The Gems & Jewellery Skill Council of India (GJSCI) has launched a digital learning platform to skill those engaged in the industry by the end of 2016.
According to GJSCI Chairman Prem Kumar Kothari, this is the first e-learning platform for the jewellery industry.
The programme will help us reach out to individuals in small towns and remote areas of the country, including 1 lakh jewellery retail sales associates, to provide efficient workforce to the industry at a reasonable price, Kothari said.
"This digital platform is expected to scale up the skill development efforts in the sector. We plan to replicate this model for other sectors as well," Pawan Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship said at the launch of the initiative on Saturday.
The Jewellery Retail Sales Associate (JRSA) online training programme is currently available in English and Hindi and will soon be provided in seven other languages.
It includes various modules, covering all key topics including the basics of gold and jewellery products, selling process, customer service and others.
To make the system more intuitive, the module is simplified into steps which ensure it is easily comprehensible.
The programme will also help thousands of small enterprises selling jewellery from their homes to increase efficiency and save costs on training.
According to a National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) report, India's gems and jewellery sector requires 35.9 lakh skilled workforce by 2022.
The sector contributes around 6-7 per cent of the country's GDP, and the platform will help meet the skilled manpower requirement of the industry.
