Govt policy to make India skill supply hub for global value chains: Pradhan

The government is formulating a policy to make India the skill supply hub for global value chains, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Tuesday.

The Minister for Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship also said that the mapping of global skill-set requirements will be undertaken to identify the skilled manpower needs of various nations.

He said that identifying skillset requirements will serve as an important element when the Department of Commerce negotiates trade deals with various nations on India's behalf.

A virtual Global Skills Summit was organised on Tuesday in association with four central government departments along with ambassadors to ten nations, including Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Singapore, Tanzania, UAE and UK in line with this proposed initiative.

"India can the skilled manpower needs of the world. We have to make the country a skills supply hub for global value chains. A policy is being framed towards this objective. Keeping this in mind the Virtual Global Skills Summit was organised today," said the minister.

Pradhan observed that the demand for skilled manpower from India has risen after the Industrial revolution 4.0.

"When the Department of Commerce enters into trade agreements with various nations, identifying the skillset of our citizens with that particular nation, mapping of global skill-sets requirement will be undertaken," Pradhan said.

The minister emphasised that this proposed initiative will go a long way in providing employment opportunities to the youth of India in the coming years.

"The summit aimed at institutionalising a robust mechanism for exchange of information on skill requirements of countries and the skill availability in India," an official statement said.

Aligning with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government envisions positioning the country as a preferred global hub for a trusted skilled and certified workforce, and making India the skill capital of the world, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said in a statement.

This will be achieved by creating world-class training infrastructure in the destination countries, propelling international mobility, and strengthening ties with foreign countries in specific areas to boost job opportunities for the youth, it added.

Addressing the Summit, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said it is remarkable to see the whole of the government approach today and have all ministries and India Missions, come together on a single platform bringing in convergence through skill development and drive partnerships fostering global skill mobility.

Goyal stressed that serious negotiations need to be undertaken for dual degree and joint degree programmes. This will facilitate the opening of new opportunities for Indian youth to work abroad.

He said we must encourage on-the-job training and the quality of skills should be maintained. This is an appropriate time for organising this summit and skill development can be the foundation for an Aatmanibhar Bharat.

Pradhan said that we should create a stable model ensuring quality standards and work closely with the existing private players who already have knowledge about the global supply chain market.

The summit deliberated on skill harmonisation and benchmarking of qualifications, quality standardisation, capacity building, and knowledge exchange to promote global mobility, employability, and readiness for the youth to join the global workforce.