Inspiring youth to improve scientific skills

The economy of India is growing rapidly. We are determined to lead in the global economy, with many challenges to fight with like unemployment. Essential programmes emphasizing youth to improve upon their skills have brought together the voices of all its stakeholders that include, Member States, the United Nations system, private sector, civil society, academia and various organizations. Presently, young people are almost three times more likely to be unemployed than adults and continuously face the challenges of greater labor market inequalities. Therefore, the aim of such programmes is to advocate for skills as an important factor to improve young people’s transitions to decent work and to highlight the crucial role of skilled youth in addressing today’s most challenging global issues.

Nevertheless, to make India a better country for youth, the issue of unemployment is being taken seriously. In recent years, many schemes have been made by the government for the benefit of Indian youth to compete in the labor market. Few examples are - Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushal Yojana, National Urban Livelihoods Mission, National Apprenticeship Training Scheme, and National Rural Livelihoods Mission. The National Career Service, launched by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, aims to provide job corresponding services in a transparent and user-friendly manner.

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has the agenda to co-ordinate with all skill development related efforts, enriching technical training framework across the country and building new skills to facilitate job creation and entrepreneurship development. It has launched schemes and plans to attract national and international investment and catapult manufacturing growth on a large scale with speed and of global standards. Skill Development Agency, National Skill Development Corporation, National Skill Development Fund and 33 Sector Skill Councils, as well as 187 training partners registered with National Skill Development Corporation, have been initiated for multi-level engagement and more impactful implementation of skill development efforts providing youth with the opportunities to develop their competencies and accelerate their transition to work.

Department of Science and Technology under Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of India has launched potential programmes for the Technology Development to promote activities aimed at improving technology, technique, material, methods and other appropriate activities conducive for development of technology status in identified areas and encourage developments in the application of R&D activities.

The Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (Skill India Mission) is under Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE). This Skill Certification Scheme is to encourage and promote skill development for a large number of youth of India to take up industry designed quality skill training and improve their employability. Moreover,  several schemes such as Made in India, Start-up India, Stand-up India and Digital India have been launched for the establishment of more productive and higher-skilled enterprises. TO achieve better socio-economic conditions for today’s youth and meet challenges of unemployment and underemployment such programmes are being successfully implemented following their mandate.

Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has launched skill development programme in multi-disciplinary areas of Biotechnology to provide high quality hands-on training of tools and techniques to biotechnology students in multidisciplinary areas of Biotechnology to make the young biotechnologist ready to take-up jobs in industries, hospitals, medical colleges, R&D laboratories, diagnostic laboratories. A total of 15 Certificate/Diploma courses have been implemented in institutions located in various parts of the country. Department has also initiated the Skill Vigyan Program in partnership with States and Union territories through hub & Spoke model. This program has been designed for providing skill training under four categories (i) Skill training for students (ii) Technician training (iii) Faculty training and (iv) Entrepreneurship training.

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to promote e-Governance for empowering citizens, promoting the inclusive and sustainable growth of the Electronics, IT & ITeS industries, enhancing India’s role in Internet Governance, adopting a multipronged approach that includes development of human resources, promoting R&D and innovation, enhancing efficiency through digital services and ensuring a secure cyberspace.

MeitY had approved the Scheme Skill Development in Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) for Digital India to facilitate the creation of an eco-system for development of ESDM Sector in the entire country. The Scheme is being implemented by three Key Implementing Agencies (KIAs) namely National Institute of Electronics & IT (NIELIT), ESSCI and TSSC. The scheme is operated and managed by Programme Management Unit (PMU) at NIELIT, under the aegis of MeitY in a transparent manner. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also has initiated several initiatives for the development of the electronics sector in the country and recently approved National Policy on Electronics (NPE) to the improvement of present education and skill development system.

Furthermore, MeitY also deals with the implementation of India safety standards for 15 electronic items. Manufacturers of Video Games, Visual Display Unit, Amplifiers, Laptops/ NoteBooks/ Tablets, Printer/Plotters, Electronic Musical System, LCD/LED/Plasma TVs, Automated Data Processing Machines, Scanner. Users can access free language software and tools, Indian Language Technology Proliferation & Deployment Centre, Patent. The Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (CMET) is a scientific society registered under the Ministry of Information Technology, with the main objective to establish technology strength in electronics materials for the present and future industrial requirement. Details about troubleshooting production line, yield and quality improvement, improved product development, material characterization and testing, etc are provided.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM)-Meity “ Future Skills” platform to upskill 20 lakhs youth in new technology. The platform, which offers training in the internet of things (IoT), robotic process automation (RPA), virtual reality, big data analytics, cloud computing and 3D printing, among others, went live with courses has participants from NASSCOM member companies.

Cyber Shikshaa project to provide skills to women engineering graduates in the niche of Cyber Security has launched by Microsoft & Data Security Council of India (DSCI) in association with Information Security Education and Awareness (ISEA) of MeitY. In this scheme, training program is conducted exclusively for women from various cities and align a career path for them in the domain of Cyber Security.

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) has launched the Model curriculum for short term skill development courses to enhance the specific skill of existing professional or to provide imparting skills to candidates with no formal qualification. The training and assessment will certify that the candidate is able to undertake specific set of activities and move up to the traditional career pathway.

MoHFW and Indra Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) have launched New Skill Based Health Programmes (Certificate in General Duty Assistance, Certificate in Geriatric Care Assistance, Certificate in Phlebotomy Assistance and Certificate in Home Health Assistance)  to create trained health care personnel for improving health care delivery across the country,to develop, implement and certify the skill-based health programmes in the Country.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has signed an MoU  with Government of Uzbekistan  on cooperation in the field of Health to expanding opportunities for the development of business cooperation in the field of medical equipment, including equipment for teaching and research laboratories of institutions of medical education, and pharmaceutical products and also development and improvement of the techniques and strategies for epidemiological surveillance and communicable and non-communicable diseases control.

Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between India and Japan in the field of Healthcare and Wellness signed on 29th October 2018. It  Supports sending organizations to provide pre-lectures about elderly care for technical intern training programmes of care-workers through sending out certificated care workers from Japan and providing a curriculum and textbooks so as to provide trained care-givers to Japan, and developing human resource, research and project promotion for health self-management such as ME-BYO and Ayurveda.

National Skill Development Corporation India (NSDC) is a unique model created with a well thought through underlying philosophy based on the Proactively catalyze creation of large, quality vocational training institutions, reduce risk by providing patient capital and the creation and sustainability of support systems required for skill development. NSDC help Fhasto upgrade skills to international standards through significant industry involvement and develop necessary frameworks for standards, curriculum and quality assurance and also enhance, support and coordinate private sector initiatives for skill development through appropriate Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models; strive for significant operational and financial involvement from the private sector.