- Enabling the vision of Skill India Mission of making the country the ‘Skill Capital of the World’, the partnership aims to introduce digital courses in emerging technologies such as data science, big data analytics, among others, and help develop entrepreneurial spirit
- Premium learning opportunities from IIT Mandi will be delivered digitally, expanding the reach of quality learning and skilling to a wide range of aspirants across the country
Bengaluru, 23 May 2022: National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), the nodal agency under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi to introduce initiatives that will enable effective digital course delivery to the youth, expanding the reach of quality learning and skilling, along with immersive hands-on learning opportunities.
The MoU was signed by Ved Mani Tiwari, Chief Operating Officer and Officiating CEO, NSDC and Prof. Laxmidhar Behera, Director, IIT Mandi in New Delhi.
The collaboration aims to introduce digital courses in emerging technologies such as data science, big data analytics, among other. NSDC along with IIT Mandi will design and conceptualize the program in line with the training requirements of students and the market, set up Centres of Excellence (CoE) to help develop entrepreneurial spirit and culture among Indian youth towards realizing the larger vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat as well as building capacity of teachers, trainers, and grassroots leaders. New models of training methodology will be jointly created to make cutting-edge learning opportunities more accessible, leading to enhanced employability. NSDC will oversee the on-ground implementation of overall training program and mobilize the candidates who are keen to avail the training courses being offered by IIT Mandi.
Commenting on the strategic partnership, Ved Mani Tiwari, Chief Operating Officer and Officiating CEO, NSDC said, “As we surge to a future of technology-powered growth, we have immense opportunity to build a high-quality skilled workforce for the rest of the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has also accelerated the need to develop new-age skills while strengthening mechanisms for traditional job roles. Therefore, it is imperative for educational institutes and the industry to come together to enable a holistic ecosystem where India’s youth have access to the resources and mentored routes to the right opportunities. Our partnership with IIT Mandi is an important step to take forward the commitment of keeping India’s young minds relevant in the current business environment. IIT Mandi has established itself as a leading institute in science and technology education and, the dynamic curriculum that will be designed and conceptualized under the program, will prepare India’s talent for the digital future.”
Prof. Laxmidhar Behera, Director, IIT Mandi said, “I am happy to share that IIT Mandi has embarked on a long-term journey, in collaboration with NSDC, to impart high-end skills to the underprivileged youth and working professionals, among others. A joint initiative to set up a unique facility for immersive hands-on experience is being planned in the IIT Mandi campus that will promote skills in emerging technologies along with entrepreneurship.”
As a premier institute, IIT Mandi will facilitate the design and delivery of digital learning modules for the targeted candidate profiles. The institute will be involved in quality implementation of live classes. through a robust framework. The institute will also contribute towards capacity building of grassroot leaders, including teachers in the field of education and skilling in the country.
About National Skill Development Corporation
National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), a nodal skill development agency, working under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India, is a unique Public Private Partnership (PPP) that aims to catalyse the creation of a large and quality vocational training ecosystem in India. Since inception in 2010, NSDC has trained over three crore people through its collaboration with 600+ training partners and over 10,000 training centres spread across 600+ districts in the country.
NSDC has established 37 Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) and implements the Government’s flagship skill development schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), among otheINR NSDC also funds enterprises, companies and organisations that provide skill training. The organisation enables private-sector capacity building in skill development by offering concessional loans, other innovative financial products, and strategic partnerships.
e-Skill India, the e-learning aggregator platform of NSDC, consolidates B2C (business-to-consumer) online portals operating over the internet in the skilling ecosystem. These portals further create and source e-learning content in a hub and spoke manner. Thus, it enables multiple e-learning players, strong in specific skilling sectors, to share their strengths as part of this aggregation exercise.
Bringing the supply and demand side together, the e-Skill India portal provides opportunities to skill seekers to choose an online course from an aggregated catalogue. Friendly-navigation prompts and search mechanisms have been provided to enable a skill seeker to reach a course of choice.
About IIT Mandi
IIT Mandi has four academic schools and three research centres. The schools are School of Computing and Electrical Engineering, School of Basic Sciences, School of Engineering, and School of Humanities and Social Sciences. The centers are Advanced Materials Research Centre (AMRC; set up with an investment of INR 60 crore), Centre for Design and Fabrication of Electrical Devices (C4DFED; has worth INR 50 crore fabrication tools), and BioX Centre (has acquired research equipment worth INR 15 crore).
The unique and project-oriented B.Tech (Bachelor in Technology) curriculum is centred around its four-year design and innovation stream. From August 2019, IIT Mandi started three new and unique B. Tech programmes in Data Science and Engineering, Engineering Physics, and dual degree in Bioengineering. Since the inception of the institute, IIT Mandi faculty have been involved in over 275 Research and Development (R&D) projects worth more than INR 120 crore.
IIT Mandi set up the IIT Mandi iHub and HCI Foundation (iHub; a Section-8 company) in its campus at Kamand with significant funding of INR 110 crores from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. The iHub is planned to fuel research and technology development, skill development, start-up and innovation, and collaborations in the HCI and allied AI (artificial intelligence/ ML (machine learning) areas in India. IIT Mandi is the only second-generation IIT that has ranked seventh in the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements of the Innovation Cell, Ministry of Education, Government of India.
