Skill India, Samsung to train youth with industry-relevant skills

To empower the youth with industry-relevant skills in emerging technology domains to enhance their employability, the Electronics Sector Skill Council of India (ESSCI) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Samsung India, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said in a statement.

It will be a part of the government’s ‘Skill India’ initiative.

The programme, ‘Samsung Innovation Campus’, aims to upskill over 3,000 unemployed youth from 18-25 years of age in future technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Big Data and Coding & Programming.

ESSCI which is a National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) approved entity will execute the programme through its nationwide network of approved training and education partners.

“Skilling should not be just about equipping the youth with employable skills but should act as gateways to employability and employment -- as their passports to prosperity. The more employment-oriented skilling is, the more aspirational it will be for the students and young Indians,” said Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union minister of state, Ministry of Electronics and IT.

The government has been emphasising on skilling over the last few years to harness the opportunities in an increasingly digitised world and to make India a talent pool. “There is no deficit of talent in the country but an increased demand for talented and skilled Indians across the globe,” he added.

The minister urged the National Skills Development Corporation and the ministry to work out plans to evolve closer partnerships between the industry and the skilling ecosystem for sustainable solutions.

Stating that it is the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that digital opportunities should equitably be available to each and every Indian, Chandrasekhar said efforts should be made not just with premier educational institutions but also with universities and institutes in tier 2 and 3 cities.

Welcoming Samsung’s initiative with ESSCI to empower young Indians with skills, he said that it “was a true hallmark of being a good partner to India and the Indians”, and urged them to headquarter their programmes in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities to ensure skilling opportunities for the hundreds of thousands of students from these places.

The MoU was exchanged by Ken Kang, President and CEO of Samsung Southwest Asia, and Abhilasha Gaur, COO, ESSCI.