SANKALP Scheme

"Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion" (SANKALP) is a pivotal project aiming to implement the "National Skills Development Mission" (NSDM), launched by the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. This initiative is financially supported by the World Bank and aligns with the objectives of NSDM. SANKALP focuses on strengthening institutional mechanisms at national and state levels, increasing the pool of quality trainers and assessors, creating convergence among all skill training activities at the state level, and establishing robust monitoring and evaluation systems. Its purpose is to invigorate nationwide planning to stimulate and regulate skill-based training, complementing the industry's efforts in vocational training and ensuring effective governance. This scheme aims to provide the necessary momentum for the National Skill Development Mission.

Components of SANKALP

SANKALP is strategically designed to operationalize the sub-missions under the National Mission. It consists of three major components:

Institutional Development & Strengthening
Entrepreneurship Development
Capacity Creation

Let's explore these components in detail below:

Institutional Development & Strengthening

National Skill Certification & Accreditation

Developing a national architecture with robust support, regulatory, and monitoring mechanisms is vital. The skill ecosystem will benefit significantly from investments in such architecture. For implementing these structures, a national skill certification body is founded to set assessment and certification standards for all courses and manage a repository of skill certificates.

National Skill Research Division

Plans are in place to establish a unified national accreditation board that standardizes registrations and accreditations for training providers and centers. Further, a national skill research division is proposed to create an independent team for evaluating Labor market trends and the impact of skill development programs. The framework of national skills qualifications needs to be universalized, enabling the horizontal and vertical mobility of skilled laborers.

The Labour Market Information System

This system is envisaged as a comprehensive data repository for skill development programs. It serves as a single window for data repositories across 4 Central ministries. The skill development management system will be advanced for managing the skill ecosystem, facilitating various aspects of SANKALP.

Kaushal Mart

Kaushal Mart is a skilling resource platform where skills of various individuals are exchanged for mutual benefits. Known as a Skilled Laborer Marketplace, it allows employers to source or hire laborers efficiently.

Takshila - National Portal for Trainers

This platform aids trainers and assessors in managing their daily work activities. It serves as a database covering a trainer or assessor's lifecycle.

Entrepreneurship Development

This component serves as a catalyst for growth and employment, with numerous programs run by different ministries and departments to support entrepreneurship efforts, particularly in rural and urban territories, where access to modules remains limited. SANKALP’s objective is to map informal sectors and enterprises, boosting entrepreneurial growth across India. For example, initiatives like the Startup India campaign can be integral in supporting budding entrepreneurs by streamlining incorporation processes.

Capacity Creation

Targeted at aligning skill-training institutions with industry needs, this component aims to create job-oriented skill training institutions. It involves setting up a competitive challenge fund providing a reliable long-term grant that assists career aspirants focusing on vocational career spaces. The current demand for skills training and assessment outstrips the available trainers and assessors, needing intervention from sector skill councils. The implementation of comprehensive frameworks like the Public Limited Company Registration framework can aid in bridging these gaps.

India International Skill Centres (IISC)

With an aim to facilitate overseas placements, IISCs are progressively being established. Currently, 16 IISCs operate, with several successful candidate placements abroad. The scheme projects the establishment of at least 66 more IISCs in strategic geographies during phase 2. Additionally, an International Awarding Body (IAB) has been instituted to assess and certify candidates in alignment with international standards. This aligns with compliance frameworks like BIS Product Certification, ensuring adherence to global benchmarks.

States Component

The objective here is to encourage Indian states to:

Strengthen systems and enhance capacity for skill development.
Align state mechanisms with the national skill ecosystem developed under SANKALP.
Incentivize innovations for better access to socially excluded groups.
Design and implement tailored skill development programs addressing local needs.

Effective state collaboration is crucial for initiatives like SIDBI's SAFE Scheme for stimulating local economies and resource mobilization.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Sankalp Scheme.

The SANKALP Scheme, or "Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion," is a project launched by the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship to implement the National Skills Development Mission. It aims to strengthen institutional mechanisms, create a pool of trainers and assessors, establish a monitoring and evaluation system, and provide access to skill training opportunities across the country.

The three major components of SANKALP are Institutional Development & Strengthening, Entrepreneurship Development, and Capacity Creation. These components focus on developing robust regulatory mechanisms, supporting entrepreneurship, and establishing industry-led skill training institutions, respectively.

The National Skill Certification & Accreditation body is formulated to set standards for assessments and certifications for all courses and manage a repository of skill certificates. It aims to establish a national architecture with robust supporting, regulatory, and monitoring mechanisms for the skill ecosystem.

The Labour Market Information System is a repository of all data related to skill development programs. It serves as a single window displaying data repositories from four Central ministries, enabling effective management and analysis of the skill ecosystem.

Kaushal Mart is a skilling resource platform where skilled labor can be exchanged or hired by employers. It acts as a Skilled Labourer Marketplace, facilitating the sourcing and hiring of skilled workers.

The Entrepreneurship Development component aims to create a mapping of informal sectors and enterprises to support entrepreneurship, particularly in rural and urban areas where access to entrepreneurship modules is limited.

SANKALP aims to create academies operationalized by sector skill councils to train and develop a pool of quality trainers and assessors to meet the growing demand for skills training and assessment.

India International Skill Centres (IISCs) are being established under SANKALP for the purpose of overseas placements. At least 66 IISCs are projected to be established in identified geographies, and an International Awarding Body has been created for assessment and certification of candidates according to international standards.

The objective of the States Component is to encourage Indian states to strengthen their systems and capacity for skill development, align with the national skill ecosystem, incentivize innovations for socially excluded groups, and design and implement skill development programs according to local needs.

SANKALP aims to deliver the required momentum for the National Skill Development Mission by strengthening institutional mechanisms, creating a pool of trainers and assessors, establishing robust monitoring and evaluation systems, providing access to skill training opportunities, and supporting entrepreneurship development across the country.