The National Skill Development Agency (NSDA), an autonomous body, (registered as a Society under the Society’s Registration Act 1860) was created with the mandate to co-ordinate and harmonise the skill development activities in the country, is part of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE).

Functions : Gazette Notification of NSDA

• Take all possible steps to meet skilling targets as envisaged in the 12th Five Year Plan and beyond.
• Coordinate and harmonize the approach to skill development among various Central Ministries/Department. State Governments, the NSDC and the Private sector.
• Anchor and operationalize the NSQF to ensure that quality and standards meet sector specific requirements
• Be the nodal agency for State Skill Development Missions
• Raise extra-budgetary resources for skill development from various sources such as international agencies, including multi-lateral agencies, and the private sector.
• Evaluate existing skill development schemes with a view to assessing their efficacy and suggest corrective action to make them more effective.
• Create and maintain a national data base related to skill development including development of a dynamic Labour Market Information System (LMIS).
• Take affirmative action for advocacy.
• Ensure that the skilling needs of the disadvantaged and the marginalized groups like SCs, STs, OBCs, minorities, women and differently abled persons are taken care of and.
• Discharge any other function as may be assigned to it by the Government of India.

Activities undertaken by the NSDA

Besides anchoring and implementation, the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF), some of the other actions taken by the NSDA are as under:

1. Rationalization of the Skill Development Schemes of the Government of India

NSDA has worked with the concerned ministries and stakeholders to achieve convergence of norms across the various central schemes for skill development, while at the same time recognizingthe special needs of the North Eastern States, the hill States, and other geographies that pose challenging situations for skill development.

2. Creation of an integrated Labour Market Information System

A national database on all major aspects of skill development is being created in partnership with all other Ministries of the Government of India and the State Governments. This would be a one-shop stop where all the relevant information is freely available to citizens. The government has created a National Steering Committee for setting up the Labour Market Information System (LMIS). The LMIS would bring in operational efficiencies, would be transparent and available to all, and would help reduce considerably the situation of one individual being benefitted under different schemes.

3. Engagement with States

The NSDA is newactively engaged with the various State governments to plan out their skill development action plan, help them develop their skill development policies, and set up suitable administrative mechanisms. Through Technical Assistance programmes with the Asian Development bank (ADB), European Union (EU) and DFID (Department for International Development of the Government of UK), NSDA is helping the State Skill Development Missions of eleven states build their respective capacities.

4. Skills Innovation Initiative

A committee has been set up under the Skills Innovation Initiative housed under the NSDA. The NSDA invites innovative ideas, concepts and practices on skill development. The Committee reviews all the proposals of innovations to facilitate their application on a wider scale. Selected innovative practices will be facilitated and propagated for wider application. Five innovative approaches and solutions have already been identified for wider propagation.