Continuous skill development and lifelong learning are crucial for driving economic prosperity, empowering individuals to thrive through meaningful employment, and advancing equality and resilience within communities. With this objective in mind, the International Labour Organization (ILO) organized the Global Skills Forum, which brought together global leaders to discuss how to influence skill development in the modern world.
During the panel discussion on “Human-Centered Digital Transformation of Skills Development” organized by ILO, the Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH), an initiative by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), was presented as the tool that transformed India’s skill development ecosystem.
Addressing the panel, Shreshtha Gupta, Executive Vice President (IT & Digital) of National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) & Director & CTO of NSDC International, said:
Skill India Digital, a comprehensive digital platform is poised to revolutionize the education and skill development landscape. Conceptualized during the COVID-19 pandemic, the platform addresses the skilling needs of India’s diverse demography. She further said that the SIDH platform is built as a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) with open-source cloud-hosted architecture enabling quick configuration to meet the skilling needs of other countries. I am confident that ILO catalyzes improving user engagement, expanding reach and advancing collaboration with global countries.
She shared a compelling narrative of a young girl hailing from a remote area of Jammu & Kashmir, whose life was transformed by the Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH). Gupta said, “The girl, with a deep-seated aspiration to pursue a career in cybersecurity, initially needed more resources, quality education, and relevant skill-building opportunities. However, the SIDH emerged as a game-changer, empowering her with personalized learning experiences, streamlined verification processes, and improved career guidance. This enabled her to transcend her aspirations into tangible realities, a testament to the transformative power of skill development”.
She further underscored the SIDH’s inclusive nature, aligning with the National Skill Development Corporation’s (NSDC) vision of skills for all, anytime, anywhere. The innovative platform caters to both job seekers and employers, simplifying hiring and making apprenticeship and job opportunities discoverable. This inclusive approach not only fosters economic empowerment but also promotes social progress, ensuring that no one is left behind in the journey of skill development.
The Skill India Digital Hub stands as a testament to NSDC’s commitment to bringing scale and speed to India’s skilling ecosystem. To date, NSDC has trained over 36 million candidates, including more than 16.1 million women, 5.4 million candidates from socially disadvantaged communities, and close to 200,000 people with special abilities. The nodal agency has also successfully placed over 9 million youth, demonstrating the tangible impact of its initiatives and instilling confidence in the effectiveness of skill development efforts.
Since its inception in 2008, NSDC has been pivotal in empowering India’s youth by collaborating with various stakeholders, including government bodies, industry partners, and training providers. Through its extensive network of training centres and programmes, the organization is equipping youth with the necessary competencies to succeed in diverse sectors such as IT, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, and more. By offering industry-driven training courses, internships, and certification programmes, NSDC is enhancing the employability of India’s youth and addressing the skill gap prevalent in the job market.
Continuous skilling, reskilling, and upskilling of people of all ages has become a necessity in today’s world. Against this backdrop, the ILO believes building an agile workforce capable of navigating the fast-changing labour market is crucial.
