- ESSCI currently has over 1100 training partners having over 4550 training centres across the country
- The council is developing new job roles in the new age economy like AI, IoT, Industry 4.0, Automation, robotics, 5G and other emerging technologies
Skill India campaign was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15th July 2015 to train people in different skills. This month Skill India Mission completed five years. Electronics Sector Skills Council of India (ESSCI) has been launched with a primary mandate of enhancing and to build capacity in skill development.
One of the salient features of the ESSCI is designing the training programs, based on industry demands of different segments and ensuring that all successful trainees are certified through an accredited assessment agency.
In an exclusive interview N.K. Mohapatra, CEO for ESSCI, reasons out the need for the Skill India Program. The CEO talks about the nitty-gritty of Skill India—how the scheme accommodates the needs of the whole nation and how ESSCI contributes to the achievement of the skill India vision and road map for the next five years.
EB – Skill India Mission completed five years on 15th of July. How do you see the journey of this mission? What has changed in the country by this mission?
Ans – The Skill India Mission or the National Skills Development Mission of India was launched by the Prime Minister in 2015 with the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) to train over 40 crore people in the country in different skills by 2022. The whole country has seen unprecedented growth in the skill development of the youth in the country. It is managed by the National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC) of India.
The focus of the Mission and its various initiatives are:
- National Skill Development Mission
- National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, 2015
- Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)
- Skill Loan scheme
- Rural India Skill
The whole paradigm shift has been achieved in approach to skill development as a result of the mission and skill has become an important part of the national youth to adopt and pursue a job and career. The National Skill Qualification Framework has further added to the program in making it a nationally bench-marked one.
The country now has an umbrella framework and it is consistent across the country in delivering training and setting standards bench-marked to the national standards aligned to global standards.
EB – Tell us about the key achievements of your Sector Skill Council, since its inception?
Ans – The Electronics Sector Skills Council of India (ESSCI) has had a glorious run since its inception and emerged as a front-runner for skill development in the country. The council has ensured the electronics skill training becomes a skill of choice and ensures good prospects for candidates undertaking training in electronics job roles.
ESSCI has embarked upon building a robust and expansive skill development network and currently has over 1100 training partners having over 4550 training centres across the country, that are well equipped to undertake skill development across job roles in all segments of ESDM. ESSCI has developed 159 Qualification Packs (QPs) and over 250 National Occupation Standards (NOS).
The council has trained and certified over 10,00,000 candidates in various job roles across the electronics product life-cycle and sub-sector spectrum and is poised to support the Aatmnirbhar Bharat initiative by ensuring supply of appropriately skilled manpower in electronics job roles for the companies setting up shop in India.
The council is developing new job roles in the new age economy like AI, IoT, Industry 4.0, Automation, robotics, 5G and other emerging technologies.
EB – The Government of India has been giving a lot of importance to the skill development of the youth in the country. In what ways is your sector skill council contributing to the achievement of this vision?
Ans – The ESSCI has aligned itself to the Government of India vision to make India the skill capital of the world and has done extensive work towards creating a vast mechanism and eco-system to deliver the skill development in electronics.
The ESSCI is committed to realise the targets set by the National Policy for electronics in generating jobs in the sector and is ready to take the challenge to ensure skilled manpower to the companies coming and setting up factories in India. We are committed to ensure the success of Make in India and also to ensure the “Aatmnirbhar Bharat vision is realised and India emerges as a powerhouse of electronics manufacturing and supplier to the world.
Q4. What are the challenges you’ve faced during your journey and what you see ahead?
Ans – The council conducted several Sub-sector wise research, Skill Gap analysis, Demand Aggregation, Demand Analysis, built NOS committees with Industry support and collaboration, SIG groups, Industry membership and em-panelment of Subject Matter Experts to create a formidable eco-system for seamless and high quality training delivery in electronics job roles.
The QP, Content, Curriculum, Labs, centres, Training partner affiliation and assessment partner affiliation were diligently undertaken and built and training of Trainer and training of Assessors led to building a robust system for skill training and assessment / certification.
As the council stands today it is the result of untiring effort put by the leadership to ensure a truly effective and high class council for skill development in the electronics sector.
EB – Please share with us the road-map by which the skill-related training can be provided by the next five years?
Ans – The next five years are going to be extremely exciting as far as the electronics sector is concerned. The Council is in the process of reinventing itself and deeply studying the trends which are going to define the electronics sector.
The National Policy for Electronics 2019 specifically launches the Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing. PLI for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing proposes a financial incentive to boost domestic manufacturing and attract large investments in the electronics value chain and aims to create over 8,00,000 Jobs.
The jobs expected to be created would mostly be related to the factory manufacturing job roles for assembly line operators, PCB assembly, EMS operators, maintenance engineers and trained in robotics, automation and Industry 4.0 related job roles.
Production Linked Incentives of up to INR 40,951 crores will be awarded over a period of 5 years for Mobile Phone, Specified Electronic Components includes Medical Electronics, SMT components Discrete semiconductor devices including transistors, diodes, thyristors, etc., Passive components including resistors, capacitors, etc. for electronic applications, Printed Circuit Boards (PCB), PCB laminates, prepregs, photopolymer films, PCB printing inks, Sensors, transducers, actuators, crystals for electronic applications, System in Package (SIP) Micro / Nano-electronic components such as Micro Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) and Nano Electromechanical Systems (NEMS) and Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging (ATMP) units.
The following are the products which are expected to bring about a huge demand post Covid-19 and the government has formed an immediate action plan to promote these products to channelize the industry for achieving the goals set in the NPE 2019
a. Consumer Electronics & IT Hardware:
Remote Based Customer care services
Contactless / IoT based services solution
Surveillance & Monitoring
DIY based learning & solution.
b. Medical Electronics
Installation & Commissioning of Ventilators, Mini ICU, Sanitisation chambers/tunnels, Thermal Scanners
Smart Cities
Centralised Security & Surveillance through NOC or Command Centre,
E-M Governance services delivery through e-Library
Smart classrooms
c. IoT
Big data Analysis
M2M communication
SCADA System
d. Automation
Industry 4.0 & Smart manufacturing
Machine Safety through Automation
R&D manufacturing
Research & Design through Data Science Methodology
Export certification
Ease of doing business and promoting volume manufacturing in the electronic export market.
EB – What are some of the biggest challenges you are facing in up-skilling people and how are you navigating through these challenges?
Ans – The biggest challenge in up-skilling people is to mobilise a large number of people of the same qualification and requiring the same upskilling. The council of identifying key projects and one such project where ESSCI is upskilling and certifying 1,00,000 AC technicians in the best practices and use of environment friendly gases under the HMPM project in partnership with the ozone Cell under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
The current Covid pandemic and resultant lockdown has put the council under tremendous pressure to ensure supply of skilled manpower in the current situation and the pandemic making it difficult to conduct training physically. The management has refined the working style and the team is working overtime. The work from home is contributing to efficiency and productivity with online tools like Zoom / Google meeting happening twice a day for review and all groups formed to work on specific tasks which have emerged in the Covid-19 lockdown and pandemic
The council has embarked upon developing a robust delivery mechanism using their state of the art Learning Management System- LMS for delivery of training online and through remote mechanism of using IT and digital tools with AR/VR, DIY, Videos and host of easy learning tools.
EB – The Internet & Social media are now full of resources for developing skills. In what ways is the ESSCI planning to use online mediums for the benefit of the youth?
Ans – The Electronics Sector Council of India has diligently analysed the situation and has adapted to the crisis to the best of its ability. The lockdown led us to adopt technological interventions to ensure seamless delivery of Training though a remote mechanism leading to a contactless training method though our state-of-the-art Learning Management System- E-LMS. The assessment and certification too have been migrated online, thus enabling us to have built capability to address all delivery of services online and through remote mechanisms.
We are using all online tools and methods to ensure remote training through online mechanisms and our robust state of the art LMS is redefining the way the training is imparted and leading to assessment and certification through our online learning management system.
EB – Anything else, you want to share with our readers?
Ans – As we all are aware of the adverse effect of this corona pandemic on employment across all levels of society, it is imperative to be highly skilled in a particular domain. The issue of migrant labours exodus from various states makes it important for us to look at the issue with empathy and work towards creating livelihoods around their native places in various States. This has created a huge challenge to skill them with proper training and create a pool of skilled and semi-skilled work force which would be an advantage for any State. Addressing this challenge and converting it to an opportunity, ESSCI has embarked upon an innovative programme for creating rural enterprise and leveraging their skills to give a boost to rural employment and economy.
