Kaushal Darpan: A one-stop platform for the skill ecosystem
- By Rahul Saini & Swati Aggarwal
- April 06, 2023
Information Dissemination, Online Portal, Skill Development, Training Centre, Vocations
The unified platform aims to solve information asymmetry among the intended beneficiaries to help them make informed decisions based on their aspirations
Skill development is one of the major stalwarts to drive the growth of our nation and to achieve the intended sustainable development goals, while fulfilling ‘Vision 2047’. In an attempt to strengthen the district skill ecosystem and to aid targeted beneficiaries, to make informed choices about the available skill opportunities, in the Panipat District of Haryana, the Kaushal Darpan app has been launched as a one-stop skill directory. The objective of the portal is to reduce information asymmetry and to consolidate the data available at various district skill institutions.
Prior to the launch of the portal, the information related to various skill-related courses was scattered across departments and an information asymmetry prevailed across the district, leading to irrational and indecisive choices for vocational courses. These uninformed choices were further aggravating the demand-supply mismatch, leading to the rise of the greater issue of ‘skilled-yet-unemployed’. The major reason behind this was the adoption of popular courses by the trainees, without having appropriate information to select the optimum course for themselves. The issue of staggered data was also making it difficult for the district administration to ensure proper implementation and monitoring of skill-related schemes, resulting in inefficient performance of training institutes. Additionally, most of the times success stories and special efforts of skill ambassadors were being neglected, although such accounts can go a long way in acting as potential sources of motivation and empowerment for the skill trainees.
To resolve these issues and strengthen the skill ecosystem, a one-stop skill directory was proposed and developed by the Mahatma Gandhi National Fellow, Panipat, with inputs from the District Skill Committee. The portal can be easily accessed by students to look for available skill courses in the district, which are aligned to their aspirations. Additionally, this portal will cover the details of various skill-related institutes, such as, Haryana Skill Development Mission (HSDM), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Industrial Training Institutes (ITI), National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) based schools, Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETI), etc., along with their eligibility criteria, to help students make informed choices.
Coverage of the project in the local newspaper
Having a unified platform will enable solving the larger problem of information asymmetry among the intended beneficiaries to help them make informed decisions based on their aspiration. It will also assist them in locating the nearest training institute, leading to resolving of issues related to geographical limitations. It provides students with an access to the contact details of the key stakeholders for further inquiries. The websites of the main institutes are also added as hyperlinks for more information and clarity. As of now, more than 500 students have accessed the portal for information.
Kaushal Darpan will act as a single command centre for the district administration, to monitor the progress of various skill verticals, in terms of enrolment, certification and placement. It will act as a go-to point for the District Skill Committee to follow a targeted approach to strengthen the district skill ecosystem. It will also act as a medium to transmit important information related to new projects, initiatives and courses in the field of skill development.
The initiative will thus help in improving efficiency of the skill training institutes, while consolidating efforts of district administration towards skill development. It will also act as a guiding light for the district administration to plan future initiatives, while keeping in mind the current supply of labour force in the market. This portal can hence help in bridging the demand-supply gap, which is the major loophole for better development of the skill ecosystem of the district. Thus, Kaushal Darpan aims to contribute to the dream of making India as a skill capital.
Kaushal Darpan Portal Desktop view
The sustainability and efficiency of the portal will be ensured by regular monthly updation by the Mahatma Gandhi National Fellow, till October 2023, and after that, the task will be taken up by the District Skill Coordinator, as discussed in the District Skill Committee meeting. The portal has been integrated to the district website, for greater reach to the masses in the district. Going forward, this portal will be developed further as per the need of the district to make it a more comprehensive and efficient platform for the District Skill Committee.
Kaushal Darpan is thus a stepping-stone towards strengthening the district skill ecosystem, while meeting the aspirations of the last person in the queue.
Rahul Saini
Swati Aggarwal