The government on Tuesday unveiled a set of guidelines for recognising and regulating awarding bodies and assessment agencies, to improve the outcomes and standardise the processes under the Skill India Mission.
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), in collaboration with its unified regulator National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), unveiled the guidelines and operation manuals. The norms have been developed for the recognition and regulation of awarding bodies and assessment agencies, as these two entities are key elements in the skilling ecosystem.
The guidelines, aimed at boosting the skilling ecosystem in the country, will strengthen the regulation of bodies that certify skilled candidates across sectors.
“The measures announced today (on Tuesday) to improve skilling outcomes through NCVET will impart a lot of effectiveness to the process of assessment and certification,” Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey said at a virtual conference to launch the guidelines.
He said that with the government focusing on building skilled manpower, nearly 5 crore youth have been trained during the past five years and the number of industrial training institutes (ITIs) in the country has gone up to around 15,000 with 24 lakh seats.
“Our country caters to a diverse skilling ecosystem which is supported by key stakeholders, and organisations. Therefore, it is imperative to have a vibrant policy framework that encourages improvements and key transformations in the skilling network,” said the minister.
He added that the innovative methods and constructive tools underlined under the guidelines in the management of skilling institutions will create a regulated regime.
The NCVET was notified by the skill development and entrepreneurship ministry in December 2018. It acts as an overarching skills regulator that regulates the functioning of entities engaged in vocational education and training, and establishes standards for the functioning of such entities.
“With NCVET’s sincere efforts in framing the guidelines and the operational manuals, the country’s skilling ecosystem will witness robust regulations addressing the needs of multitude of stakeholders,” according to an official statement.
It added that the uniform certificate formats developed by NCVET is also a step in the right direction and a much-needed reform. “It will bring about uniformity and and enhance the authenticity of the certification.”
