The CSIR-Human Resource Development Centre (CSIR-HRDC), Ghaziabad (UP) has signed a collaborative Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with four Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) – Agriculture Skill Council of India (ASCI), Capital Goods & Strategic Skill Council (CGSSC), Hydrocarbon Sector Skill Council (HSSC) and Life Sciences Sector Skill Development Council (LSSSDC). The MoU aims to create an enabling environment for CSIR and Indian industry by exchanging expertise and running joint-programs to strengthen the skill ecosystem in the country.
CSIR-HRDC is the centralised training unit of CSIR and the Nodal Office of the CSIR Integrated Skill Initiative, which was launched in 2016 to equip young minds with the necessary technological skills through exposure to CSIR laboratories and address the critical needs for the technical gap created by the enormous usage of advanced technology. The initiative covers various scientific clusters of CSIR such as Biological, Chemical, Engineering, Information and Physical Sciences. The beneficiaries of this initiative include school dropouts, farmers, ITI diploma holders, graduates and doctorates. CSIR has so far trained over 1.50 lakh individuals under this initiative through 4500+ skill-based trainings, including special programs for rural citizens and women.
By signing the MoU with the four SSCs, CSIR-HRDC expects to improve the performance of this initiative by enhancing employability and entrepreneurship opportunities for the Indian youth and enable them to enter the global market. The SSCs are industry-led bodies that aim to bridge the skill gap in various sectors by developing occupational standards, conducting skill gap studies, designing courses and curricula, conducting training of trainers and assessors, certifying trainees, etc.
The MoU was signed on 24 January 2024 at CSIR-HRDC in the presence of Dr. Shekhar C. Mande, Director General, CSIR & Secretary DSIR; Dr. Sudeep Kumar, Head HRDG; Dr. Rajender Singh Sangwan, Director CSIR-NBRI & Acting Director CSIR-CIMAP; Dr. R.K. Sinha, Director CSIR-CSIO; Dr. S.K. Varshney, Head International S&T Affairs Division DST; Dr. Satish Kumar, Director CSIR-HRDC; Shri Rajesh Agrawal, Executive Director & CEO ASCI; Shri Anil Ohri, CEO CGSSC; Shri Rajiv Sharma, CEO HSSC; Shri Ranjit Madan, CEO LSSSDC and other senior officials from CSIR and SSCs.