The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and Common Service Centres (CSCs) – Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) have collaborated to scale up apprenticeship training framework in rural areas. As a part of the partnership, the CSCs will train 40,000 apprentices annually, extending opportunities to youth from nearby areas of local CSCs including students from Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and beneficiaries of Jan Shikshan Sansthans (JSS). These trainings will improve digital literacy, nurture rural entrepreneurship, and spur inclusive socio-economic growth in the aspiring apprentices, an official release said.
The partnership has a twin objective of:
a) Leveraging the regionwide reach, local expertise and community connect of CSCs to raise awareness about the latest reforms under the Apprentices Act, 1961, and simultaneously improve the engagement of youth in the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS);
b) To fuel further growth, collaborative efforts are being made to harness the potential of demographic dividend to catalyse rural development, promote the participation of women apprentices, empower local JSS and ITIs as well as create local opportunities for youth aligned with the concept of ‘vocalization of education’.
Another core facet is to encourage CSCs to play an integral role in driving apprenticeship engagement between 2.5% to 15% within establishments at the district and state level to lay the foundation for last-mile skilling and standardised apprenticeship training at grassroot level.
The joint declaration was exchanged between Sonal Mishra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (Apprenticeship Training) and Sanjay Kumar Rakesh, Managing Director, CSC E-Governance Services.
“With this initiative, we are dedicated to extending apprenticeship prospects to non-urban youth of India. This MoU perfectly aligns with the vision of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who envisions empowering India’s youth on a grand scale. As he rightly stated, it is a techade of opportunities for our youth and apprenticeship will be a potent tool in paving path for future of work. This partnership between MSDE and CSC-SPVs signifies our resolute commitment to this empowering mission,” Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Electronics and, IT, said.
MSDE will play a pivotal role in establishing the comprehensive policy guidelines to adapt to changing industry needs, promote standardisation, and create employment opportunities that meet the demand for skilled talent across industries. To ensure the seamless and streamlined implementation of apprenticeship engagement through CSCs, the ministry will designate the CSC- Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) as a Joint Apprenticeship Adviser (JAA) will track real-time digital progress, identify improvement areas and provide handholding support to nurture the apprenticeship ecosystem in India.
Under the partnership, CSC e-Governance Services India Limited will be the implementation partner of the recent amendments, as well as spearhead the benefits of the Apprentices Act, 1961. It will enable village level entrepreneurs (VLEs) to engage apprentices in real time-work environment and empower them with job readiness, problem solving and practical skills. In alignment with the overarching goal of building awareness on apprenticeship, a simplified and user-friendly registration process for VLEs on apprenticeship portal will be facilitated to ensure their seamless engagement in the initiative. It will create pathways for fresh talent to build their capabilities, improve apprentices’ engagement within establishments and facilitate their smooth transition from education to workforce, thereby, making them job ready professionals.