Mumbai: Under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PMKVY- 2), GJSCI commenced another ambitious project called Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Program in Seepz. The aim behind this initiative is to uplift the karigars of gems & jewellery industry in India. The event was inaugurated by Shri N.P.S. Monga I.T.S Development Commissioner, SEEPZ-SEZ (Maharashtra, Goa, Daman & Diu), in the presence of Mr. Gaurav Kapoor- Head Industry Partnerships & CSR-NSDC, Mr. Rajeev Pandya- President SGJMA, Mr. Vinod Khewalkar- Apprenticeship Advisor, Mr. Prem Kumar Kothari- Chairman GJSCI & Mr. Binit Bhatt- CEO GJSCI. The event was attended by the top management of various companies nestled in the SEEPZ premise.
GJSCI has been relentlessly contributing towards Hon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Skill India program and has been taking several measures and steps to nurture the 3.5 million skilled yet uncertified labour-force of the gems and jewellery industry. Identified as one of the priority sectors by the Government, this industry contributes 6% to 7% of the nation's GDP and according to NSDC & ICRA and is expected to grow by 100% in terms of manpower requirement and will have job openings for another 3.5 million candidates by 2022.
On the other hand, the unstructured nature of the industry where artisans who contribute majorly to the jewellery creation process have inherited skills but no certifications and ironically live quite a lackluster life with everyday struggle to make ends meet in the otherwise glamorous industry. RPL program will help candidates to identify their inherited skills and get certified for the same which will equip them to get better and more stable jobs and avail of entrepreneurship opportunities. While struggling to make a living many of them switch careers to upgrade their lives. Need of the hour is to bring a change in an artisan’s life to ensure that they are retained in the industry as with them will also die several Indian jewellery making styles and techniques.
“Our motive is to educate and produce skilled & certified labour-force to this industry which will not only provide them good working conditions, but also ensure physical well-being thus enabling their standard of living. This certification will help the karigars to understand their expertise and work on the same towards enhancement. We look forward to shift the core of this lucrative industry from unorganized to organized through the RPL Program”, said Prem Kothari, Chairman, GJSCI.
“GJSCI aims to enroll the candidates to the course by spreading awareness through industry-based career counselling. RPL so far has already trained 80,000 plus candidates and over 20,000 of them are already certified under the RPL program conducted in different parts of the country. Mumbai, being the financial capital of India is one the most lucrative markets for gems & jewellery. This also indicates high number of karigars working for a number of jewellery brands. The idea behind launching RPL in Mumbai, SEEPZ is to enable the skilled-yet-uncertified labourforce of this city to gain certified formal knowledge, which is crucial for betterment and will also help the jewellers to gauge their workforce and optimize them accordingly”, said Mr. Binit Bhatt, C.E.O, GJSCI.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
The Recognition of Prior Learning programme identifies previous learnings, often experiential and recognises the talent towards gaining a qualification. Jewellery manufacturing organisations employing artisans experienced through non-formal learning channels can opt to get their employees certified as per national standards and understand their skillsets in order to build on what they have learnt. There are mainly two types of RPL viz. Scheme & Non-Scheme, both are almost similar, the only difference is that RPL under Scheme offers reward money on being assessed and successfully certified and Non-Scheme doesn’t.
