New Delhi, 18 April 2022.

Underscoring Prime Minister’s vision of making India the Skill Capital of the World, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of Education,today announced that India’s first Skill India International Centre will be set up at SDI Bhubaneshwar, in collaboration between Skill Development Institute (SDI), Bhubaneswar and NSDC international (NSDCI).  The centre will be establishedfor training of Indian youth per international standards ,with an aim to enhance overseas opportunities for the skilled workforce. 

Shri Pradhan also launchedaNational Academy for Skill Teachers that will be set up at SDI campus for skill training of teachers and assessors.

An MoU was exchanged between Mr. Ved Mani Tiwari, COO & Officiating CEO, NSDC and Mr. Sanjay Srivastava, CEO,SDI Bhubaneswar,in presence of Hon’ble Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Shri Subroto Bagchi, Chairman, OSDA and Shri Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra, Chairman, SDI, Bhubaneswar, and Director (HR), IOCL. Under this collaboration, Skill India International Centre will be setup for high-quality training of Indian youth, especially the aspirants from Odisha aiming to work overseas.  The centre will host training facilities to provide skills as per the demand of international employers in countries like UAE, Canada, Australia and other GCC regions.  The Skill India International Centre will also have a wide network of partnering organisations and overseas recruiters to facilitate supply of skilled and certified workforce in other countries.  These partnering organisations will work with NSDC and SDI for aggregating demand from overseas markets.  The centre will have services such as mobilisation, counselling, skill training, pre-departure orientation, foreign language training, placement and immigration and post-placement support.

Further, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between NSDCI and Odisha Skill Development Authority (OSDA) to promote international workforce mobility for skilled and certified workers from Odisha to other countries.   NSDCI will help in aggregating demand from different countries and will help in capacity building of the state; and OSDA will support in awareness, training and funding of the candidates who aspire to work overseas. 

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister for Education & Minister for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship said, “Bridging the gap between overseas employers and skilled Indian youth, Skill India International Centre is a pivotal step towards accelerating international workforce mobility from Odisha.  An international training centre and two world-class national academies at SDI will augment India’s ambition of developing a workforce that not only meets the demand of the country, but also positions India to be a leading provider of workforce to the world”

Shri Pradhan further added, “Global labour mobility and digital transformations would be the engines of twenty-first-century growth.  As work strategies go through a global shift, a world of opportunities awaits India’s youth. Skilling in India is witnessing some great reforms and policy interventions, which are playing a vital role in reinvigorating and re-energising the country’s workforce. We are determined to keep up the momentum and are focusing on building a quality-enhancing and demand-driven learner-centric skill ecosystem. I believe that with such strong partnerships and skill development initiatives concentrating on international mobility, India’s youth will be prepared for future of work, revitalising the world economy.”

Besides the Skill India International Centre, one more academy will be set up at SDI, Bhubaneswar.  The National Academy for Skill Teacherswill be established that will be delivering skilling of teachers and assessors in alignment with emerging needs of the industry. This academy would be equipped with best facilities, infrastructure, equipment for delivering quality training programs.  The academy would identify and evaluate impact of emerging trends in teaching and skill delivery and would prepare skill training staff for the emerging job roles.

On this occasion, an MoU was exchanged between Mr. Ved Mani Tiwari, Director, NSDCI and Mr. Tariq Chauhan, Chairman, EFS Facilities Group to explore collaboratively, possibilities of establishing skilling and training hubs across India and globally for promoting mobility of trained, skilled and certified Indian workforce overseas.  EFS Facilities Group is an integrated facilities management service, operation and maintenance solution provider across the MENASA (Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia) region. EFS has a decade of Middle East facilities management experience with the operational capability to deliver bespoke solutions throughout the region and in local markets.

The representatives of various UAE companies were present at the event.  MoUs were also signed with EASA Saleh Al Gurg, a multidivisional business conglomerate in UAE; Khansaheb – one of the leading construction companies in UAE; Reliant HR Consultancy– a well-established manpower sourcing company; and ESPA – a service provider in plumbing in UAE.