Vision for National Skill Development Initiative in India is to create 500 million skilled workers by 2022.

To impart market demand-driven skill training to 2 lakh youth in Assam by 2019, with special emphasis on youth from vulnerable social groups like Tea & Ex-Tea Community, Flood & Erosion affected people, people residing in Char areas and to facilitate linkages for gainful employment and self employment through collaborations with public, private and non-profit entities.

This is being envisaged by increasing capacity and capability of skill development programmes. The focus is to harness inclusivity and reduce divisions such as male/female, rural/urban, organized/unorganized employment and traditional/contemporary workplace. Skill development initiatives support the supply of trained workers who are adjustable dynamically to the changing demands of employment and technologies.

In line with the National initiative, Department of Industries & Commerce, Government of Assam envisions to provide Skill Training in Demand based Employable Trade under Multi Disciplinary Skill Development (MDSD) Programme to two lakhs unemployed youth of Assam in various activities under manufacturing and services sector.

The objective of the MDSD Programme is based from the learning of two ground breaking studies conducted by the Department of Industries & Commerce which are:

Resource Mapping Survey:
A resource mapping survey conducted at block levels of all the 27 districts of the state looked at availability of local resources and on-going traditional activities especially in the sphere of crafts. It also identified the traditional ‘flare’ and skills of local artisans in different clusters and requirement of skill up-gradation and diversification in these traditional crafts. For e.g. traditional weaving in Assam’s villages needs skill up-gradation in terms of demand oriented designs. Again, “Sital Pati” (a kind of mat woven from local reeds) weavers can diversify their skills into making bags and other utility products. Details of the identified trades and related skills district-wise through Resource Mapping are at Annexure- 1.A. This list was re-modified, excluding the activities already taken up by Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) and the final list of MDSD is at Annexure:1.B.

Employment Engagement Survey of Youth of Assam outside the State:
Another study conducted by Industries & Commerce Department throughout the country to ascertain number of youth of the state working in different parts of the country (outside the state) has revealed that:

(1) Around 8 lakh youth working in different parts of the country with approximately 84% of them working in the Southern part of the country (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh & Telengana and Pondicherry).
(2) This is followed by Western part of the country (comprising of states like Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, etc.) where around 11% of the youth are working.

The key trades where these youth are employed are:
(1) Industries & Construction (43%)
(2) Private Security Agencies (29%)
(3) Retail Trade (10%)
(4) Hospitality Services (6%)
(5) Information Technology/Engineering Services (6%)
It is important to mention here that these youth are remitting @ Rs. 230 Crore to the state every year.
From both these studies the important takeaway is that the youth of the state possess certain inherent flares in both traditional and also in new generation activities.

Therefore , the objective of the MDSD Programme is to:
a) facilitate imparting of skill training to rural and semi-urban youth for gainful employment in new generation industrial and commercial activities
b) facilitate further consolidation of their ‘flares’ by upgrading traditional skills both in terms of design and technology

To achieve the above objective, the programme has adapted a four- pronged strategic approach , viz:
(i) Dedicated MDSD training centres in each development block
(ii) Collaboration with the best National level Training Service Providers (TSPs)
(iii) Creating platforms/tie-ups for
(a) Linking trained youth to industries and commercial services organizations for placement.
(b) Linking trained youth start-up capital and banks for their self-employment activities.
(iv) Building capacity of local organizations (both profit and not-for-profit) to become efficient   Training Service Providers (TSP).

6.1 MDSD Centres in Development Blocks:
One of the challenges before the MDSD programme is to expand the number of trades and number of trainees. To achieve the adequate numbers and to ensure continuity of the programme in the long-term, the Department of Industries & Commerce has planned to create MDSD training centres in each of the development blocks of the state. It is important to mention, by bringing the training centres to the doorsteps of the trainees, the programme is also :
(i) making it easier for women to access training; and
(ii) making it conducive for the segments who are already involved in the traditional crafts to upgrade their skills (because they cannot be absent from their activities for longer period of time).
Status of construction of MDSD centre is at Annexure-1.C

6.1.a Size of present Modular MDSD centre is given below:

6.2 Collaboration with the best National level TSPs The programme has already trained 2764 number of trainees in different trades in collaboration with both Government and private Training Service Providers (TSP) in department’s temporary centres within the state and also TSP centres outside the state. Some of the trainings currently being imparted are:
(i)Hospitality; (ii) Retail-Sales & Marketing; (iii) Beauty Care & Wellness Therapy; (iv) Ward Boys/Girls (v) Bed-side Attendant; (vi) Security Guard; (vii) Rural/Barefoot Optician; (viii) Weaving; (ix) Oil-Rig Driller; (x) BPO (Domestic); (xi) Betelnut Leaf Plate-Making, (xii) Fashion designing (xiii) Excavator/JCB Operators (xiv) Tally and (xv) Medical Representatives.

6.3 Creating Platforms for tie-ups for:
a. Linking trained youth to industries and commercial services organizations for placement;
The Department of Industries & Commerce has already initiated the process of creation of a “Job Studio” in the office of the Commissioner of Industries & Commerce.
b. Linking trained youth start-up capital and banks for their self-employment activities.
The department has already initiated an “Angel Fund” scheme to provide loan @ 5% interest to set up new venture by the trainees and also proposed to provide small machineries at free of cost under “ Mukhy Mantri Karmajyoti Achani (MMKA)”.

6.4 Building capacity of local organizations (both profit and not-for-profit) to become efficient Training Service Providers:
Many of the programmes envisaged under this programme are short-term in nature and some of them will be of small duration, especially those relating to up-gradation of traditional skills; further when every block level centre is operational, number of programmes will be too many for all India TSPs to handle. Therefore, the need for high quality local level TSPs is felt. The process of building capacity of local organizations (both profit and not-for-profit) is scheduled to be initiated in the current financial year.