India launches pilot project for skills training of girls to boost their presence in labour force

New Delhi: India will undertake door-to-door mobilisation of adolescent girls to impart skills training and bring them into the labour market, a first of its kind initiative to enhance women labour force participation in the country.

The ministry of skills development and entrepreneurship (MSDE) has entered into an agreement with the ministry of women and child development (MWCD) for a special pilot project which will prepare women to enter the workforce at an early age, a senior government official told ET.

Under the pilot project, skills training will be imparted to 3,800 adolescent girls in 27 districts across 19 states in non-traditional job roles, including IT, hospitality and green jobs.

Besides, incentives like cost of boarding and lodging, conveyance allowance, one-time travel cost and post placement stipend will be given to these candidates to attract and retain them in the workforce.

Based on the success, the project could be scaled up to more districts and states.

"The primary aim of the project is to increase female workforce participation, empower women and to instill entrepreneurial skills in them. This would give a fillip to overall economic growth in the country," the official added.

The ministry of women and child development has undertaken district-wise, centre-wise and course-wise mapping of each adolescent girl to help track their progress and placement after training.

As per the periodic labour force survey (PLFS), by the ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI), women labour force participation rate in the country went up from 23.3% in 2017-18 to 41.7% in 2023-24. However, this is much below the global average female labour force participation rate of over 53% or labour force participation rate of over 75% for men in India.

The ministry of women and child development has already enrolled 2,200 adolescent girls out of which 1,346 girls have been identified for batch formation across 21 training centers in 15 districts.

The identified job roles under which skills training will be imparted to the identified candidates includes 32 hours of training as non-clinical caretaker for mother and newborn, play school facilitator cum caregiver, assistant creche caretaker and care homes supervisor, among others.

The government would handhold candidates and also provide soft skill training, over and above the vocational training, will focus on holistic development of the candidates, including health and wellness, provide career counselling and job placements and also monitor and evaluate progress of each candidate to gauge the success of the pilot project.