Skilling On Track!

Indian textile industry cannot afford to ignore the implications of ‘skilling’ the labour force, for to sharpen the competitive edge in producing and exporting quality textile goods, skilled labour is a must. The ITJ cover story traces the ‘skilling’ moves in the textile industry.

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The Government’s ‘skilling’ target of 400 million by 2022 may look a far cry at the present context, but with the announcement of the Rs 1,300-crore Scheme for Capacity Building in Textile Sector (SCBTS), the Modi Government has reiterated its keen desire and serious intent to achieve the target, at least in the textile sector.

In the textile industry, Dr J V Rao, Chief Executive Officer of Textile Sector Skill Council (TSC), is very confident: “TSC, since its inception in August 2014, has strived to create a robust ecosystem for skilling in the textile mill and handloom sectors. TSC is governed by 14 Textile Mill Associations and four Export Promotion Councils and has three technical committees to decide various aspects for ensuring quality skilling in the sector. Till date, TSC has developed 88 Qualification Packs listing the competencies required for 80 per cent of job roles in the textile mill and handloom sectors, which are declared as National Standards by the National Skill Development Council.”

Skilling is not just the Government’s responsibility alone. Many textile companies, which were using unskilled labour in crucial departments, have started training workforce or recruiting skilled labour. Training is a part and parcel of the working at companies like ELGi Equipment in Coimbatore, which has been spending huge amounts of money and time on skilling the labour force.

Only about 4.69 per cent of India’s workforce is formally skilled, as against 52 per cent in the US, 68 per cent in the UK, 75 per cent in Germany, 80 per cent in Japan and 96 per cent in South Korea. In China, skilled workers account for 24 per cent of the workforce.