Mumbai : Gem and Jewellery Skill Council of India (GJSCI) has signed an agreement with Delhi Prisons to teach the art of jewellery making to women inmates of Tihar jail.
The Council will enroll the inmates through the ‘Tihar Women Inmates Skilling’ programme and teach them jewellery making.
“These women end up committing a crime due to poverty and lack of skills. A programme like this will empower them and make them more independent. That will eventually rehabilitate them back into a normal life as respectable citizens,” said a GJSCI statement.
Formed under the aegis of the National Skill Development Corporation and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, GJSCI has already trained over 80,000 persons.
The gems and jewellery industry has been identified as a priority sector, which contributes almost 6 percent of India’s GDP. The industry currently employs 3.5 million people and is expected to add 2.5 million by 2022.
However, the skilling levels are low. To bridge this gap, GJSCI has been providing a standardized and quality training programme to the karigars/artisans. Though they have inherited skills, this training helps them upgrade their skill levels even while improving their standard of living, said the Council.
GJSCI has created a ‘National Occupation Standard’ with 117 qualification packs needed to train artisans. The qualification packs cover 80 per cent of the manpower requirements of the industry. The curriculum is in multiple languages. It offers certifications across all segments of the industry, including diamond processing, coloured gemstone processing, jewellery manufacturing, besides wholesale and retailing jewellery.
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