Whenever we talk about skills development, I am reminded of the Chinese Proverb “You give a poor man a fish and you feed him for a day. You teach him to fish and you give him an occupation that will feed him for a lifetime.”
Recently the word Skill India has become a household name in India. It was not that the previous government(s) did not have schemes; the problem with them was failure to deliver it to the common man.
Let’s turn our attention from politics to the thought behind “Skill India”. Jim Collins said “Great Vision without Great People Is Irrelevant.” Human as a resource is the most precious resource and India has it in abundance. Right now India is marching ahead in terms of the economy. Once the nation is self sufficient, we too can be ahead in the league of Developed Nations.
With the FDI coming in, we have done really well from the past 30 years. However, we saw a brain–drain to the United States over the years. This powerful country knew how to appreciate, utilise and nurture the talent of India better than India did.
If a cricketer loses his form, his critics often say “Go back to the basics”. We must realise that in the same manner that no matter what we see as our future, we need to build a strong foundation and Training are the pillars. Learning and Development / Organisational Development/ Vocational Training have become of prime importance in any sector. A lot of importance is being given to Entrepreneurs and they require even more skills to face challenges.
There are various skills that need to be developed to perform as professionals which are readily available and we need to tap and utilise it. As we belong to the L&D fraternity, it will be our privilege to work for any part of the National Skills Development Wing. Many of us are already working with the cause and are contributing towards it.
WorldSkills India is an initiative of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. NSDC, through its WorldSkills India initiative, has been leading the country’s participation at WorldSkills International competitions since 2011.
The role of NSDC is
- Establish linkages and contacts with various stakeholders of the industry to promote the association.
- Provide support and synergy for efforts of WorldSkills India through its Skills Development initiatives.
- Provide administrative and technical support to the participants and experts for the WorldSkills Competitions.
The key objectives of WorldSkills India are to:
- Promulgate skills in the society and motivate the youth to pursue vocational education.
- Champion skills and learning for work through local, regional, national and international skills competition and contribute to the society.
- Invite sponsorships to organize the local, regional, national and international skill competitions and also host international competitions.
- Establish links and a long-term association with the WSI secretariat along with development of cooperation with the Government of India, state Governments, registered vocational skills training and awarding bodies.
Big opportunities have been found after the announcement of various schemes and the Innovation part. The government is looking for people who can come with Innovative products and produce it in India. Imagine the economical growth and employment opportunities for people!
We, as the fraternity, should find the opportunities either by involving directly with the schemes or through an initiative from your organisation. In the next 10 years India will see a phenomenal growth in terms of overall economy. There is a lot of FDI we can expect and with our Government planning to move on this growth path, it will become everyone’s moral responsibility and pride to be part of this journey.
Let us try and give ourselves this chance to prove ourselves and make our future brighter. To India Shining!
Article published in Ekaakshara: Vol 14, April 2017 – Link to Download
