To bridge the gap between skilling and employment, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Generation India Foundation (GIF) today announced the launch of Project AMBER (Accelerated Mission for Better Employment and Retention) in New Delhi.

The initiative aims to develop and implement a scalable, and sustainable model of skill development that supports inclusive growth to ensure better outcomes and institutional strengthening, to empower India’s youth with industry-relevant skills and employment opportunities.

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The project is equally funded by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) under the Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) programme, and private philanthropy and aims to train 30,000 youth, 50 per cent of whom will be women. The training will be conducted in Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKKs) across 70 districts in COVID-resilient job roles.

Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship secretary Rajesh Aggarwal said, “The country today needs to invest in skill development and training for its unique demography. The skilling ecosystem has changed, especially after the pandemic, and it is our prerogative to make sure our youth find employment in the changing job market. Initiatives such as AMBER allow employers and industry to join hands to provide prospects in Covid-resilient job roles. Keeping the attrition rate in mind, we should also ensure candidates get the right industry exposure, counselling and pre-training to build their confidence. I am confident that this programme will inspire more global players and philanthropies to invest in India’s skill development programmes and attract the youth to vocational training in their aspiration to be self-reliant.”

Identified Covid-resilient sectors and job roles for this project include ~ general duty assistant, junior full stack developer, retail sales associate, customer service executive, sewing machine operator, hospital front desk executive, solar PV installer, food & beverage steward. The job roles will be launched over a period of two years.

Ved Mani Tiwari, COO, National Skill Development Corporation said, “Project AMBER is an ambitious effort to train, place, and support Indian youth into jobs that will provide life-changing stability for them and their families, and we are delighted to be part of it,” said Mona Mourshed, global CEO of Generation.

“This collaborative effort brings together government, private sector, and nonprofit organizations and is exactly what’s required to address the urgent challenge of getting people into work as the economy recovers from the shocks of the pandemic.”

Project AMBER will lean on the holistic seven-step approach of GIF, which will be utilised to drive higher quality skills, improve employment and retention outcomes. The BlackRock Foundation and McKinsey & Company are supporting the project.