(MENAFN- KNN India) To boost the skill initiatives in aviation sector of the country, Airport Authority of India (AAI), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) have signed a Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) where AAI has committed to contribute an amount of 5.25 crore of its CSR funds to NSDF along with land and premises for setting up skill development centres in the country for scaling up skill development initiatives in the aviation sector.
Commenting on the strategic partnership,P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju said, “As we gear up for a new civil aviation policy, for new avenues that aviation will open up for economic growth of the country, for more new airports, and existing ones becoming active; there has to be a large part of our strategy towards sourcing skilled workforce to make all our plans successful. Our plans can be the most well thought out plans, but we need trained and certified people to execute those plans. Any vibrant program needs a skilled workforce. Our partnership with Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship through this MoU signing between AAI, NSDC and NSDF will certainly help us ready that workforce from right now. In this way, we are investing back into our sector’s and the country’s brighter future.”
Welcoming this contribution from the aviation sector, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, said, “The Aviation Sector has seen some good traction in the skill ecosystem. It is estimated that by 2035, the Indian Civil Aviation sector would employ 8 to 10 lakh personnel directly and another 3 lakh indirectly. To cater to this requirement, we introduced a new Sector Skill Council exclusively for preparing a job ready workforce for the Aerospace & Aviation Sector, last year. We welcome the contribution being made by the Airport Authority of India through their CSR funds. We are certain that together we will be able to bring about a constructive change in the aviation sector in India. I thank Mr. Gajapathi Raju and the Civil Aviation Ministry for joining hands with us in this endeavour.”
“We have skilled more than 1.04 crore youth last year in 2015-16 which is an incremental growth by 36.8% from the previous year. With contributions like these we are certain that we will be able to bring speed and scale along with standards to skill initiatives in the nation,” he further added.
Under the MoU, AAI also committed to undertake Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programs for their current employees, to train and certify in their existing skill sets, in association with the Aerospace & Aviation Sector Skill Council and any other council as may seem fit. The this MoU, AAI will also align its ongoing skill development programs with the Skill India Mission so that all courses are aligned to one National Skill Qualification Framework which is recognised by the industry today.
The program will be managed by NSDC and its training partners who have till now cumulatively skilled more than 80.33 lakh youth in the country. The fund contributed by AAI will also be utilised to support and sponsor candidates for skill development programs, including Substantially Affected Persons under AAI projects. (KNN Bureau)