By Praveen Sirohi, Telecom Sector Skill Council
Since the creation of NCVET (National Council for Vocational Education and Training), the skill ecosystem in India has transformed from a training-centric approach to a placement-centric model. This is a much-needed change to address the growing unemployment in India.
In the Telecom Sector, the changes come at the heel of telecom reforms through the innovation of 5G and allied technologies (IOT/AI/ML/Cloud) across the globe. India is at par with global development in both hardware and software in this segment. Even India has started to eye on setting standards for 6G technology. The point I am most interested in – is the new opportunities for academic institutions in this country (which includes training companies) through the strategic implementation of NEP (National Education Policy) 2020, the National Credit Framework (NCrF), and the National Curriculum Framework (NCF).
In a recent development, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announced a mandate to train 1 lakh people in 5G and allied technologies at the India Mobile Congress 2022. This is great news for the rollout of 5G services for both commercial and industrial applications. We are witnessing growth in segments such as ML/AI, Cloud Computing, Blockchain, Robotic Process Automation, Drone Technology, and many other fields. These changes are cross-sectoral in nature and involve inputs from various departments and ministries. On the industry front, we are experiencing more participation from organizations in the process of skill development through interventions at the training, assessment, and placement levels.
Telecom SSC recently signed an MoU with the NCVET where they have imparted us with various roles and responsibilities starting from demand identification to quality training (monitoring) and placement support. Earlier, SSC (Sector Skill Council) was limited to assessment and certification only.
As part of our new objectives, we must convey all changes and updates in policies, framework, and operational guidelines to the entire value chain including training partners, assessment agencies, and placement partners. This includes, conveying to the training partners, and informing the government departments (so they can start taking in a loop to all SSCs). The government has also considered utilizing SSC as a Project Implement Agency (PIA) for the smooth execution of the skill ecosystem. Soon, we will draft White Papers, regarding our roles and features. Along with this, we will create 4 set Service-Level Agreements (SLAs), listing our criteria and objectives.
For academia, we plan to host 2 webinars, one is with All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) engineering colleges, and the other is with CBSE schools. AICTE conducts several vocational courses. Under AICTE, the KARMA (Kaushal Augmentation and Restructuring Mission of AICTE) portal is one of the most sought-after schemes. “Kaushal Augmentation and Restructuring Mission of AICTE” (KARMA) for all AICTE-approved institutions in the country aims to overcome the dual challenge of scarcity of skilled workforce in jobs and low skill level of those who are presently in jobs.
In the case of CBSE schools, they have also started introducing vocational courses. TSSC’s objective is to persuade them to join our industry and instruct them about the potential of the telecom industry.
takes pride in the high-quality training and placements of our candidates. We are accountable for the demand and supply of the job roles in the industry and take initiatives in the overall telecom ecosystem.
With our Learning Management System (LMS), and TelcoJobs portal, we can assure Academia/Training partners with placements if they are interested to work with us. One way we differentiate ourselves from other bodies in our ecosystem is through a continued support mechanism in the form of a job portal and LMS to help candidates crack job interviews in reputed organizations. We especially offer job roles including, call center executives and sales executives, which are high in demand.
I urge members of the skill fraternity to join our endeavor of making India the skill capital of the world. Telecom SSC is looking for enthusiastic result-driven partners to scale up our operations both nationally and internationally. I am optimistic about our sector and believe in our mission statement to create a fulfilling skill ecosystem.