Skilling Awards at ASSOCHAM Skills Summit

Rajasthan Skill and Livelihoods Development Corporation (RSLDC) has yet again for the 4^th consecutive year taken the top prizes at the ‘Summit-cum-Awards on Skilling India: from Skills to Employability’ organised by the Associated Chambers of Commerce (ASSOCHAM) in November in New Delhi. RSLDC won in the category

of the ‘Best State in Skill Development’, a gold award for ‘Best Women ITI’ and a silver award in the category of ‘Best ITI Skill Development under a PPP Model.

Another winner was Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training which won gold for ‘Best Higher Vocational Institute for Skill Development – 2018’. The award recognises institutions making a significant contribution to skills training for youth. Frankfinn in partnership with Air India conducts cabin service familiarisation programmes for its students.

Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) are an integral part of the skill building landscape. Their primary purpose is to ensure that training imparted is relevant to industry needs and in line with the government’s national skill development policy. SSCs are autonomous bodies that undertake various front-end activities such as creation of Qualification Packs and National Occupational Standards within the National Skills Qualification Framework across jobs roles and sectors. SSCs also conduct train the trainers programmes to enable training institutes to provide quality skills training.

Among thirty-seven operational SSCs, the Agriculture Skill Council of India (ASCI) won the Best Sector Skill Council Award at the ASSOCHAM Skills Summit. Agriculture employs over half of the country’s workforce.  The top award to ASCI recognises the vital contribution to skill building in this sector through development of standards, execution of government skilling programmes and roping in institutes in both urban and rural areas to run vocational courses. The ASCI has played an active role in developing courses in emerging areas such as farm mechanisation, dairy farm management, poultry farm management, precision farming, agri-information management, agro forestry, supply chain management etc.