Strengthening Human-Centric Skill

The Government recognizes the importance of strengthening human-centric skills such as creativity, critical thinking, leadership, communication and teamwork in view of the growing adoption of Artificial Intelligence across industries. The long-terms and short-term skill training programs of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) emphasize upon non-cognitive competencies to ensure the Indian workforce remains aligned to emerging technological shifts. The Employability Skills module developed by National Council for Vocational Education and Training has been made mandatory across short-term and long-term skill training courses. This module combines basic digital literacy with critical soft skills, including professional communication, cognitive problem-solving, and workplace interpersonal dynamics.

Under the Government of India's Skill India Mission (SIM), the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) delivers skill, re-skill and up-skill training through an extensive network of skill development centres under various schemes, viz. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) and National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), to all the sections of the society across the country. The SIM aims at enabling the youth of India to get future-ready, equipped with industry-relevant skills also covering AI-enabled workplaces. Some of these initiatives include:

1. Under PMKVY, the new age/future skills job-roles have been specially aligned with Industry 4.0 requirements in areas like AI/ML, Robotics, Mechatronics, Drone Technology, etc. for upcoming market demand and industry requirements. Training is being imparted in roles such as AI-Machine Learning Engineer, AI-Data Scientist, AI-Data Architect, AI-Data Engineer, AI Technocrat, Artificial Intelligence Assistant and AI & ML-Junior Telecom Data Analyst, among others. As per Skill India Digital Hub database, 39,104 candidates have been trained/oriented and 25,466 candidates certified in AI-related job roles under PMKVY 4.0 up to 30.06.2026.
2. Directorate General of Training (DGT) has introduced new age /future skills courses under CTS to provide training in emerging areas such as 5G Network, AI Programming, Cyber Security, Drone Technology, Internet of Things etc.
3. MSDE has launched a national-level SOAR (Skilling for AI Readiness) initiative, aimed at embedding AI awareness and foundational skills among school students (Classes 6-12) and building AI literacy among educators. The programme seeks to bridge the digital divide by ensuring equitable access to AI education across geographies, thereby supporting the national agenda of inclusive, future-ready skilling.
4. Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) along with IT-ITeS Sector Skills Council (Nasscom) has launched the FutureSkills Prime platform for equipping learners with knowledge of 11 emerging technologies by offering courses on Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, and other digital skills. To support the skilling of the youth, Nasscom has created 146 Qualifications in the future skills related job roles.

MSDE in collaboration with industry and academic institutions has taken the following steps for redesigning skill development courses so that the workforce is equipped with both technological expertise and human capabilities:

• National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) has been set up as an overarching regulator establishing regulations and standards to ensure quality in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) space. NCVET recognises the industry bodies and academic institutions as Awarding Bodies (ABs) and/or Assessment Agencies (AAs).
• Awarding Bodies are expected to develop the qualifications as per the industry demand and map them with the identified occupations as per the National Classification of Occupations, 2015 and obtain industry validations.
• NCVET has approved 10209 qualifications as per the industry requirements, out of which 2975 qualifications are valid and active, and 7234 qualifications are archived. Out of total, 678 qualifications are categorized as the future skills qualifications by NCVET.
• DGT is implementing Flexi MoU Scheme and Dual System of Training (DST) in collaboration with industries to provide training to ITI students in real industrial environment.
• DGT has signed MoU with IT Tech companies like IBM, Microsoft, Autodesk, AWS, Shell, etc. to ensure industry linkages for the institutes at the state and regional levels. These partnerships facilitate the provision of technical and professional skills training in modern technologies.
• Two (02) Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) have been established at Ahmedabad and Mumbai, in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, with an aim to align industry-ready workforce to emerging economic opportunities.
• 36 Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), led by industry leaders in the respective sectors, have been set up which are mandated to identify the skill development needs of respective sectors as well as to determine skill competency standards.

This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Shri Jayant Chaudhary in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

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SH