Govt Drafting Policy To Make India Skill Supply Hub For Global Value Chains

The Government of India is working on formulating a policy to make India the skill supply hub for global value chains, Union Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Tuesday. 

The mapping of global skill-set requirements will be carried out to identify the skilled manpower needs of various nations, the Minister said.  

Identifying skillset requirement will act as a key factor when the Department of Commerce negotiates trade deals with various nations on India's behalf, Pradhan added. 

The Minister was speaking at the first Virtual Global Skill Summit (VGSS) held in New Delhi on Tuesday. 

“We have to make India a skills supply hub for global value chains,” the Minister said, adding that “the government is framing a policy towards achieving the goal.”  

After the industrial revolution 4.0, there has been a tremendous rise in demand for skilled manpower from India, the Minister said. 

As and when the Commerce Department enters into trade agreement with other nations, identifying the skillset of our citizens with that particular nation and mapping of global skill-sets requirement will become a priority," Pradhan added. 

The minister said that this new initiative will go a long way in providing employment opportunities to Indian youth in the coming years. 

A virtual Global Skills Summit was jointly organised on Tuesday in association with four central government departments along with ambassadors to ten nations, including Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Singapore, Tanzania, UAE and UK in line with this proposed initiative.  

The summit was aimed at institutionalising a robust mechanism for exchange of information on skill requirements of countries and the skill availability in India, according to an official press statement. 

Aligning with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government will work towards positioning the country as a preferred global hub for a trusted skilled and certified workforce. “Our idea is to making India the skill capital of the world,” the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said in a statement. 

This will be achieved by creating world-class training infrastructure in the destination countries, propelling international mobility, and strengthening ties with foreign countries in specific areas to boost job opportunities for the youth, it added. 

Addressing at the Summit, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said it is remarkable to see the whole of the government approach today. “Ministries and India Missions have come together on a single platform bringing in convergence through skill development and drive partnerships fostering global skill mobility.” 

“Serious negotiations need to be undertaken for dual degree and joint degree programmes. This will facilitate the opening of new opportunities for Indian youth to work abroad,” Goyal added. 

 “India must create a stable model ensuring quality standards and work closely with the existing private players who already have knowledge about the global supply chain market,” Pradhan concluded.