The Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha has said that the civil aviation sector has the potential to create about 10 lakh direct jobs in the next decade. Given a six- fold multiplier effect that jobs in this sector have, this can lead to the creation of about 60 lakh jobs – direct and indirect – in the next 10 years. As jobs in the civil aviation sector tend to be of high value, this would go a long way in improving the economic condition of a large number of young people. The minister also said that the sector can reasonably be expected to grow at an average rate of about 10-12 per cent over the next 10 years. However, to achieve this, there is a need to fill the gap between the demand for skilled manpower for a variety of trades in the sector, and the availability of the same. Stressing upon the need for world class training and skilling, he said that this can raise the employability of Indians across the world. Sinha also flagged the issue of non-availability of land to build airports as another constraint for growth of the sector.
The minister was speaking at a workshop themed “Building Awareness on Aligning Skill Development in the Civil Aviation Sector” with the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) in New Delhi. The event was attended by the Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Rajiv Pratap Rudy and senior officers of both ministries. Speaking on the occasion, Rudy informed that his ministry has developed about 1,500 course curricula for training in various skills across ministries. The biggest challenge before his team has been to define the various kinds of skills and the ecosystem of each, define job roles and tailor the training programme accordingly. In this context, he said that aligning a training programme to the National Skill Qualification Framework was crucial as the framework provides for standardised, consistent, nationally acceptable outcomes of training across the country.
The event also saw the signing of an MoU between the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship for training of people in the various trades associated with the civil aviation sector. Sinha hailed this MoU as a momentous one.
Also speaking on the occasion Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation Rajiv Nayan Choubey said that the aim of the ministry’s Civil Aviation Policy is to raise domestic ticketing from the present about 80 million to about 300 million. However in order to meet this, there is a need to fill the existing gap in availability of skilled manpower. Rohit Nandan, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship emphasised on the need for world class training across trades and levels as the civil aviation industry is international in nature. He also stressed upon the need for uniform training.
Officials of the two ministries held day-long discussions on issues like NSQF, setting up of skill development centres and centres of excellence, training of trainers, identifying job roles, national occupational standards and other training related matters.
