• Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the country’s first Skill India Centre (SIC) at Sambalpur in Odisha on February 20.

• This initiative, under the supervision of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), emphasizes a commitment to nurture a robust learner-centric ecosystem.

Highlights of SIC:

• The Skill India Centre will equip a vast majority of the young populace with employable skills in demand-driven trades, creating an industry-ready workforce, encouraging entrepreneurship and strengthening the skilling ecosystem.

• By spearheading the skill training programmes in new-age job roles, the skill-set of youngsters will be upgraded in demand-driven industries and the aim will be to empower over 1,200 students through this centre.

• The centre is equipped with best-in-class infrastructure, cutting-edge technologies and modern facilities that will catalyse demand for formal skills and will enable youth to acquire the skills needed to succeed in their respective fields.

• To further fuel growth, collaborative efforts are being made to harness the potential of demographic dividends to catalyse rural development, nurture local entrepreneurship and spur socio-economic growth.

• The initiative is designed to build the capabilities and knowledge of ‘Yuva Shakti’ in trades that are high in demand such as media & entertainment, leather, tourism & hospitality, and information technology (IT) & IT-enabled services (ITeS).

• The introduction of low-cost courses in the SIC will empower large youth and make them a part of the evolving job market.

• The SIC will play a pivotal role in designing curriculum along with industry experts which will be aligned with the changing industry needs, promote standardisation, and create employment opportunities that meet the demand for skilled talent across industries. 

• Skill India Centres will be inaugurated in Angul, Bhadrak, Dhenkanal, Talcher and Deogarh in Odisha.

• By targeting the high economic growth sectors, each SIC in Odisha aims to address the specific skill needs of industries that have the potential to drive regional development and create sustainable employment opportunities.

• To ensure seamless implementation of the training ecosystem, the NSDC will designate a centre manager who will monitor the implementation of training programmes and ensure adherence to quality standards and the overall functioning of the centre.

National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)

• National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) is the principal architect of the skill ecosystem in the country. 

• NSDC is a Public Private Partnership firm set up on July 31, 2008 under Section 25 of the Companies Act 1956 (corresponding to Section 8 of The Companies Act, 2013). 

• The government, through the ministry of skill development & entrepreneurship (MSDE), holds 49 per cent of the share capital of NSDC, while the private sector has the balance 51 per cent of the share capital.

• NSDC was established to catalyse the skilling ecosystem for private sector participation and be the strategic implementation and knowledge partner to Skill India Mission to build efficient vocational training initiatives, empowering India’s youth. 

• NSDC provides support to enterprises, startups, companies, and organisations that are creating an impact by offering a world of opportunities in futuristic skills to the potential workforce. 

• The organisation develops appropriate models to enhance, support, and coordinate private sector initiatives in skilling by offering funding support to eligible entities, concessional loans to the candidates along with other innovative financial products and building strategic partnerships.

NSDC undertakes the following activities:

i) Incubation and governance of Sector Skill Councils.

ii) Financing of private training providers through social impact funding.

iii) Industry connect and participation.

iv) Implementation support to government schemes.

v) Support through standards, quality assurance and courseware.

vi) Promotion of digital skills and skills for ‘future of work’.

vii) Providing advisory services to states, government, private sector and international partners.

viii) International collaboration in skill ecosystem.

ix) Market analytics.

x) Technology-led enablers for robust monitoring, reporting and evaluation systems.

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