Learning best practices from India to increase employability in the agro-processing sector

News | 31 October 2022
The study visit delegates were welcomed by H.E. Dr Tizita Mulugeta,
Ambassador of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to India

The ILO ProAgro Ethiopia project aims to support and ensure enhanced quality and more demand oriented TVET training that increases employability and job prospects as part of skills development intervention. To this end, the project held discussions and consultations both at the federal and regional levels with relevant stakeholders to establish a Sector Skills Council (SSC) at the federal level with the potential of having representation from the regions as well.


As per the request from the Ministry of Labour and Skills, the ILO ProAgro project organized and led a learning opportunity in India that has demonstrated good experience and success with Sector Skills Councils (SSCs). The project led a study visit to India from 10-14 October 2022 with the overall objective for the Government of Ethiopia and social partners to learn and draw the experience of the functioning of the Indian National Skills Development Council (NSDC) and agro-processing SSC. Additionally, the visit aimed to experience sharing with the Indian Ministry of Skills and Entrepreneurship which has established systematic, well-functioning, and robust SSCs across 30 thematic sectors.

 
The study visit was led by the Ethiopian State Minister of Labour and Skills H.E Dr. Beker Shale including two experts from the Ministry of Labour and Skills, one expert from the Ministry of Industry, one representative from each of the employers’ organizations (i.e. The Confederation of Ethiopian Employers Federations (CEEF) and Ethiopian Employers Federation (EEF)), one expert from the Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Union (CETU), and three ILO staff.

On the first day of the visit, the Indian NSDC presented its structure, the SSC landscape and its interlinkages with the apprenticeship system in India, followed by a two-day visit to four centres of excellence outside of Delhi focussing on training on skills development, use of technology, operationalisation of PPP model through these centres and operating government schemes in the area of food processing, meat processing and horticulture. A private enterprise in fruits, dairy and vegetable processing and its role in enhancing productivity and job creation was also visited and operations were viewed. Members of the study mission delegation expressed their observation on how the Indian private sector sees skills as a key cornerstone to ensure competitiveness.

“The private sector plays a key role in skills development and job creation in India which the Ethiopian delegation will take as lessons to enhance and develop private sector engagement and contribution to Ethiopia’s skills development.”
H.E Dr. Beker Shale
Ethiopia State Minister of Labour and Skills


A bilateral meeting with the Indian State Minister of Skills and Entrepreneurship - Mr Rajeev Chandershekhar,
Secretary Mr Atul Kumari Tiwari and a team of MOSDE was held with the Ethiopian delegation. 

On the last day of the study visit, the Ethiopian delegation and NSDC India had a half-day workshop in the ILO India Office and discussed the next steps and developed the roadmap for the Government to Government (G2G) technical cooperation. During the workshop, three areas of support that the Ethiopian team needs from NSDC as part of G2G technical cooperation were identified: (1) Policy framework/operationalizing the TVET policy, (2) Composition and private sector engagement and (3) Funding and tasks.

The G2G cooperation will continue with NSDC advisory role and the secondment of Ethiopian experts in India and the NSDC team to travel to Ethiopia in early 2023.

Ethiopian delegates' biographies