12th Plan to focus on skill development: Montek

Only 6 per cent of labour force has undergone formal training

Skill development will be the priority during the 12th Five Year Plan to cater to the expanding workforce in the country, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said on Tuesday.

Participating in the foundation stone laying ceremony of a Multi Skill Development Centre in Bangalore, Ahluwalia said without a comprehensive skill development programme it would not be possible for the country to achieve the proposed nine per cent inclusive growth during the 12th plan.

“Unlike other industrial countries, India will have an expanding workforce for the next 20 to 25 years. It will be advantageous to replace the population, which is leaving the workforce bracket, with highly skilled talent,” Ahluwalia said, emphasing on the need for programmes that enhance skill development.

Pointing out that only six per cent of the labour force have undergone formal skill development programmes, Ahluwalia said an ambitious target of imparting specialised training to 500 million people by 2020 has been set by the Centre.

He suggested mapping of skill gaps and identifying training needs as an agenda to solve the problem of unemployment.

Skill modules

The Centre was in favour of state governments developing skill development modules through private-public partnership (PPP) model, he said.

Union Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge said the number of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in the country had increased two fold during the last five years with the addition of 4,000 more institutes.

ITIs have been told to work in three shifts thereby increasing the annual training capacity of these institutes from 7.5 lakh to 13.75 lakh persons.