"We Will Witness Greater Integration of Education and Skilling in Future"

ATUL KUMAR TIWARI, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, speaks to BW Businessworld's Resham Suhail about the need to align skilling with education and foster industry collaboration, as well as his ministry's accomplishments and future plans. Excerpts

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As the ministry enters its tenth year, what have been the key milestones so far? How has the focus on skilling evolved?

There has been significant progress in recognising the importance of skilling. Initially, skilling was seen as part of the labour domain. Today, it is a distinct and integral component of education, aligned with the goals of the new National Education Policy. The establishment of 36 sector skill councils representing industry concerns has been instrumental in identifying and addressing skill needs. Over the last couple of years, we have achieved significant progress on the digital front.

Our digital backbone is now incredibly strong, complemented by the Skill India Digital Hub, which serves as our central portal. The use of advanced technology, expansion of the skilling ecosystem, as well as efforts to make people realise that skilling is just as important as education have become integral.

How are the ministry's initiatives promoting convergence and collaboration across different sectors?

The government has prioritised convergence between ministries and organisations to scale efforts effectively.

Take the PM Vishwakarma scheme, which we are implementing in collaboration with MSMEs and the Department of Financial Services.

This initiative is unique, bringing together three ministries to address 18 identified trades. It encompasses skilling, re-skilling, and providing toolkits, all linked to credit facilities. This creates a complete and interconnected cycle.