will be able to achieve the large scale training requirement in the textile sector rapidly, and with adherence to good quality standards.

On the occasion, the Textiles Minister gave away awards to best-performing implementing agencies who have contributed significantly to the success of the programme. He also released two booklets – an explainer of the scheme, and a booklet on the recent modifications to the scheme.

The facility of online certificate generation was also launched by Secretary, Textiles, Dr. Sanjay Kumar Panda. The certificates are generated through the centralized Management Information System (MIS) portal of ISDS. This innovative facility provides for easy, fast and seamless generation of certificates, promising to be a boon to both trainees as well as training agencies.

Shri J. K. Dadu, AS&FA, Ministry of Textiles and Shri R. C. M. Reddy, CEO, IL&FS Cluster Development Initiative Limited, were also present for the inaugural session.

The session was very well attended, by various state government representatives, industry partners and other implementing institutions. The Workshop will have sessions on the convergence of ISDS with the ‘Skill India’ initiative; the role of state Governments in catalysing skill initiatives; standardization of courses, assessment and certification, and employment opportunities and challenges under ISDS. The workshop thus aims to identify, disseminate, evolve and institutionalize best practices to improve the effectiveness of the scheme in building the skill capital of India’s textile sector.

Related: Government to hold National Workshop to give boost to Skill Development : http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=126344