OREANDA-NEWS. January 26, 2016. Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in line with Prime Minister’s vision to make India the skill capital of the world, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Department of Telecommunication (DoT) to develop and implement National Action Plan for Skill Development in Telecom Sector, utilizing PSUs under DOT with a common objective of fulfilling skilled manpower requirement of the telecom sector and at the same time providing quality opportunities for employment / entrepreneurship.

The MoU was signed by Secretaries of the two Ministries, in the august presence of Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Hon’ble Minister of Communications and Information and Technology and Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Hon’ble Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge) and Parliamentary Affairs.

MSDE and DoT together have agreed to make concerted joint efforts towards skill development by facilitating mobilization of financial support for various activities under the National Ecosystem for Development of Telecom Skills by suggesting PSUs under DOT to utilize at least 20 percent of their CSR funds for skilling purposes.

Under the partnership, the two ministries will also to make coordinated efforts to utilize old telephone exchanges which are no longer in use or exchanges which have ceased to occupy major space in telecom sector,   for skill development initiatives and upgrade the same on need basis.

Develop ‘National Institute for Policy Research Innovation and Training (NTIPRT)’ for training and skill up gradation in Telecom Sector by leveraging the infrastructure and facilities and upgrade the same on need basis.  This will primarily be used to train the trainers and assessors.

Commenting on the partnership, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “India is currently the second-largest telecommunication market and has the third highest number of internet users in the world. With the advent of newer technology in communications every day and our focus on Digital India and Make in India, there will be consistent requirement for skilled and up-skilled manpower. Skill India is must for the country and the youth should explore this opportunity to become job ready.”

Emphasising on the need of skill development in the sector, Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy said, “There is an imminent need for scaling up the skill development efforts for manufacturing, network operations and management, marketing and sales, IT etc. in Telecommunications Sector. This would require large scale capacity building by providing for infrastructure and facilities, improving training content, curriculum and methodology and use of latest technologies.”

“Synergistic participation of the private sector in the training, placement and New Entrepreneurship would also be necessary. There is need to leverage global partnerships with a view to benchmark skilling efforts to global standards. By doing so, India could potentially become the ‘Telecom Skill Capital’ of the World,” he further added.

The Ministers also launched the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PMKVY) Rupay ATM Cum Debit card from Bank of India which would be issued to the students with 1 Lac Rupee PA Insurance Cover.BOI also has its own “Online Portal” for opening the accounts of students in PMKVY Scheme. The Training partners are required to get themselves registered for this process with the bank.

The two Ministers also flagged of the Skill Vans. These vans would travel to different parts of the country and provide skill development trainings to the youth. These vans would be equipped with facilities to provide skill development on the spot.

As per the Skill Gap Study the Telecommunications Sector in India is expected to show a strong growth of around 15 % between2013-17.  The workforce of around 2.08 million in 2013 is expected to increase to 4.16 million by 2022. As per the report, Telecommunications Industry is expected to generate significant number of new Jobs primarily in supervisory and managerial profiles in following broad categories i.e. Retail and distribution, Service Operations and Network and IT roles (Managed Services). Manufacturing in the telecom sector will also create new job roles at all levels.

Indian Telecommunications Sector is a fast growing technological sector having manpower needs right from high school to graduates and post graduates and people with different areas of Telecommunications and Information Technology Skills. The Indian Telecommunications alone contributed 3% to national GDP in financial year 2013 as per a report.