The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will now assist the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) in setting up sector skills councils (SSC). It has already lined up $1.1 million for technical assistance to NSDC in this regard.
According to a notification by ADB, the bank’s capacity development technical assistance (TA) project will assist NSDC in establishing one sector skills council (SSC) each in the service sector (such as health care) and infrastructure sector (such as transport and logistics or construction).
NSDC, co-promoted by the Union finance ministry with the mandate to involve the private sector in training 500 million people by 2022, was planning to set up 28 SSCs across different verticals.
It was planning to set up five verticals this financial year. While Automotive Skills Development Council is already in place, energy, retail, private security and handloom and handicrafts were also in the pipeline. In the retail sector, NSDC was in talks with Retail Association of India, Future Group, Reliance Retail and Shoppers Stop for setting up a skill body.
“By building the capacity of two pilot SSCs, the TA will provide a template for other SSCs, thereby helping NSDC in strengthening the skills ecosystem. The TA will also support two states (as pilots) in linking their skills development missions more effectively with the new, public private partnership-driven skill development initiatives being promoted by NSDC and other government-run schemes at the national level,” the notification said.
The bank will play a vital role in areas like identifying focus areas for skills development based on market analysis and stakeholder consultations by the SSCs, scoping the functions of the SSCand preparing a financial sustainability model and budget estimates for its functioning.
Earlier, NSDC managing director and chief executive officer Dilip Chenoy had said, “The bodies will set up Labour Market Information Systems (LMIS) to assist in planning and delivery of training, identify skill development needs, participate in affiliation, accreditation and standardisation and establish skill competency standards and qualifications among other functions to boost the industry. But primarily, it will be a testing and certification institution, rather than a training institution for students.”