DFID and Skills Council for Persons with Disabilities organized workshop on “Paving ways for skilling People with Different Abilities”

New Delhi : Department for International Development and Skills Council for Persons with Disabilities organized a Workshop on “Paving Ways for Skilling People with Different Abilities” on 31 January at Indian Habitat Centre, New Delhi to explore avenues for increasing skilling and employment opportunities for PwDs. This platform had officials participating from Central Government, British High Commission, academia, industry, NGOs and others leading insightful discussions on paving the road ahead for the PwDs in India.

The Workshop discussed challenges faced by PwDs. Indian and UK corporate and training providers showcased the many approaches and models that have been used for skilling people with different abilities.

Nick Dyer, Director General, Policy and Global Programme, DFID said that “Improving vocational training and employment opportunities for persons with disability is not only a critical element for enhancing the quality of life for individuals and their families, but also there are substantial gains for the broader economy.”

Shri K P Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, said “The objectives of the mission (Skill India) in four set of words, scale, quality, aspirations, and inclusiveness and perhaps the fifth element, given the urgency of the matter, doing all of this with speed.”

Shakuntala D. Gamlin, Secretary, DEPD, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said “The task is daunting and challenging, but we need to create now a huge paraphernalia of frameworks of missionary, institutional capabilities and professionals…to do early interventions.”

Mr. Anup K Srivastava, Chief Executive Officer, Skill Council for Persons with Disability shared his views on skilling of disabled and requirement of inclusiveness to align the disabled with the mainstream.

Ms. Anu Gupta, Head Skills & Inclusion, Department for International Development, India office and various other dignitaries from various institutions of repute attended the workshop.