Summit cum Awards in Skilling India by ASSOCHAM

Higher Education in India has been suffering from various quality deficits. Despite some of the major skill development initiatives by the Government of India, situation has been more or less the same without significant improvement. Quality of teaching and learning in a majority of non-elite universities and colleges are lagging far behind. Besides, seamless mobility of vocational stream to Higher Education still remains a huge challenge.

India’s 13,000 Industrial Training Institutes (ITI), which could have been otherwise leveraged for the purpose, but with obsolete training and skilling processes, have witnessed a declining trend in enrollment over a decade and are running into huge losses. While attempts by the Government have been made to revamp these hubs, signs of up-gradation are yet to be seen.

With the objective of formulating an integrated approach to transform the skill development landscape, ASSOCHAM India organized the Summit cum Awards on Skilling India, Ranchi where for the first time ever, three ex-Chief Ministers of Jharkhand state – Mr. Babulal Marandi, Mr. Arjun Munda, Mr. Hemant Soren were seen sharing the dais along with the current Minister of HRD, Jharkhand, Ms. Neera Yadav.

The Summit highlighted India’s challenges for skilling its people and the fact that only a fraction of people possess any formal or vocational education and training (VET).Being the 2nd largest population in the world, India’s cultural diversity with vast demographic dividends has often come in its development initiatives. Jharkhand is one such state which is affected the most, as 70% of the population is schedule tribes, schedule castes and backward classes. The tribal habitat, their indigenous culture and traditional way of life makes it extremely difficult for them in adjusting to jobs or employment.

According to Ex Chief Minister, Mr. HemantSoren, many such tribal youth who were imparted skills and offered jobs were found to be irregular at work while some were asked to leave by the authorities due to high rate of absenteeism from work or for their routine consumption of alcohol during working hours. The training needs and analysis has to be properly identified to make Skilling India truly effective. Alternative occupations more suitable to their way of life also need to be identified and created.

Institute of Management Technology, Hyderabad was awarded ‘Best Upcoming B-School in South India’. The award was given to Prof. (Dr.) Satish Ailawadi, Director, IMT Hyderabad, by Hon’ble Minister and Chief Guest for the occasion, Ms. Neera Yadav. Mr. Siddarth Chaturvedi, Director, AISECT University and Prof. Dr. Urvashi Makkar, Director, G L Bajaj Institute of Management Research were also recipients of ASSOCHAM awards for implementation of skill development initiatives and innovation.

The summit had eminent panelists and jury from industry, academia and government - Mr. Ajay Kumar Singh, IAS, Secretary Dept. of Higher and Technical Education, Govt. of Jharkhand; N K Mahapatra, CEO Electronic sector Skill Council of India; Col Ashwani Kumar Joshi, CEO Construction Skill Development Council of India; Wg. CDR Satish Aparajit, CEO Sports, Physical Education, Fitness and Leisure Sector Skill Council; J V Rao CEO Textile Scetor Skill Council India; Rajeev Gupta, Chairman Jharkhand Startup Council and Bharat Jaiswal, Regional Director ASSOCHAM. Brainstorming sessions were held in topics viz. Skilling for placement; Forecast of skills linked to new business orders.