Page 69 - EW November 2024

stipends ranging between Rs.13,000- com, where he acquired 12 years of Future plans. With the National Edu-
15,000 under a 100 percent employ- industry experience before his ap- cation Policy (NEP) 2020 mandating
er-funded model. pointment at TLDA in 2014. degree apprenticeships that combine
Since it was established a decade The TLDA apprenticeship on-the-job training and academic ed-
ago, TLDA has partnered with 22 programme is open to graduate, ucation and a skilling, upskilling and
universities (including its Team- postgraduate, and diploma students/ reskilling fever raging countrywide
Lease Skill University, Gujarat) and graduates, and offers work integrated (see EW cover story, August), Kumar
300 colleges, 150 field recruiters, learning programs and apprentice- is optimistic about the growth and
and multiple government agencies, ships under the Union government’s development of TLDA.
to place 1 million apprentices in over National Apprenticeship Training “The Central government is
150 job roles. Moreover, the firm has Scheme and National Apprentice- planning to formalise and extend ap-
recorded an excellent transition rate ship Promotion Scheme, as well as prenticeship tenures to a structured
of 98 percent into formal employ- the recently launched PM Internship seven-year period starting from
ment, with 40 percent employed Scheme. secondary school, thereby aligning
in the firm/company in which they Direct talk. “The USP of our degree traditional academics with practi-
apprenticed. apprenticeship programmes is that cal on-the-job learning. This formal
Newspeg. In July, Kumar was in Kol- they combine practical academic integration will significantly boost
kata to finalise outreach programmes programmes with on-the-job training employability of the world’s largest
and promote TLDA in West Bengal to allow students to acquire hands- children and youth population. Our
and eastern India. on workplace experience while target is to mobilise and train 2 mil-
History. An alumnus of University they are in higher education. And lion youth in the next five years for
of Jammu, Kumar began his career encouragingly, 24-25 percent of our apprenticeship programmes,” says
in 1999 with Feedback Ventures, apprentices are women, significantly Kumar.
followed by stints with Marriott contributing to gender diversity and God speed!
International Hotels, and Monster. inclusivity in the workforce,” he says. Baishali Mukherjee (Kolkata)

NOVEMBER 2024 EDUCATIONWORLD 69