Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana

The Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) is the flagship skill-development scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, launched in 2015 under the Skill India Mission. It provides training, assessment and certification to help youth acquire industry-relevant skills and improve their livelihood opportunities.

Core objectives

• PMKVY seeks to provide industry-relevant skills that improve employability, productivity and access to better livelihood opportunities.
• It promotes short-duration skill training for youth, particularly new entrants to the labour market and those requiring additional vocational skills.
• Through Recognition of Prior Learning, it assesses and certifies skills acquired informally through work experience or traditional occupations.
• It aims to standardise training, assessment and certification through the National Skills Qualification Framework and occupational standards.
• It seeks to align the supply of trained workers with sectoral and local demand, thereby reducing skill mismatches in the economy.

How the objectives are pursued

The scheme combines training with assessment and certification rather than treating course attendance alone as the outcome.

• Short-Term Training provides vocational and employability skills to candidates needing fresh training.
• Recognition of Prior Learning formally recognises existing competencies and provides bridge training where required.
• Special Projects support training for groups, locations or job roles that may not fit the regular training-centre model.
• The scheme is administered by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, with the National Skill Development Corporation playing a central implementation role.

Development significance

PMKVY addresses the gap between educational attainment and workplace skills. By improving employability and certifying informal skills, it can support labour mobility, productivity and inclusion, although skill training must be accompanied by sufficient creation of productive jobs.