OREANDA-NEWS. August 28, 2015. The workshop on Integrated Skill Development Scheme was held by the Ministry of Textiles at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, with the active collaboration of industry partners and other institutions implementing the scheme.

The Workshop was inaugurated by the Minister of State for Textiles (I/C), Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar. The highlight of the inaugural session was the experience sharing by ISDS beneficiaries, all from very humble backgrounds, which demonstrated the transformative potential of the programme. The Textiles Minister said in his keynote address that the example of these girls can be a powerful motivating force for many.

Thanking the industry partners, the Minister exhorted them to look upon skilling as a responsibility we all have to fulfill. 

Shri Sanjay Kumar Panda, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles opened the inaugural address by thanking ‘the young sisters’; “what they said is our certificate”, the Secretary said. He said that the self-confidence these ISDS beneficiaries have acquired is their biggest strength. He said that the scheme is powerful in connecting training agencies on the one hand with beneficiaries in villages on the other. The Secretary then outlined the approach the Government has been taking for skill development in both the organized and unorganized sectors. 

On the occasion, the Textiles Minister gave away awards to best-performing implementing agencies. He also released two booklets on ISDS. The facility of online certificate generation was also launched by Secretary, Textiles, Dr. Sanjay Kumar Panda. This innovative facility provides for easy, fast and seamless generation of certificates, promising to be a boon to both trainees as well as training agencies.

The inaugural session was followed by panel discussions on various themes. Some of the key points which came up during the deliberations are given below:
  • Convergence and evolution with the dynamic skilling ecosystem across sub sectors
  • Pre-counselling and post-counselling of trainees to be of utmost importance
  • Creation of multi-skill units / centres for production and training
  • Soft skills to be a major point of focus in the short run
  • Invitation to states to play a complementary role for successful implementation of the scheme, such as through facilitation of boarding and lodging
  • Standardization of courses, assessment and certification processes
  • Provision of infrastructure support  to training partners
  • Provision of additional funding to difficult areas and state government agencies
  • Tap the potential of self-employment in the sector
  • Aim to create a workforce of trained trainers for ensuring quality standards and effective provision of training to candidates
  • Greater participation from industry partners to be ensured
  • Skill gap studies to be considered while ascertaining state-specific requirements across each sub sector of textiles
This was the first National Workshop on the scheme. The Workshop was very well attended, by various state government representatives, industry partners and other implementing institutions.