Parliament Question: Training challenges faced by Government

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4269 ANSWERED ON 01.04.2026 TRAINING CHALLENGES FACED BY GOVERNMENT 4269 DR. LAXMIKANT BAJPAYEE: Will the Minister of SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP be pleased to state: (a) whether Ministry is facing significant challenges including a major disconnect between industry demand and training supply, poor quality training and high rates of fraudulent, blacklisted training centers; (b) whether many training programs, being short-term, fail to provide industry-relevant skills, leading to low placement rate, lack of demand-driven curriculum, training not aligning with modern industry needs and a severe shortage of skilled & qualified trainers; (c) whether multiple Ministries run disparate skill programs leading to duplication of efforts and inefficient resource usage; and (c) if so, what steps Government propose to take to improve this serious situation? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (a) to (c): 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 Craftsman Training Scheme (CTS) through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), to all the sections of the society across the country. The SIM aims at enabling youth of India to get future ready and equipped with industry relevant skills. These skill development programmes are designed to bridge identified skill gaps across the sectors. To align the training programs as per the market needs, 36 Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), led by industry leaders in the respective sectors, have been set up to identify the skill development needs of the respective sectors, and to determine skill competency standards. The evolving skill requirements are aligned with the emerging technologies. The Government undertakes periodic reviews of skilling initiatives under the Skill India Mission, assessing enrolment, certification, placement, self-employment outcomes and employer feedback to gauge the effectiveness of the programmes in strengthening employability and future skills. These reviews support continuous curriculum updates, industry collaboration and improvements in implementation modalities, ensuring that skilling programmes remain aligned with evolving technology trends and labour-market requirements. The effectiveness of broader skill development schemes is also evaluated through MIS-based monitoring, third-party assessments and beneficiary feedback. MSDE also conducts regular monitoring of Training Centres (TCs) across India through physical inspections, virtual monitoring via video calls, and telephonic verifications to ensure training is being conducted as per guidelines and no misuse of public funds takes place. Oversight mechanisms have been strengthened through technology-enabled systems such as Direct Benefit Transfer, registration process on Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) ensures e-KYC compliance, Aadhaar based authentication of candidate credentials, mobile number authentication, attendance through Face-Authentication and Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS), to check duplication of candidates, etc. Strict legal and administrative actions including filing of FIRs, blacklisting, suspension, and financial recovery are initiated against non-compliant TCs involved inactivities such as falsification of attendance records. Training is being conducted only through accredited and affiliated Training Centres (TCs). In order to ensure that the skills imparted are aligned with the industry requirements and technological advancements and are improving the employability of the trained candidates, 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 vocational education and training 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 9026 qualifications as per the industry requirements, out of which 2599 qualifications are valid and active, and 6427 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 companies like IBM, CISCO, Microsoft, AWS, Autodesk 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 technologies. ▪ 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 Technician, AI Programming assistant, Cyber Security Assistant, Drone Technician 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. ▪ The training of trainers is supported through the Craft Instructors Training Scheme (CITS) being implemented through National Skill Training Institutes and Institutes of Training of Trainers. While more than 20 Central Ministries are implementing skilling/ upskilling training programs through various Government schemes, MSDE is entrusted with coordinating all Skill Development efforts across the country. In order to bring about uniformity and standardization in implementation of various skill development schemes by different Central Ministries/ Departments, the Ministry notified Common Cost Norms on 15th July 2015. Common Norms rationalize the entire spectrum of skill development processes and systems, including inputs, outputs, funding norms, third-party certification, assessment, monitoring, and the empanelment of training providers. Further, the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF), implemented by NCVET, is an outcome and competency-based framework which organizes qualifications according to a series of levels of knowledge, skills, aptitude, and responsibility levels defined in terms of learning outcomes which the learner must acquire through formal, non-formal or informal learning which may comprise of academics, vocational education, training & skilling and experiential learning including relevant experience and proficiency/ professional levels acquired, subject to assessment. MSDE has also launched Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) platform to integrate training, assessment, certification and other skill development related services on a single digital platform. The Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) has improved access to skilling opportunities by providing a unified digital interface for course discovery, enrolment, assessment and certification. Through integration with multiple Central Ministries, State Governments and national digital systems, the platform enables seamless, secure and verified access to skill development programmes across regions and language. *****