New Delhi, Nov 29

A scheme to impart skills training to senior students has been launched in select government schools in Haryana and will be introduced in 19 states next year, Human Resource Development Minister M.M. Pallam Raju said Friday.

The scheme was launched by the ministry under the National Vocational Education Qualification Framework for students of classes nine to 12. 

"In the context of teacher training, a pilot project was started in Haryana based on four sectors - information technology, security, auto and retail - where the standards have been developed by the sector skills council," he said while delivering the keynote address at the inaugural session of the 2nd India-Australia Skills Conference.

He further said that there is an opportunity for sector skill councils in Australia along with the training partners, to work with their Indian counterparts to ensure a world-class outcome.

The conference with its theme 'Training and Industry: Bridging the Skills Divide' was organised by the ministry and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and supported by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

An initiative of the Australia India Education Council (AIEC), the conference has brought a delegation of experts from Australia's skill sector to explore how they can partner to meet India's burgeoning demand for skills development.

"India needs to train up to 500 million people by 2022, and is projected to add 12-15 million workers to its labour force every year over the coming decades."

"Quality training delivery and standards will be essential, and Australia is well positioned to provide this expertise," said Australia's Acting High Commissioner to India Bernard Philip.

The second edition of the conference intends to build on the success of the first conference that was held in Perth, Australia in July 2012.

The Australian government has funded its Industry Skill Council engagement with India's new Sector Skills Councils in the areas of telecommunication, agriculture, retail, mining and media/entertainment.

Raju also emphasised the need to vastly increase the existing skill capacity of people in India by eight to ten times.

"There is a demand-supply gap for skilled persons in every sector in the economy. It is for all of us to sit and work together to be able to develop sustainable entreprenuerial models that result in great opportunities for training providers in both the countries," he said.

The Australia Skills Mission to India includes representation from Australia's government owned Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions, private skills training providers, Industry Skills Councils, and Commonwealth and state/territory governments.

By:IANS