Indian Railways on Friday launched an entry level training programme in ‘industry relevant’ skills for youths through its 75 railway training institutes spread across the country.
Christened as Rail Kaushal Vikas Yojana (RKVY), the training programme was launched by Minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw here at the Rail Bhawan here.
The training will be provided under the aegis of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) to commemorate the 75 years of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav programme, an initiative of the Modi led government at the Center.
“The vision of skill development is an integral part of the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and 50 thousand youth will be trained under Rail Kaushal Vikas Yojana. The aim of this initiative is to impart training skills to the youth in various trades to bring qualitative improvement,” the minister said in his address. He said the training would also be conducted for youths in the remote areas of the country.
The training will be provided to 50000 candidates over a period of three years. Initially, the training will be provided to 1000 candidates. The training will be provided in four trades viz. Electrician, Welder, Machinist and Fitter and will comprise of initial basic training of 100 hours. Training programs in other trades will be added by zonal railways and Production units based on regional demands and needs assessment, according to a Railway ministry note.
Training shall be provided free of cost and participants will be selected from applications received online, following a transparent mechanism on the basis of marks in matriculation. Candidates who are 10th passed and between 18-35 years shall be eligible to apply. Participants in the scheme shall however have no claim to seek employment in Railways on the basis of this training.The program curriculum has been developed by Banaras Locomotive Works, the nodal PU for this scheme, which will also standardise assessments and maintain a centralized database of participants.
The scheme is being launched for 1000 participants initially and will be over and above the training provided to apprentices under the Apprentice Act 1961. A nodal website is being developed as the single source of information about programs offered, notification inviting application, lists of selected candidates, results of selection, final assessment, study material and other details. Currently, applicants may apply in response to the advertisements issued locally in the initial phase. Submission of online application shall be opened soon on a centralized website.
Trainees shall be required to undergo a standardized assessment and will be awarded a certificate in the allotted trade by the National Rail & Transportation Institute, upon conclusion of their programme. They will also be provided Toolkits relevant to their trade which would help these trainees utilize their learning and enhance their capacity for self-employment as well as employability in various industries, the ministry note further added.