Role of Trainers are Essential & Crucial in Skilling, Reskilling and Upskilling: Narendra Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modishares his written address to the nation’s trainers for their remarkable efforts in building the skilling ecosystem during the second edition of KaushalacharyaSamadar 2020 (Kaushalacharya Awards)

92 skill trainers awarded under the five categories- Long term training, short term training, Jan ShikshaSansthan, apprenticeship and entrepreneurship training

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) today organized a digital conclave for the second edition of KaushalacharyaSamadar 2020 (Awards). The trainers across different sectors were felicitated for their exceptional contribution in building country’s skilling ecosystem and preparing a future-ready workforce. The occasion had a written address shared by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s message for the country’s trainers, appreciating their persistent hard work and the tenacity in ensuring that the aspirations of today’s youth are kept alive, with apt skill training for their bright tomorrow.

In his written address, Honorable Prime Minister congratulated all the awardees. He stated that it is the government’s skill agenda to create a workforce that matches the global demands and with this vision, several efforts have been undertaken to enable a strong skill development ecosystem. The whole nation has come together under the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ mission and it is also the need of the hour to be self- reliant for every Indian, as we live in the changing times. There are many sectors witnessing the growing demand for skilled youth. This is an opportunity for our young workforce to convert the present challenges into opportunities and become the strong pillars of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. It is integral that we lay enough emphasis on skilling, reskillingand upskilling. In this endeavor, the role of trainers and experts is most essential and crucial. Hon’ble Prime Minister said that it is my belief that the trainers who are awarded today will inspire many others and will continue to contribute immensely in the lives of our youth and the country’s development.

A total of 92 trainers from diverse backgrounds across geographies from different categories such as Entrepreneurship training, National Apprenticeship Promotional Scheme (NAPS), Jan ShikshanSansthan (JSS), Short Term Training under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Long Term Training under Directorate General of Training (DGT) and Industrial Training Centres (ITI) were felicitated at the digital conclave held today.

Under Entrepreneurship Training Category, 3 trainers were awarded, 15 trainers under Jan SikshanSansthan. Further, 14 trainers were awarded under the Short Term Training and 44 were awarded under Long Term Training along with 15 corporates who were recognized and awarded for their contribution towards National Apprenticeship Promotional Scheme (NAPS).

Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, said “We thank our honorable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi for sharing a note of appreciation for our excellent trainers and building their morale. The importance given to a ‘guru’ or a teacher in our culture showcases the integral role they play in shaping the lives of the students. Similarly, the skill trainers are playing an important part in accelerating the skilling ecosystem and in molding the future of our youth in the right direction. As the times are transforming, the role of trainers and assessors is becoming more crucial as they pave the roadmap for our young generating in meeting the industry demands of near future. I would like to congratulate all the awardees and we are extremely proud of our trainers for their devotion towards creating a globally competitive skilled workforce, helped us accomplish several milestones in the last five years. I am confident that we will continue our pursuit of excellence and with skilling, upskilling, and reskilling get closer to fulling the vision of Aatmnirbhar Bharat.”

The Skill Ministry’s ‘KaushalacharyaSamadar’ (Awards), an annual event, embraces and recognizes the contribution made by skill trainers in the vocational training ecosystem. By 2022 it is estimated India will need about 2.5 lakh trainers across the skilling ecosystem. Under its flagship program Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), MSDE has been working relentlessly to ensure high standards of skilling for trainers and on their capacity building, so they are able to meet the demands of near future.

Emphasizing on the relevance of skill trainers, Shri Raj Kumar Singh, Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, said, “Today’s event marks a special day where we celebrate all those who have been the guiding light for our youth. In my opinion, today’s event is an inspiration for many technically equipped and experienced people to become a part of the Skill India Mission. I would like to applaud the efforts of all the trainers for their perseverance and consistent efforts in harnessing the innate capabilities of Indian youth. My heartiest congratulations to all of you for your incredible commitment towards building a skilled nation and ensuring that we successfully sail through these testing times. The role of trainers is fundamental in nation-building and we will ensure that our trainers continue to receive adequate support and quality training for creating best-in-class talent to make India the Skill Capital of the world.”

During the current pandemic, it is with the help of these trainers that ITIs and JSS institutions played a vital role in our fight against COVID-19 through their research and innovation. ITI, Berhampur developed UVC Sanitizer and ITI Cuttack an Automatic Sanitizer Dispensing Machine. Also, JSS and other institutions have developed a special type of robot, automatic sanitizer machine PPE kits, etc, to make significant contribution towards the society.

Besides Training of Craft Instructors, DGT has collaborated with various industry partnerslike IBM, SAP, Cisco, Accenture and Quest Alliance to further empowering the trainers across ITIs and NSTIs. With support from NASSCOM, Capacity Building through Instructor Training (ToT) is also being driven at the ITIs while close to 7000 instructors have been trained under Adobe spark.

Under the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) -13462 ITI Instructors were trained across the country in Short Term Training on NSQF Compliance in Level I, II and III. The National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) is actively engaged in providing Entrepreneurship Skills for the Trainers.

Corporates and universities along with international organizations like Temasek Foundation and Singapore Polytechnic have helped in bolstering capacity-building programs for trainers and assessors. Under the new framework of National Education Policy 2020 also, the teacher is at the center of the fundamental reforms in the education system. In order to successfully engage training providers in the skilling agenda, Skill India has further collaborated with various corporates to strengthen the trainers and assessors in skill development to continue the momentum.