|
Central govt’s skilling programs to bolster access to high quality industry ready workforce
|
|
Nandita Vijay, Bengaluru
February 03 , 2022
|
|
|
The Central government’s skilling programmes and its partnerships with the pharma industry will bolster access to high quality industry ready workforce. It will accelerate implementation of a digital workplace strategy capable of driving the new dimensions in employment opportunities.
The skilling programmes will be reoriented to promote sustainability and employability. The National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) will be aligned with the industry needs where 750-virtual skilling labs will be set up.
Further, the government also would launch the digital ecosystem for skilling and livelihood through the DESH-Stack e-portal which aims to empower citizens to skill, reskill or upskill through on-line training. It will also provide API-based trusted skill credentials, payment and discovery layers to find relevant jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities.
Umanandan Misra, dean, Pharmacy Training Institute, Bengaluru observed that in view of the continuous changes worldwide in areas like newer infections, virus mutations and other diseases, it is absolutely necessary that continuous skilling of people is needed to sustain newer needs and remain employable. This becomes very essential in the pharma sector because India is steadily becoming global pharmacy for all essential medications.
Sunil Attavar, former president, Karnataka Drugs and Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, noted that it is good to see an additional thrust on skilling. The plan to align NSQF with industry needs and launch the Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood: DESH-Stack are good initiatives. It would be great if these initiatives are integrated with the work being done by the Life Sciences Sector Skills Development Council (LSSSDC), which are already doing well on the skilling and training for the lifesciences sector and help them expand their reach and impact.
Sumit Kumar, vice president and business head, NETAP, TeamLease Services, said that the increase in capital expenditure for infrastructure development will increase the employment opportunities as it calls for large pool of skilled workforce. The proposed reorientation of skilling programmes will complement the growth and cater to the expected demand of future skills arising out of these initiatives.
The digitalization of education and skilling will overcome the concern of massive learning loss due to discontinuity which Covid posed. Launch of Digital University, DESH e-portal, TV channels for each class and the Gift City concept of allowing foreign universities to offer high end programmes will not only make quality education accessible and but also prepare the workforce for future jobs. This road map coupled with initiatives like the NEP(new education policy ) implementation, introduction of work integrated learning programmrs and apprenticeship can definitely make the vision of Amrit Kal a reality.
According to Vijay Kumar Ranka, managing director, Focelite which is a lifesciences startup housed within the Bangalore Bio Innovation Centre, the government’s consideration to skilling programmes is laudable. The first level of barrier is opened out and now the only thing is to get a conversion. For this there are already several lifescience incubation centres and the government is giving an opportunity for new-age entrepreneurs to focus on commercializing of innovation. The maturity of the existing pharmacy and related colleges needs to be built up. India has a diversified lifesciences landscape with Ayurveda and allopathy and we are seeing development in drugs and delivery devices gain momentum to deliver novel therapies. Now, we need to maximize the best of talent from traditional and modern medicine to build up stronger economy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOPICS
|
That foods might provide therapeutic benefits is clearly not a new concept. ...
|
|
|
|
|