MSDE Organizes a Workshop on PMKVY Implementation with Awarding Bodies to Discuss Performance, Challenges, and Future Action Plan

 Bengaluru, 20 March, 2025: The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) organized a workshop on “PMKVY Implementation with Awarding Bodies” under its “Kaushal Manthan” initiative at the Conference Hall, Kaushal Bhavan, New Delhi. The workshop was attended by dignitaries from the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET), the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), and Institutes of National Importance like IIT Mandi, IIT Ropar, and IIMs, along with representatives from other Awarding Bodies. The dignitaries discussed the performance, challenges, and future roadmap of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY).

The workshop was chaired and inaugurated by Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, MSDE and focused on the roles of Awarding Bodies in strengthening the quality of training under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY 4.0) across the training life cycle, reviewing the performance of Awarding Bodies, standardizing the assessment alignment process, debriefing participants on the latest Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued regarding the same, addressing key challenges faced by Awarding Bodies with respect to aligning assessments, strengthening the grievance redressal mechanism via the Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) portal, promoting industry-led training, and increasing industry collaboration to make skill development training more aspirational for candidates.

Emphasizing the critical role of Awarding Bodies in ensuring high-quality skill certification and the seamless execution of PMKVY, Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, MSDE, said, “India’s skilling ecosystem has evolved significantly over the last few years and gained global recognition. With a strong demographic dividend, we must now take a targeted approach to skill development, ensuring alignment with industry needs. The Prime Minister’s equal emphasis on education and skills has set a clear direction, and phenomenal work has been done by the government, especially the MSDE, in this regard.”

“There is a growing consensus that skill development is the key driver in India’s journey towards becoming a developed nation. To achieve this, we must improve training infrastructure, enhance trainer and content quality, and continuously assess and refine how skills are imparted. SSCs and Awarding Bodies must work to integrate skills into mainstream education, making degrees like B.A., B.Com., and B.Sc. more employment-oriented,” he added.

The ministry provided an overview of the PMKVY scheme, highlighting achievements and upcoming initiatives. More than 1.6 crore candidates have been trained under the PMKVY since its launch in 2015. Currently, the PMKVY 4.0 is being implemented, building up on the success of the last three phases. This version focuses on making the skilling ecosystem more flexible, inclusive, and technology-driven to improve employability among youth. More than six thousand trainers will be providing training to candidates for 170 futuristic job roles under PMKVY 4.0.

A presentation on the Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) was also given which demonstrated the platform’s role in streamlining skill certification and training processes. Presentations from Awarding Bodies, including NIELIT and CIPET, showcased their contributions to skill development. Additionally, an analysis of PMKVY’s performance was shared, identifying key areas for improvement.

Most notably, an interactive open forum allowed stakeholders to share concerns and suggest solutions, fostering constructive dialogue. The key inputs shared by various stakeholders during the workshop included incorporation of an escalation mechanism to address grievance-related issues, facilitating the inclusion of job roles/courses of other Awarding Bodies under PMKVY 4.0, expanding the assessor pool of SSCs for timely assessment, taking action against non-responding Training Partners with respect to aligning assessments, aligning assessors during the initiation of training, customizing course duration while keeping in view the target group, using innovative approaches like gamification to make training programs more interactive, registering Awarding Bodies for the Academic Bank of Credit, conducting regular Skill Gap Studies to align training with industry demand, and institutionalizing industry consultation as a standardized process for Awarding Bodies.

Smt. Sonal Mishra, Joint Secretary, MSDE, Dr. Vinita Aggrawal, Executive Member, NCVET, Dr. Neena Pahuja, Executive Member, NCVET, and Shri Rishikesh Patankar, Vice President, Government Programs, Industry & Academia Collaboration, NSDC were present during the inaugural session. Additionally, the event witnessed more than 150 participants.

The day-long event concluded with a brainstorming session focused on setting priorities and ensuring better convergence of training efforts. The workshop served as a crucial platform for dialogue and collaboration, reinforcing the importance of aligning skill development efforts with industry needs.