NSDA working to make India a global workforce to reckon with

Only 2.4 lakh apprentices find their way into industry and 25 per cent of engineers are employable. (Reuters)

A concerted effort towards skill development of the population with an amalgam of citizens' as well as government initiative to make India a global workforce has been stressed by National Skill Development Agency (NSDA).

"In the current scenario only seven per cent of India's working population is organised, only 2.4 lakh apprentices find their way into industry and 25 per cent of engineers are employable. The big corporate companies often complain about the lack of skill set amongst the youth looking for employment and this scenario has to change," Chairman of NSDA S Ramdorai, observed.

The NSDA is constituted to coordinate and harmonise skill development efforts of the central and state governments and also public and private sector industries .

Ramdorai, who was here recently to interact with members of Pune International Centre (PIC), a forum of eminent thinkers including noted scientist R A Mashelkar, said the NSDA was also engaged in leveraging technology in all aspects of skilling, skill registry, and labour management information system.

"The agency is also exploring how the rural broadband that connects 2,50,000 panchayats across the country can be leveraged for skilling people in the remotest parts of the country," he said deliberating on the theme "Skilling the nation -Time to Act".

Highlighting the practises in European countries, the NSDA chairman said most of these countries believe in "on-job training", offering internships and apprenticeships to students. This practice can be started in cities like Pune which is an educational hub and also houses a large number of small scale industries, he said.