MSDE to organize 250 National Apprenticeship Awareness Workshops across 36 States/UTs
Hyderabad : Recognizing the need for simplifying and easing the process of apprenticeship and to make apprenticeship aspirational for India’s youth, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) will organize 250 workshops in 36 states/UTs to create awareness of apprenticeship reforms amongst the establishments, aspirants, and its stakeholders. The Regional Directorate, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship will be in charge of organizing the events at respective locations.
The inaugural workshop for the state of Telangana shall be organized in Hyderabad at National Skill Training Institute on January 24, 2023 and would be a daylong event. Smt. I. Rani Kumudini, IAS, Special Chief Secretary, Government of Telangana will inaugurate the workshop. Also, representatives from Regional Directorate of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (RDSEs), Board of Apprenticeship Training (BOAT), State Government, District Skill Committee (DSC), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), Educational Institutions, Industry Partners and Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) will attend the workshop.
More than 250 such workshops will be held across the country with a vision to accelerate the implementation of apprenticeship reforms and training. The planned workshops have a dual objective of improving the branding and communication for apprenticeship at both the demand and the supply side. Through the workshop, awareness will be built around key apprenticeship schemes such as National Apprenticeship and Promotion Scheme (NAPS), National Apprenticeship and Training Scheme (NATS) and National Employability Enhancement Scheme (NEEM).
The objective of these workshops is to assist and encourage the stakeholders to update apprenticeship reforms and motivate them systematically so as to increase the number of apprentices and establishments under the ambit of apprenticeship. These workshops will also help in improving the representation in the Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Mela (PMNAM). The planned workshops aim to conduct effective capacity building and communication activities to raise awareness and understanding about apprenticeship training among industry communities, youth and the training providers.
Lauding the initiative, Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) said, apprenticeship reforms cater to the needs of both, a burgeoning talent pool and the industry that seeks trained youth. Therefore, initiatives like these will build pathways for formalisation of apprenticeship training in the informal sector that is crucial for industrial development and India’s economic growth. The modifications in the Apprenticeship Act have given access to our youth to receive best hands-on training so that they have the right environment that will help them enter the workforce and introduction of stipend-based systems will boost recognition of skill sets and accelerate empowerment of our youth.
To close the gap in supply and demand for a skilled workforce, the ministry has undertaken several initiatives in consultation with various stakeholders, to simplify the portal and the processes, and to revise the NAPS guidelines to increase in the number of establishments and apprentices. The Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Mela (PMNAM) envisages to bring establishments/companies and candidates on the same platform on second Monday of each month and provide youth with various opportunities existing across the participating companies.
The workshop will be organized under the overall guidance of MSDE, NSDC, NIMI, MSMEs, Development Institutes (DI) and RDSDE would be responsible for the implementation of the workshops.