Skill Development for Socio-economic Progress

For the Indian economy, growing at the rate of 8 to 9 percent per annum, skill development poses major challenges and also opens up unprecedented opportunities. In an increasingly connected world, where national frontiers are yielding to cross-border outsourcing, it is not inconceivable that in the near future India can become a global reservoir of skilled manpower. Co-ordinated Action on Skill Development, as proposed by Planning Commission, was approved by the Cabinet on May 15, 2008. The action aims at creation of a pool of skilled manpower with adequate skills that meet the employment requirements across various sectors of the national economy. The approved Co-ordinated Action on Skill Development envisaged setting up of a three-tier institutional structure involving Prime Minister's National Council on Skill Development (NCSD) for policy direction to be supported by National Skill Development Co-ordination Board (NSDCB) and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). This institutional structure was put in place in 2008 itself. This volume contains 9 scholarly papers, authored by experts in the field, which provide useful insights into various dimensions, problems and challenges of skill formation in emerging India.