skill certification: Plan in works to recognise skill certification of MNCs, top companies

While Microsoft, IBM, HCL Tech and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) have come on board, talks are on with Google, Meta, Cisco and various sector leaders, a senior government official told ET. “The plan is to have at least 10 international awarding bodies in the next two months and double this to 20 by July 2024,” the official said. The National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), under the government’s Skill India Mission driven by the Ministry of Skills Development and Entrepreneurship, would provide the recognition to these entities. Officials said government recognition would lend credibility to the certification given by private entities and enable greater mobility for employees.

Email sent to the companies did not elicit any response till the press time Friday.

Typically, large corporates undertake skilling, reskilling and upskilling for their new recruits and existing workforce while also providing internships and apprenticeships. However, these industry programmes are not mapped or consolidated anywhere except at the industry level, pointed out Sougato Roy Choudhury, executive director at CII. “CII being an awarding body will act as an aggregator and facilitator for industry-based programmes to be mapped under NCVET framework,” he said.

Once the courses are aligned under the National Credit Framework (NCrF), candidates will be eligible for a credit for each training within the company. These would be recognised by academic bodies for advanced education courses.The government had last month notified guidelines aimed to recognise, formalise and creditise skill training carried out by MNCs and leading Indian enterprises, including original equipment manufacturer (OEMs), original design manufacturer (ODM), and value-added reseller (VAR). The government is of the view that MNCs contribute significantly to the country’s economy by catering to both local and global requirements of skilled workforce.

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While Microsoft, IBM, HCL Tech and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) have come on board, talks are on with Google, Meta, Cisco and various sector leaders, a senior government official told ET. “The plan is to have at least 10 international awarding bodies in the next two months and double this to 20 by July 2024,” the official said. The National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), under the government’s Skill India Mission driven by the Ministry of Skills Development and Entrepreneurship, would provide the recognition to these entities. Officials said government recognition would lend credibility to the certification given by private entities and enable greater mobility for employees.

Email sent to the companies did not elicit any response till the press time Friday.

Typically, large corporates undertake skilling, reskilling and upskilling for their new recruits and existing workforce while also providing internships and apprenticeships. However, these industry programmes are not mapped or consolidated anywhere except at the industry level, pointed out Sougato Roy Choudhury, executive director at CII. “CII being an awarding body will act as an aggregator and facilitator for industry-based programmes to be mapped under NCVET framework,” he said.

ET Bureau

Once the courses are aligned under the National Credit Framework (NCrF), candidates will be eligible for a credit for each training within the company. These would be recognised by academic bodies for advanced education courses.The government had last month notified guidelines aimed to recognise, formalise and creditise skill training carried out by MNCs and leading Indian enterprises, including original equipment manufacturer (OEMs), original design manufacturer (ODM), and value-added reseller (VAR). The government is of the view that MNCs contribute significantly to the country’s economy by catering to both local and global requirements of skilled workforce.

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