Centre plans quality tags for skills

The Centre has decided to set up a national skill-testing agency to certify about 1,500 skills, reports Chetan Chauhan.

SOON, YOUR hairdresser in the neighbourhood salon, or a cook with a nearby roadside eatery, or a Blueline driver, could carry a competency certificate issued by a central agency.

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The Centre has decided to set up a national skill-testing agency to certify about 1,500 skills to provide quality manpower to sustain economic development. “We have identified 20 streams in the services and manufacturing sectors for which skill certificates will be issued,” Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Planning Commission Deputy Chairperson, told HT.

Training modules for Blueline drivers in Delhi, or cookery classes for those working in dhabas may be held, outlined Ahluwalia. “There is lot of scope for development of such skills,” he explained.

The government wants to set up 50,000 skill development centres for conducting courses, ranging from six weeks to three months. There are also plans to restructure around 5,000 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and polytechnics for longer courses under a private-partnership model. Secondary and senior secondary schools during evening hours will also be utilised for short-term skill training.

The Planning Commission has earmarked Rs 31,200 for the project, the country’s most ambitious skill development scheme yet.