Employment Through Skills Training And Placement (EST&P)
This component of NULM will focus on providing assistance for development / upgrading of the skills of the urban poor so as to enhance their capacity for self-employment and salaried employment. EST&P intends to provide training to the urban poor as per the skill demand from the market, so that they can set up self-employment ventures or secure salaried employment. EST&P will target the urban poor subjected to occupational vulnerability. No minimum or maximum educational qualification is prescribed for the selection of beneficiaries under EST&P. The percentage of women beneficiaries under EST&P shall not be less than 30 percent. SCs and STs must be benefited at least to the extent of the proportion of their strength in the city/town population of poor. A special provision of 3 percent reservation should be made for the differently abled under this programme. In view of the Prime Minister's 15-Point Programme for the Welfare of Minorities, at least 15 percent of the physical and financial targets under this component shall be earmarked for the minority communities. Apart from that, special attention will be paid to the skill upgradation of vulnerable groups like beggars, rag pickers, construction workers, destitute, etc.
Skill training will be linked to accreditation and certification and preferably be undertaken on a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode. It will involve reputed institutes, including ITIs, Polytechnics, NITs, industry associations, engineering colleges, management institutes, skill training centres, foundations, NSDC and other reputed entities in government, private and civil society sectors. The selection of these institutes/agencies to impart skills training shall be subject to a transparent process/ verification of brand image and the quality of instructions being imparted.
The cost per beneficiary shall not exceed Rs.15,000 (Rs.18,000 for North-Eastern and Special Category States), which will include training cost, trainee moblisation, selection, counselling, training material, trainers' fee, certification, toolkit, other miscellaneous expenses to be incurred by the training institution and also micro-enterprise development/ placement related expenses. If the training cost is higher than the maximum cost per beneficiary permissible under the scheme, the same may be met by the State Government or the beneficiaries.
A part of the payment will be linked to establishment of and satisfactory performance of micro-enterprise for at least a period of 6 months or retention in the placed jobs for at least a period of 6 months.
The organisations/agencies imparting skill training should work closely with reputed institutes, certifying institutions, industry, SHGs, their federations and CLCs in ULBs for identification, counselling, training, certification and placement of beneficiaries. For placement linked skill training, the Skill Training Providers (STPs) will be responsible for at least 50 percent placement in remunerative jobs or as decided by the National Skill Development Authority.
Given the diversity of local contexts, each State will decide the skills important for local economies. Apart from hard skills, training on soft skills should also be provided as a part of the same training programme. This may include Spoken English/National/State Language, Financial Literacy, Computer Literacy, Life Skills including training on office and social etiquette, punctuality, etc. States may reflect appropriate specification in that regard in the selection of and agreement signed with Skills Training Providers (STPs)
Cost for training in different sectors for varying durations with placement/certification is to be worked out by the respective Mission Management Units at Central, State and City levels subject to the guidelines to be issued under NULM.