SBI to engage 5,000 Apprentices in collaboration with NSDC and BFSI Sector Skill Council of India Five-day Training of Trainer program launched in Patiala as part of Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship’s Apprenticeship Pakhwada
- In the first phase, SBI will recruit 700 apprentices across three states – Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab.
- During Apprenticeship Pakhwada, 22 states have signed letters of intent with MSDE committing Apprenticeship opportunities to over 2.5 lakh youth Apprenticeship Pakhwada focuses on new reforms promoting apprenticeship; and a new pilot program has been launched to incentivize Third Party Aggregators
State Bank Institute of Learning and Development launched a five-day ‘Train the Trainer’ program for SBI Trainers in Patiala today in partnership with BFSI Sector Skill Council of India. The program is part of the nationwide Apprenticeship Pakhwada launched by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) aimed at promoting Apprenticeship based skilling programs of the government. The focus of MSDE’s National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) is to fill in the demand for industry-ready skilled workforce in the country. The scheme provisions incentives to industry and third-party aggregators to facilitate on-the-job training to youth so that they gain hands on experience and can also earn a stipend while they learn.
The country’s largest bank, State Bank of India (SBI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and BFSI Sector Skill Council of India to recruit 5,000 apprentices in the next one year. The Training of Trainer (ToT) Program for SBI Apprenticeship training began in Patiala today and was attended by Mr. S.C.Joinwal, GM, SBI Patiala; Mr. Ajeet Thakur, GM, SBI New Delhi;Mr. Mahesh Pandey, SBI HO;Ms. Anisha Pandita, Coordinator (Strategic Projects), NSDC and Mr. Ashwani Punn.
The MoU, signed on 15th July, 2019 between NSDC, SBI and BFSI SSC, calls for SBI to promote the program across platformsand encourage youth to participate in the Apprenticeship training and get acquainted with the right skill set that the bank needs across its branch network. As per the MoU, the candidates will be subject to a three-week classroom training, post which they will be deployed in various SBI branches. The bank has already advertised for recruitment of 700 apprentices in the first phase and has received more than 60,000 applications. The written examination for eligible candidates will be conducted on 23rdOctober, 2019 and the first batch will start Apprenticeship training from November 2019. This program will go a long way towards filling vacancies in the bank and providing employment to skilled youth across the country.Under the Apprenticeship Act, 1961, organizationscan engage apprentices in the range of 2.5% to 15% of their employee strength including contract employees.
Expressing his views about apprenticeship,Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Hon’ble Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) said, “Skilling the youth of India is essential for holistic strengthening of the entire employment ecosystem in the country. As skill development is a demand-driven subject, and skill sets are always evolving, companies must make maximum use of the apprenticeship programs of the government. This gives them the power to ensure quality and market-relevant outcomesof skill development programs, across various industry verticals. The reforms in Apprenticeship Act are designed to encourage and further incentivize corporates to engage apprentices in line with Prime Minister’s vision of adequately skilling India’s workforce.Leading government organizations likeSBI are a great example in taking a lead in this initiative. We are pleased to partner with the banking industry and encourage them to come forward in making the apprenticeship program a success.”
Promoting Apprenticeship across the country, MSDE’s 15-day Apprenticeship Pakhwada campaign began in New Delhi on September 30, 2019 at a State Ministers’ Conference that saw participation of more than 80 state representatives. Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Hon’ble Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) announced commitment of Rs. 560 crore to state governments at the inaugural session. As many as 22 states have signed memorandum of participation in the Apprenticeship Scheme and have committed to provide apprenticeship training to more than 2.5 lakh youth in the country.
Apprenticeship has been recognized as an effective way to empower young people to make the shift from school and college to the workplace while improving links between industry and training institutions. The government has brought significant reforms to the apprenticeship rules to drive greater participation in the program. These reforms include:
- Upper limit for engaging apprentices increased from 10% to 15%
- Size limit of an establishment with mandatory obligation to engage apprentices lowered from 40 to 30
- Payment of stipend for 1st year has been fixed rather than linking it to minimum wages, 10% to 15% hike in stipend for 2nd and 3rd year to apprentice
- Duration of apprenticeship training for Optional Trade can be from 6 months to 36 months
- The industry has the option to design and implement their own Apprenticeship programs
- Under NAPS, the establishments / industry can get reimbursement upto 25% of the stipend paid to the apprentices
During the Pakhwada, the Ministry is holding workshops and seminars across states with the aim of improving awareness about Apprenticeship program among establishments and employers across manufacturing and service sectors. These include stakeholders such as Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), industry partners, state governments, industry associations, third-party aggregators and line ministries in various parts of the country.
SBI launched a five-day ‘Train the Trainer’ program for SBI Trainers
As a part of the Pakhwada, a pilot programme for incentivization of Third Party Aggregators has also been launched. TPAs act as catalysts for promotion and advocacy of apprenticeship training by making special efforts to reach maximum number of establishments including the micro, small and medium enterprises. Under the pilot, TPAs shall be incentivized for helping industries engage a large number of youth. .
