“The department that nobody even knew existed till just a few years ago, is today showcasing its successes because of your vision and support”, Mr. T.C. Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Employment, Government of Haryana, said addressing the Chief Minister, Manohar Lal. He was speaking at an event organized by the Government of Haryana to mark World Youth Skills Day (15th of July) and showcase the multiple pioneering initiatives undertaken by the state to make its Saksham Haryana programme a success.
Saksham Haryana, started in July 2017, is the state government’s flagship programme aimed at improving the quality of education, skilling opportunities and linking the youth of the state to employment opportunities. To supplement the Government of Haryana’s efforts in realizing this vision, two engagement teams were set up by Samagra with support from Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. Together these teams constitute the Saksham Haryana Cell. While all initiatives are driven by the government, their efforts are catalysed by the Saksham Haryana Cell. My colleague Harsh Garg has written about the 2-year journey of the Saksham Haryana Education engagement here.
Understanding the Skilling and Employment domain
website.The idea behind these initiatives is to provide a student seeking admission into an ITI with all relevant information to make an informed choice. Going forward we will be focusing on linking the skilling domain to industry demand. Learning from the experience of Scandinavian countries, Germany, Austria, as well as Haryana’s Shri Vishwakarma Skills University, we are working on transitioning towards a dual system of training in ITIs. This would entail a paradigm shift in not only how training is imparted but also how skilling is perceived. A dual system of training would mean that during the course of training, the student would spend 40-50% of his/her time in an industry working and applying what is taught in an ITI. For instance, someone in a 2-year hospitality course, would work in a restaurant chain for around 9 months in those 2 years. As a result, the industry and the ITI would be jointly responsible for providing quality training to the student.
On 15th July, watching officials from the Departments of Skills and Employment jointly commit to making Saksham Haryana an even bigger success, reaffirmed our commitment to the systemic transformation journey we have embarked upon. The fact that this was the first time both departments came together on a public platform was a testament to the shared vision of creating a Saksham Haryana. While a positive beginning has been made, the path ahead is neither simple nor straightforward. Nevertheless, there is excitement in the state to build on its past successes that is unmatched, unprecedented and unbound.