Vocational education and training for vulnerable and
marginalised groups [India]
Project Date: January 2010 - Ongoing
This joint pilot project between CII
(Confederation of Indian Industry), the British Council and City
& Guilds and funded by the EC (European Commission), proposes
to contribute towards creation of a new national structure for
skills development to address India's skills needs in the 21st
Century. The programme has three key components:
1. Creation of a sector skills council (SSC),
2. Delivery of demand driven benchmarked skills training across the
manufacturing, agro-processing and tourism sectors
3. Development of a delivery mechanism for soft skills including
English for employability.
It is proposed that these three components
will deliver the following outputs respectively:
Initiating the SSC concept that has the
potential to make radical improvements in the way skill development
is viewed and practiced in the country. It is envisaged that this
will lay the foundation for development of an overall framework led
by industry but supported by government, NGOs, academia and other
public or private delivery agencies. Through the project 2 SSCs
will be developed, to pilot the approach.
- The project will train 11,000 people in two
marginalised districts of Sirsa and Sitapur, to enhance the
opportunities for trainees to gain a sustainable livelihood.
Importantly it aims to demonstrate that, when effectively
structured, linkages between various stakeholders bring success
even in the most marginalised areas in the country. It is expected
that following the success of this project, the National Skills
Development Corporation will support such projects.
The project also addresses the development of composite skills,
through soft skills training including English for the world of
work. These are requirements and enablers for employment and
progression. The project will deliver these skills through a
network of stakeholders such as schools, NGOs, training
institutions and the community.