Mere degrees are not making graduates employable. While this is an oft-repeated grumble, the condition of early school leavers can be imagined.
Recognising the need for developing a pool of skilled labour force in the country from among early school-leavers and unskilled workers, the Modular Employable Skills (MES) under the Skill Development Initiative Scheme (SDIS) was launched in 2007-08.
Today, the free scheme of the Director General of Employment and Training under the Ministry of Labour and Employment has 1,430 training modules to make early school leavers and unskilled workers skilled in their area of expertise.
The Directorate of Employment and Training is implementing the scheme in each State. According to G. Prakash, Director, Tamil Nadu has so far trained 58,935 candidates exceeding the State target of 53,877.
Now that it has become a success, the Directorate is keen on taking it to candidates in the formal education sector, viz., colleges and universities.
Visit
In order to explain the scheme to representatives from various Government universities and college representatives, Mr. Prakash was on a visit to Bharathiar University on Friday. He impressed upon them the benefits the scheme can bring to undergraduates in arts and science, engineering, agriculture and other domains.
“We are in a period of transition. Finding work commensurate to the degree of graduates is a thing of the past. A graduate can earn more by making use of a skill that he has learnt rather than merely using his degree. Academics should handhold and enable them use this scheme practically to transform lives of the youth,” he said.
Colleges or universities can become the Vocational Training Provider (VTP) to offer modules to students after working hours. Each module has a fixed number of hours that can be delivered depending upon the convenience of the institution. The VTP can tie up with local industries for implementation of any module.
Also, the scheme ensures that the laboratories and other facilities of colleges that remain unused after working hours are put to optimum use.
Completion of the training will enable the trained get a certificate from the National Council for Vocational Training.
“A candidate can do any number of modules. Additional skills enhance employability aiming at jobs in the private sector,” Mr. Prakash said.
The scheme already had 728 VTPs in the State. With universities and colleges becoming part of the scheme, the number is expected to increase manifold.
