Skill Mapping and Upgrading Traditional Vocational Skills in Rural Areas of Ferozpur, Punjab

Abstract

Today’s challenging economic situation means that it is no longer sufficient for a new graduate to have knowledge of an academic subject; increasingly it is necessary for students to gain those skills which will enhance their prospects of entrepreneur and employment. The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has been set up under Public- Private-Partnership (PPP) mode which is functioning under the Ministry of Finance to provide viability gap funding and coordinate private sector initiatives. The corporation has constituted Sector Skills Councils for identification of skill development needs and establishment of a well-structured sector-specific labour market information system.  The purpose of this paper is to critically examine national skills development initiatives in India as the country embarks on building skilled manpower to meet the demand of SME sectors in the coming decade. Ferozepur distt. of Punjab state is particularly selected as a target group for skill mapping and to upgrade the rural women for entrepreneurship. The main objective of this paper is to estimate the gap that exists in selected area, to study the existing traditional vocational skills and to conduct training programs to improve the entrepreneurship skills selected area. Primary data will be collected by conducting Field visits in various villages of ferozpur district to analyze the existing traditional crafts. Secondary data will be collected from different sources including MIS (management information system) reports generated by the implementing agencies and host ministries of the respective SD missions. Data collected will be analyzed, visualized and presented using appropriate statistical techniques. Thus ,this research paper analyses key national skills development initiatives and how the federal government is making efforts to build skills of marginalized communities   as well as training programmes to improve entrepreneurial skills and  in bridging projected skills gaps.