ADB pledges support for skill development in Odisha 

The Asian Development Bank has pledged Rs 660 crore support to the Odisha for implementing an ambitious Odisha Skill Development Project (OSDP) which envisages to address issues of employability and ensure achievement of time-bound targets.

The project will be undertaken by Odisha State Employment Mission (OSEM) over six years with an estimated cost of Rs 1,050 crore, of which the State Government will contribute Rs 390 crore.

It has already received the Central nod and is set to be taken up by the State Cabinet soon. The project would be rolled out by the beginning of 2015-16 fiscal and will continue till 2021-22.

The demand for skilled workforce in the State is estimated to grow from 7.6 million in 2011 to 13.6 million by 2026.

The major areas are construction, textile and apparel, driving and manufacturing, healthcare assistants, hospitality, IT&ITES, retail, telecom, banking and security.

- See more at: http://digitallearning.eletsonline.com/2014/10/adb-pledges-support-for-skill-development-in-odisha/#sthash.Xgqpfyz1.dpuf

Breaking the ice

IIT-Madras’ life skills programme aims at making learning fun, allowing first-year undergraduate students to feel at home.

Three students are huddled together, deep in conversation. Next to them, a chart paper, some sketch pens, old newspapers and a bottle of glue are spread out on the floor. Another group of three has already started work on a project. A professor is walking around, holding a bunch of finished chart papers, with pictures ranging from Iron man to sea mammals drawn on them.

This is not a scene from an art class, but from the life skills programme being conducted at IIT-Madras.

Launched for the benefit of first-year undergraduates, the programme intends to break the ice and make the students feel at home in the campus. It is also designed to help them cope with pressure and guide them towards making the right decisions. “My experience has shown me that when students join the course, they have some communication issues. Therefore, we designed this programme to help them bond and, at the same time, teach them some important lessons that will help them throughout their course,” says Prof. MS Srinivasan, dean of students.

He has been spearheading the programme along with Shiva Subramaniam, a guest faculty and Arul Jayachandran, Associate Professor, Department of Cicil Engineering.

Interactive learning

The programme was started as an experiment last year, has gone through some fine-tuning after feedback from the first batch and has emerged as a cross-cultural learning experience. New, interactive methods have been integrated along with greater student engagement. “Is teaching the only way to learn? We found that it was really difficult to engage with students if as many as 50 are present in class. Also, they tend to learn more outside the class, where they can interact freely and be more at ease. So, we came up with a way to make learning fun,” says Shiva Subramaniam. Students are divided into groups of five to facilitate interaction and learning takes place through fun exercises such as making posters, listening to speakers, and specially-designed workbooks. The focus is on three areas: communication, planning and systems thinking.

“The sessions are interesting. They’re different from the usual classroom lectures, which is refreshing. We also get to interact with other batch-mates and make new friends,” says Sharath, a first-year B.Tech chemical engineering student.

Based on self-learning, sharing and peer-to-peer learning, the model is dependent on 60 volunteers who have been drawn from the senior batches to act as facilitators. So far, almost 950 freshers have been trained without the help of teachers.

Keywords: life skills programme, IIT-Madras, undergraduates

NSDC push to innovative solutions for skill challenge 

National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has announced the launch of the NSDC Innovations for Skills Challenge 2014 (NISC).  Organised at the national level, it is a competition that is aimed at providing innovative skilling enterprises across the country an opportunity to receive funding to the tune of Rs 3 crore.

NISC 2014 will identify and invest in 10 to 15 robust enterprises, which will positively impact and create a multiplier effect in the space of skill development in India.

In addition to the funding, NISC 2014 also provides finalists various non-monetary rewards such as connect to industry experts and business leaders, access to discounted working spaces, a six-month mentorship and national visibility.

Recognising the importance of skill development, NSDC has developed this challenge to encourage organisations with innovative solutions that can provide scale, reduce cost and train & equip the workforce of India at par with industry standards. The first level applications are open till September 24, 2014, after which a list of selected proposals will be released.

- See more at: http://digitallearning.eletsonline.com/2014/09/nsdc-push-to-innovative-solutions-for-skill-challenge/#sthash.lEk5Kf77.dpuf

NIOS to Partner With NSDC for Vocational Training

The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) have joined hands to provide vocational training to students of class 10 and class 12. The courses will be based on National Occupational Standards (NOS) set up by the industry through the respective Sector Skill Councils (SSCs).

NIOS students will have the option to select one vocational course as part of their five subjects in class 10 and 12. The marks of this subject will be clubbed with the four other academic subjects to get NIOS certification for class 10 and 12. At present, the programme has been launched as a pilot in few sectors of Delhi an NCR covering 1,00,000 students. The pre-pilot phase was launched today in four sectors – security, retail, telecom and gems and jewellery.

“We are honoured to partner with NSDC for introducing these vocational courses as part of our curriculum. This will enhance the employability of our students and make them job ready,” said Dr Sitanshu S Jena, Chairman of NIOS. Appreciating the partnership, Atul Bhatnagar, Chief Operating Officer, NSDC said, “We are honoured to partner with NIOS in this unprecedented initiative. I encourage students to make the best of this opportunity. The skill certificate will be their partner for life and will give their career a great boost. We are confident of the success of this pre-pilot programme. We will soon look at extending this to other states as well.”

After completion of the course, students will be certified with a degree which will enable them to get employed.

- See more at: http://digitallearning.eletsonline.com/2014/09/nios-to-partner-with-nsdc-for-vocational-training/#sthash.vyXL4biS.dpuf

Rajasthan Sets Up First Skill Development Centre

In a move to help the state’s unemployed youth with good job-oriented training programmes, the Rajasthan government has set up India’s first dedicated skill development centre in Udaipur. Set up under the ‘Livelihood Skill Project’, the one-of-its-kind centre is aimed at getting the state’s young poulation job ready and aid the development of the state. The Udaipur centre was recently inaugurated by Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje and the state government is in plans to open 200 such centres in the 33 districts of Rajasthan. MoUs have also been inked with 40 agencies which will provide skilled training to the youth, Raje informed. - See more at: http://digitallearning.eletsonline.com/2014/08/rajasthan-sets-up-first-skill-development-centre-2/#sthash.TwYvzg03.dpuf

May 19 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)

SUBJECT WISE Q & A CHANGE IN SKILL GAP





REKHA SETHI, DG, All India Management Association (AIMA), talks to Rahat Bano on skill shortages, emerging specialisations, and a new course with the World Bank

Why does AIMA continue to have a management admission test when other national options such as the IIM CAT exist?
AIMA's MAT has been a preferred na tional management admission test since 1988. While there are admission tests developed by elite institutes, which are used by others as well, MAT remains an extensively-used admission resource. It is the most used management admission test among the regional and the emerging B-schools. It also serves various universities with different academic calendars and allows admission seekers to take the test at their convenience, as it is held four times a year, unlike the once-a-year alternatives. Moreover, MAT takes care of the digital divide in the country by offering both the digital and the paper format. Typically, what is the response to AIMA's online programmes?
AIMA's online management education programmes are specifically designed for working people. Though the concept is still nascent in India, the response to its online programmes is encouraging. There is 70-75% progres sion in these programmes, which is reasonable considering that all candi dates work. However, it re mains a challenge to ensure student engagement in the classes and assignments delivered through the e-learning mode.
Industry has highlighted skill shortages for several years now.
What is the scenario? What will be the focus of the management skills council you are setting up?
There are several schemes launched by the government of India with the support of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), All India Council for Tech nical Education and the ministry of labour. AIMA is setting up a management skills development council in association with NSDC. These schemes will take time to make a big difference to employability in general. Many universities and colleges are offering vocational courses to students focused on employability. Many corporate universities are tailoring their curriculum for employability, particularly in the business areas of the promoters, such as real estate, retail, IT, healthcare and hotel management.The skill areas which India continues to be short of include every growing sector -IT, telecom, infrastructure, education, retail, urban design and development, corporate social responsibility (CSR), etc. However, the nature of skill gap is changing. The real skill deficit is in the quality and innovation aspects and not so much in doing rudimentary jobs.
Indian businesses are finding it harder to compete merely on labour cost arbitrage. They need people who can help them move up the value chain.
Which specialisations are gaining currency in the domestic economy and why?
A new set of specialisations is emerging as business requirements expand due to changes in legislations, regulations, technologies and market trends. For example, in the management domain, there is increasing demand for high-end skills in the areas of international business, e-commerce, data analytics, sustainability, CSR, urban planning and development, public procurement, etc.
Tell us about the online certificate and diploma programmes in public procurement.
Last month, AIMA signed an MoU with the World Bank to launch a six-month professional diploma programme in public procurement.
If students complete three months, they may take a certificate from the World Bank or continue for another three months to receive a joint diploma from AIMA and the World Bank.