National skills registry launches in India

The Indian Government is working to establish a national skills registry to match trained job seekers and apprentices with hiring employers.

The initiative, from the Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Ministry comes amid increasing debate about a lack of advanced-level jobs in the country.

The registry will hold the data of nearly 20 million trained people, with developers from technology firm IBM working to create a system that best matches them with around 20,000 companies and organisations.

“The way we have a national database for passports, we shall have a national registry for skills,” ministry spokesman Rajesh Agrawalsaid.

“Jobs are a big debate (issue) in India, and if we can match trained manpower with what employers are looking for, it will help in employment generation and sustainable livelihood.”