Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to make India “the human resource capital” of the world will first take off in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where the government is setting up 50 global skill banks this year to train potential immigrant workers in 110 job roles as per international standards.
These banks, or training centres, will impart skills across sectors such as medicine and healthcare, hospitality, IT, construction, automobile and retail trade — where job opportunities exist or are likely to arise across different countries. Before they emigrate, youth trained in these skill banks would also be made familiar with the respective local culture and language of the country they obtain a job in as well as its work ethic.
“We have matched our training standards for 82 job roles to the U.K. standards that are accepted by 80 countries, and matched another 28 skill sets to the Australian standards recognised in south-east Asia and the Asia-Pacific,” a senior government official involved with the programme said.
“Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were selected first due to their high population and for having the record for the maximum migration for overseas employment. If the same people are trained and certified, they would get a better salary and working conditions abroad,” he said.
The strategy for this initiative, including the skill sets to focus on, was devised on the basis of an international study, commissioned to map the skills in demand or likely to be required across countries in the coming years.
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is likely to sign a pact with the External Affairs Ministry to co-operate on the initiative to realise the Prime Minister’s vision. By the end of this month, about 20 global skill banks are expected to be up and running, with another 30 becoming operational by the end of the 2016-17 period.
New job destinationsImmigration to the Gulf region has traditionally been high and it will continue to be an important destination for job-seekers.
“There are also opportunities to be tapped in south-east Asia, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Canada. In the long run, ageing countries like Japan would need a lot of geriatric care-givers and Indian nurses are globally recognised for their skills,” the official said, adding that automobile drivers and mechanics are in demand abroad.
Reputed manpower placement agencies have also been roped in. “While people can sign up for training at these banks, it could also be demand-driven. So, for instance, if they want 100 masons in Qatar, we could train people accordingly and place them,” the official explained.
