Parliament Question: Skill Development and Expanding Workforce

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2352 ANSWERED ON 03/08/2026 SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND EXPANDING WORKFORCE

2352. SHRI ANURAG SHARMA:

Will the Minister of SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP be pleased to

state:

(a) whether the Government has assessed that nearly one crore people enter India's workforce annually and if so, the strategy adopted to equip them with market-relevant skills and enhance their employability;

(b) the details of total number of youth trained under the Skill India Mission since its launch in 2015, along with the number placed in employment or self-employment, sector-wise;

(c) whether the Government proposes to strengthen skill development infrastructure in rural and semi-urban areas to meet the growing demand for skilled manpower; and

(d) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to align skill training with emerging industry requirements and the vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a) to (d): As per the latest estimates of the Periodic Labour Force Survey of National Statistics Office under Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, India's overall Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for persons aged 15 years and above has remained stable, marginally easing from 59.6% in 2024 to 59.3% in 2025.

Under the Government of India’s Skill India Mission (SIM), the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) delivers skill, re-skill and up-skill training through an extensive network of skill development centres under various schemes, viz. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana

(PMKVY), Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS) through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), to all the sections of the society across the country. The SIM aims at enabling the youth of India to get future-ready, equipped with industry-relevant skills.

In order to ensure active engagement of the industry and aligning the skill training programmes with emerging sectors, MSDE has inter-alia taken the following steps: ▪ National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) has been set up as an overarching regulator establishing regulations and standards to ensure quality in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) space. NCVET recognises the industry bodies as the Awarding Bodies (ABs) and/or Assessment Agencies (AAs).

▪ The Awarding Bodies are expected to develop the qualifications as per the industry demand and map them with the identified occupations as per the National Classification of Occupations, 2015 and obtain industry validations. NCVET has approved 10209 qualifications as per the industry requirements, out of which 2975 qualifications are valid and active, and 7234 qualifications are archived.

▪ Directorate General of Training (DGT) is implementing Flexi MoU Scheme and Dual System of Training (DST) in collaboration with industries to provide training to ITI students in real industrial environment.▪ DGT has signed MoU with IT Tech and other companies like IBM, Microsoft, Autodesk, AWS, Shell, etc. to ensure industry linkages for the institutes at the state and regional levels.

These partnerships facilitate the provision of technical and professional skills training in modern and green technologies. ▪ The National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 envisages greater integration of vocational education with mainstream education and promotes seamless mobility between academic and vocational pathways. In line with this vision, the Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programme (AEDP), developed in collaboration with UGC and AICTE, enables students enrolled in degree and diploma programmes to undertake apprenticeship training as an integral part of their curriculum. The programme enhances employability, promotes outcome-based learning, strengthens industry-academia linkages and facilitates acquisition of industry-relevant skills.

▪ Under PMKVY, the new age/future skills job-roles have been specially aligned with Industry

4.0 requirements in areas like AI/ML, Robotics, Mechatronics, Drone Technology, etc. for upcoming market demand and industry requirements. ▪ DGT has introduced new age /future skills courses under CTS to provide training in emerging areas such as 5G Network, AI Programming, Cyber Security, Drone Technology, Internet of Things, etc.

▪ Two (02) Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) have been established at Ahmedabad and Mumbai, in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, with an aim to align industry-ready workforce to emerging economic opportunities.

▪ 36 Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), led by industry leaders in the respective sectors, have been set up which are mandated to identify the skill development needs of respective sectors.

Details of the candidates trained/enrolled under various schemes of MSDE are given as under:

PMKVY JSS NAPS CTS / ITIs (since inception to (Since 2018-19 to (Since 2018-19 to (Session 2018 to

30.06.2026) 30.06.2026) 30.06.2026) 2025) 16,541,679 36,58,020 52,98,397 1,07,42,151 Amongst the schemes of MSDE, placements were tracked under the Short-Term Training component of PMKVY only in the first three versions (PMKVY1.0, PMKVY 2.0 and PMKVY 3.0) implemented from 2015-16 to 2021-22. Out of 56.89 lakh candidates that have been certified under Short-Term Training, 24.3 lakh candidates have been reported placed with a placement rate at

42.8%. Under PMKVY 4.0, the focus is to empower the trained candidates to choose their varied career path with orientation through industry relevant skill courses that include the On-the-Job Training (OJT).

The schemes of MSDE are demand driven and training centres under these schemes are set up or engaged on need basis. Details of the training centres set-up or engaged under the schemes of MSDE as on 30.06.2026 is as under:

PMKVY 4.0 JSS NAPS ITIs Centres (STT+SP) * centers Establishments Govt. Pvt.

13,633 294 57,935 3,328 10,528 * Short-term Training (STT) and Special Projects (SP) up to 30.06.2026 Further, in order to enhance the overall quality and relevance of vocational training in the country, Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs (PM SETU) scheme inter-alia aims to upgrade 1,000 Government ITIs (200 Hub ITIs and 800 Spoke ITIs) in a Hub and Spoke model, wherein upgradation includes smart classrooms, modern labs, digital content, and new courses aligned to industry needs. Also, it aims to augment capacity of five NSTIs located in Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kanpur, and Ludhiana, including setting-up sector- specific National Centres of Excellence for skilling, with focus on advanced training of trainers with global partnership.

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