DR SAMIT SHARMA
Commissioner, SEE & Labour cum MD, RSLDC

To close the yawning gap between skill sets requirements and the supply of trained youth, especially from rural areas, Rajasthan Skill and Livelihoods Development Corporation as part of its outreach programme is working tirelessly in the state to enhance employability through skill development training programmes and ensuring job opportunities, says Dr Samit Sharma, Commissioner, SEE & Labour cum MD, RSLDC, in an interaction with Shivani Babbar of Elets News Network (ENN).

What are the key focus areas of RSLDC?

The key focus areas of functioning of Rajasthan Skill and Livelihoods Development Corporation (RSLDC) include employability enhancement through skill development training programmes and ensuring job opportunities as per the scheme guidelines; meeting demand side requirements; focus on training and employability enhancement of women, SC/ST communities, minorities, jail inmates, and Nari Niketan inhabitants; and technologybased interventions for close monitoring.

How does RSLDC ensure uniformity in imparting skills to rural as well as urban students/youth?

Majority of the youth—as high as 78 percent—who are trained by RSLDC come from rural background. We provide residential facilities as part of our outreach programme for the youth. The Corporation identifies rural poor for skill training programmes by organising Special Gram Sabhas. The convergence departments mobilise the youth as per their requirements and hand them over to RSLDC for training. What measures do RSLDC take to ensure that the students are employable? Employability is linked to the quality of training. RSLDC has introduced various measures to ensure that training is provided appropriately. The District Skill Coordinators are required to visit Skill Development Centres regularly and observe the quality of trainings and provide their inputs for improvement; IP camera has been introduced in classes to monitor the ongoing training programmes. Photo attendance is monitored through district level WhatsApp groups. Moreover, placements are linked with payments. Therefore, training partners are mandated to provide placements as per the scheme guidelines. We conduct regular review meetings with training partners to ensure that they comply with the scheme guidelines.

Is there a gap between the demand and supply of skills? If yes, how are you catering towards fulfilling the demand?

Yes, there is definitely a gap between skill sets requirements and the supply of trained youth. Majority of the skill training programmes are supply based, however, we are trying to minimise the gap by forging partnerships with Industries and identifying their skill needs.

Also Read: RSLDC: Imparting Relevant Skills to Youth for Better Tomorrow

We are also planning a district-level skill gap analysis to ascertain the type of employment available at the local level and conduct such programmes which are locally suitable.

What are the innovations which have been taken up by Rajasthan in Skilling?

The Integrated Scheme Management System (ISMS) software of RSLDC is the platform which captures all activities related to skilling. Various reports are generated through this platform. The convergence model initiated by RSLDC to implement skill development mandate of various departments have been proved very useful and the same has been appreciated at central level as well as by many states.

What is the role of technologies like AI, ML, IoT, etc, in skill-building?

How is RSLDC deploying these technologies? The above new age courses have a significant role in the future development of the country. We would ensure that entry level skilling requirements in these technologies are taken up by RSLDC.

What is your message for the youth and our readers of the eGov magazine?

India is far behind in availability of skilled workforce as compared to USA and other developed nations, though India is having the right population mix. This demographic advantage is required to be converted in demographic dividend. It is all possible through wide range of skill development programmes. The skilled person is an asset for the country and has got a better chance to lead a fulfilling and sucessful life and contribute to nation building.

Also Read: Rajasthan: Well on its way to boost Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship

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