EskillIndia from NSDC – India’s gateway to online skill development

India faces two critical challenges when it comes to skilling its workforce. One is upskilling the existing workforce and the other is ensuring that the new entrants in the market are well trained as per the industry requirements. These challenges tend to grow significantly as the technology is fast-changing and newer skills are required to perform the tasks. 

However, the advancements in technology and the use of the latest digital tools have enabled the students across India and the world to learn a new skill or upskill themselves from the comfort of their homes. 

With the aim to make India the next Skill Capital of the World and to skill India’s youth for the future, NSDC i.e., National Skill Development Corporation has developed EskillIndia, which is a multilingual portal offering more than 400 courses in about 10 regional languages. These courses are spread across fields like agriculture, construction, retail, beauty and wellness, plumbing, and IT-ITES among others. 

“These are unprecedented times and digital learning initiatives are playing a critical role in keeping learners connected and in maintaining continuity. There are a plethora of online resources and platforms that skill seekers and professionals can use to equip themselves with new-age skills in the current scenario. We have several collaborations with leading knowledge providers to facilitate self- learning by providing access to high-quality online learning resources”, Dr. Manish Kumar, MD and CEO, NSDC. 

Most of the courses offered in EskillIndia portal follow QP NOS and NSQF levels prescribed by the NSDC. The courses are available in English, Hindi and other regional languages like Tamil, Malayalam, Odia, etc. There are both paid as well as free courses available on the portal. The eskillIndia portal is an aggregate portal, where the content is developed and provided by various content and knowledge partners of NSDC from across the country. The eSkillIndia portal aggregates content from some of the leading digital knowledge providers such as Salesfroce, SAS, IBM, TCS, BetterU, Simplilearn, Amrita University and some of the global leaders in e-learning like EnglishScore, SAS India, Saylor Academy (USA) and UpGrad.

For accessing the courses, students have to enrol by signing up on the portal. Students will then be able to access the courses they would like to pursue. Before taking up any course, a student can preview the course. Students should also note that some of the courses require pre-qualifications like 9th class pass, intermediate, or graduation. The dashboard on the site helps the students to track their progress, access assignments, and assessments, and also ask questions in case of any doubts. The information about the certification is mentioned on the course information page and the certification will be provided by the NSDC’s Knowledge Partners.

No matter how well crafted the courses are, reaping its benefits will differ from student to student. Because doing an online course requires great time management skills and self-motivation. Internet connections may not be good all the time. It could be one of the major hindrances, especially in rural areas. Students who are less technology-savvy can find it difficult to cope with their peers who are taking up the same course. 

Related article: NSN presents an exclusive Skill Talk with Dr. Manish Kumar, CEO, NSDC  https://www.nationalskillsnetwork.in/nsn-presents-a-skill-talk-with-dr-manish-kumar-ceo-nsdc/

Though e-learning has its set of challenges, it also has a share of advantages. E-learning portals like EskillIndia enable aspiring learners to have skilling opportunities beyond the boundaries of location and space. EskillIndia is one of its kind national level portal with a number of courses to choose from. Since all the courses are approved and provided by NSDC, all the courses are in sync with the industry, which will eventually help the students to be employable. This kind of any time and anywhere access to learning plays a crucial role in contributing towards making the quality content available even in the remotest part of the country.