DDU-GKY – Skill Development for Inclusive Growth

– L C Goyal IAS-

According to Census 2011, India has 55 million potential workers between the ages of 15 and 35 years in rural areas. At the same time, the world is expected to face a shortage of 57 million workers by 2020. This presents a historic opportunity for India to transform its demographic surplus into a demographic dividend. The Ministry of Rural Development implements DDU-GKY to drive this national agenda for inclusive growth, by developing skills and productive capacity of the rural youth from poor families.

There are several challenges preventing India’s rural poor from competing in the modern market, such as the lack of formal education and marketable skills. DDU-GKY bridges this gap by funding training projects benchmarked to global standards, with an emphasis on placement, retention, career progression and foreign placement.

Features of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana

·         Enable Poor and Marginalized to Access Benefits

Demand led skill training at no cost to the rural poor

·         Inclusive Program Design

Mandatory coverage of socially disadvantaged groups (SC/ST 50%; Minority 15%; Women 33%)

·         Shifting Emphasis from Training to Career Progression

Pioneers in providing incentives for job retention, career progression and foreign placements

·         Greater Support for Placed Candidates

Post-placement support, migration support and alumni network

·         Proactive Approach to Build Placement Partnerships

Guaranteed Placement for at least 75% trained candidates

·         Enhancing the Capacity of Implementation Partners

Nurturing new training service providers and developing their skills

·         Regional Focus

Greater emphasis on projects for poor rural youth in Jammu and Kashmir (HIMAYAT),

the North-East region and 27 Left-Wing Extremist (LWE) districts (ROSHINI)

·         Standards-led Delivery

All program activities are subject to Standard Operating Procedures that are not open to interpretation by local inspectors. All inspections are supported by geo-tagged, time stamped videos/photographs

Implementation Model

DDU-GKY follows a 3-tier implementation model.  The DDU-GKY National Unit at MoRD functions as the policy-making, technical support and facilitation agency.  The DDU-GKY State Missions provide implementation support; and the Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs) implement the programme through skilling and placement projects.

Project Funding Support

DDU-GKY provides funding support for placement linked skilling projects that address the market demand with funding support ranging from Rs. 25,696 to over Rs. 1 lakh per person, depending on the duration of the project and whether the project is residential or non-residential.  DDU-GKY funds projects with training duration from 576 hours (3 months) to 2304 hours (12 months).

Funding components include support for training costs, boarding and lodging (residential programmes), transportation costs, post-placement support costs, career progression and retention support costs.

In funding projects, priority is given to PIAs offering:

•     Foreign Placement

•  Captive Employment: Those PIAs or organizations that take up skill training to meet internal ongoing HR needs

• Industry Internships: Support for internships with co-funding from industry

•  Champion Employers:  PIAs who can assure skill training and placement for a minimum of 10,000 DDU-GKY trainees in a span of 2 years

•  Educational Institution of High Repute: Institutes with a minimum National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grading of 3.5 or Community Colleges with University Grants Commission (UGC)/ All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) funding   willing to take up DDU-GKY projects

Training Requirements

DDU-GKY funds a variety of skill training  programs  covering over 250 trades  across a range of sectors  such as Retail, Hospitality , Health, Construction, Automotive, Leather, Electrical, Plumbing, Gems and Jewelry, to name a few.  The only mandate is that skill training should be demand based and lead to placement of at least 75% of the trainees.

The trade specific skills are required to follow the curriculum and norms prescribed by specified national agencies: the National Council for Vocational Training and Sector Skills Councils.

In addition to the trade specific skills, training must be provided in employability and soft skills, functional English and functional Informational technology literacy so that the training can build cross cutting essential skills.

Training Quality Assurance

Through the National Policy on Skill Development, 2009, India recognized the need for the development of a national qualification framework that would transcend both general education and vocational education and training.  Accordingly, GOI has notified the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) in order to develop nationally standardized, and internationally comparable qualification mechanism for skill training programs which can also provide for interoperability with the mainstream education system.

In line with NSQF, DDU-GKY mandates independent third party assessment and certification by assessment bodies empanelled by the NCVT or SSCs.

Scale and Impact

DDU-GKY is applicable to the entire country.  The scheme is being implemented currently in 33 States/UTs across 610 districts partnering currently with over202 PIAs covering more than 250 trades across 50+ sectors.  So far, from the year 2004-05 till 30th November 2014, a total of 10.94 lakh candidates have been trained and a total of 8.51 lakh candidates have been given placement.

“Even though I couldn’t complete my education, I have been able to create my own identity because of DDU-GKY.

Now everyone knows me by my name.”

Seema Bharti

Textile Expert,

Orient Craft Limited, Faridabad

Seema’s commitment has made her a textile expert today and is known by one and all in her company. She is looked at with respect despite not having been able to complete her education.

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L C Goyal IAS
Union Home Secretary

LC Goyal, 1979-batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre and Senior Bureaucracy in Government of india

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