The union cabinet has approved India's first integrated National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2015, it was announced on Thursday.The National Skill Development Mission, which is aimed at providing a strong institutional framework for implementation of skilling activities in the country, has also got cabinet's approval.The policy acknowledges the need for an effective roadmap for promotion of entrepreneurship as a key to a successful skills strategy."The vision of the policy is to create an ecosystem of empowerment by skilling on a large scale at speed with high standards and to promote a culture of innovation based entrepreneurship which can generate wealth and employment so as to ensure sustainable livelihoods for all citizens in the country," an official statement issued here said.
Skill development and entrepreneurship programmes for women are a specific focus of the policy, it said.To achieve this vision, the policy addresses key obstacles to skilling, including low aspirational value, lack of integration with formal education, lack of focus on outcomes, as well as low quality of training infrastructure and trainers.It also seeks to align supply and demand for skills by bridging existing skill gaps, promoting industry engagement, operationalising a quality assurance framework, leveraging technology and promoting greater opportunities for apprenticeship training.Equity is also a focus of the policy, which targets skilling opportunities for socially/geographically marginalised and disadvantaged groups.
The National Skill Development Mission will have a three-tiered, high powered decision making structure.At its apex, the mission's governing council, chaired by the prime minister, will provide overall guidance and policy direction. The steering committee, chaired by minister in charge of skill development, will review the mission's activities in line with the direction set by the governing council.The previous national policy on skill development was formulated by the Ministry of Labour and Employment in 2009 and provided for a review after five years to align the policy framework with emerging national and international trends.The cabinet's meeting, held on Wednesday here, was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.