Mumbai: Gems & Jewellery Skill Council of India Launched the RPL Program (Recognition of Prior Learning) as the first step to uplift the Karigars in the Gems & Jewellery Sector along with an awareness Ad Film during a conference at Indian Merchants Chamber in presence of Industry Thought leaders like Prem Kumar Kothari, Chairman, GJSCI, Binit Bhatt, COO, GJSCI, Vijay Waghmare, CEO, Maharashtra State Skill Development Society, Clement Chauvet, Chief Skill & Business Development, United Nations Development Programme, Nisha Savara, Rural Politician & President of Asamant Foundation and Praveen Shankar Pandya, Chairman, GJEPC.
The release of a documentary that depicts the life of an Indian artisan that highlights the benefit of the program was followed by the unveiling of ‘Nurture’, an installation that signifies GJSCI’s vision to nurture talent in the industry. It was curated by differently abled artists who are undergoing training for various job roles under the aegis of GJSCI. The event furthermore included certification ceremony for candidates who completed some of GJSCI’s 86 qualification pack.
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 labourforce 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.
‘At GJSCI our aim is to create awareness and counsel candidates about career choices and prep them to enrol for courses. RPL program will play a very important role to achieve this aim. We have so far trained 80,000 plus candidates and certified 20,000 plus candidates in RPL. We have a massive target of training 2.7 million individuals and at the same time attract bright talent to create a career in the industry that has several roles and job opportunities to offer. Also, the nation needs to recognize the latent talent that has been present in the gems and jewellery industry through RPL’, said Mr. Binit Bhatt, COO, GJSCI at the event.
‘We are working towards ensuring that a skilled & certified labour force is created in the industry which has the right work environment which ensures their financial and physical wellbeing apart from increasing their productive. For this initiative we are constantly working with several state governments. RPL is the first step for an individual to explore career choices in the industry on the other hand our initiative Dakshagram will play as a catalyst towards the transition of the Gems & Jewellery Industry from being unorganized to organized.’, said Prem Kothari, Chairman, GJSCI.
