Skill Development Project Introduced by HP Govt.

Skill Development Project worth Rs 640 crore was introduced by Himachal Pradesh government on 19th June 2016. Under this program the state government plans to develop multipurpose training and marketing centres in rural areas to cater to the needs of the local youth.

Government institutes and departments, private sector and industries/industrial associations will join hands to provide training under the skill development project. A spokesperson said that the project is launched with outside support from Asian Development Bank.

All the developed centres will be regulated by District Skill Development Centre. To smoothen the process students will be provided equivalency in terms of trade and apprenticeship certificates being awarded by National Council of Vocational Training that will help them in taking admission to various colleges.

The project will focus on the needs and requirements of manpower in agriculture, horticulture, construction, tourism and hospitality, IT enabled services, banking and financial services.

In order to preserve traditional arts, exceptional prominence will be given to local skills which that are present in the state and have been carried by generations of artisans, weavers and artists.

There will be groups that will assist in marketing, innovation and will provide finance for Himachali paintings, shawls, embroidery, metal crafts, carpets, wood craft carvings, leather crafts, foot wear, blankets and rugs, muffler, woolen caps and knitwear.

A structure will be created where the existing employment exchanges could be upgraded into model career centres for counseling, vocational guidance and mapping of existing facilities of government ITIs and polytechnics.

The government aims at starting demand driven and employment oriented trades in existing it is that are governed by the state. This will increase the intake of students by 2,500 per year.