Women constitute more than 80 per cent of beneficiaries under Jan Sikshan Sansthan. Besides, there are 19 National Skill Training Institutes (NSTI) and more than 300 ITIs exclusively for women.
The Government of India is taking proactive steps to improve employability of the youth of the nation, including women, through skill development, Jayant Chaudhary, minister of state of the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship said in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The minister said that under the Skill India Mission (SIM), the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship (MSDE) delivers skill, re-skill and up-skill training through an extensive network of skill development centres under various schemes, viz. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Sikhshan Sansthan (JSS), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and Craftsman Training Scheme (CTS) through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), to all the sections of the society including women, across the country. The Skill Indian Mission aims to enable the youth of the country to get future ready and equipped with industry relevant skills.
Special provisions have been made for meeting expenditure on conveyance and boarding and lodging as well as enhanced post placement support for women to encourage the participation of women in skill development programmes. Further, the minister said, PMKVY 4.0 prioritizes and provides special focus to projects that emphasize women as primary beneficiaries. Training programs in sectors like electronics, retail, healthcare, beauty and wellness, handicrafts and apparel are structured to attract higher participation from women. Skill hubs and special projects actively encourage women’s enrolment. He said that the projects are designed to align with local skill demands, creating opportunities for rural women to participate and benefit from skill development schemes.
Significant Representation of Women
This inclusive approach ensures significant representation and benefit for women in skill training programs across the country, the minister informed the Lok Sabha. Also, in NAPS Scheme, the introduction of trades in services sector (Optional Trade) has led to the significant improvement in the women participation in apprenticeship. The percentage of women apprentices has observed an increase from 22.79 per cent in 2024-25 to 25.80 per cent in 2025-26.
As part of the JSS scheme, the focus is on women and other vulnerable sections. Women constitute more than 80 per cent of beneficiaries under JSS. Also, there are 19 National Skill Training Institutes (NSTI) and more than 300 ITIs exclusively for women. Government of India approved 30 per cent reservation of seats for women candidates in all ITIs (government and private) in all courses and these seats could be filled based on the general reservation policy of each respective states and union territories.
MSDE has launched a joint initiative named NAVYA – Nurturing Aspirations through Vocational Training for Young Adolescent Girls. NAVYA is a pilot initiative aimed at equipping adolescent girls aged 16-18 years with a minimum qualification of class 10, with vocational training mainly in non- traditional job-roles. This is in collaboration with ministry of women and child development.
Further, MSDE in collaboration with the Women Entrepreneurship Platform of NITI Aayog, launched the Swavalambini – a women entrepreneurship programme in February 2025 in the north eastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and also in Uttar Pradesh and Telangana. The programme aims to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset among female students through Entrepreneurship Awareness Training (EAP) and Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP). National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD), Noida and Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati are the implementing agencies for the programme.
