Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship launches MGNF programme

The Skill Development Ministry recently launched the Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship (MGNF) programme nationwide in partnership with IIMs. The ministry had earlier launched a pilot programme in 69 districts where 69 fellows were trained. The nine IIMs in collaboration with the ministry are IIM Bangalore, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Visakhapatnam, IIM Udaipur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Nagpur, and IIM Jammu. MGNF 2021-23 will be rolled out nationally in more than 660 districts across India. Its common admission process will be managed by IIM Bangalore.

The government has invited applications from the interested candidates. The registrations will remain open from 15th February to 27th March 2021.

Details of the programme

1. It is a two-year academic programme with an inbuilt component of on-ground practical experience with the district administration.
2. The aim of the programme is to strengthen skills training at the district level
3. It comes under the World Bank loan assisted programme SANKALP (Skills Acquisition & Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion)

Support by Ministry under SANKALP

1. The Ministry will support in Training the Trainer (ToT) system in public-private partnership (PPP) mode 
2. Development of a collaborative approach between industry & the technical & vocational education & training ecosystem

Skills imparted to the fellows under MGNF

The Ministry said that the fellows under the Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship (MGNF) programme will be imparted the following key skills:

1. Academic expertise
2. Technical competency in understanding the overall skill ecosystem and knowledge base 
3. Taking the skill development programme of the government in the right direction 
4. Preparation of TVET trainers with a focus on domain knowledge, pedagogical skills, and industrial experience

The skills development minister said, “The last six years of Skill India have extensively focused on capacity building and creating infrastructure support for vocational training across the country. Our partnership going forward will be more focused on strengthening the overall quality of skill training”.

Two stages of the programme 

The MGNF programme will be conducted in two stages as follows:

1. Preliminary stage: In this stage, the fellows will be imparted training by the nine top IIMs of the country
2. Later stage: In this stage, the fellows will work on strengthening the District Skill Committees & the District Skill administration 

Stipend offered to the fellows  

The fellows under the MGNF programme will be given a stipend of INR 50, 000 per month during the 1st year and INR 60, 000 per month during the 2nd year.

Certificate of completion   

MGNF is a Certificate Program, the fellows will be awarded the Certificate of Public Policy and Management after the successful completion of the programme requirements, which are as follows:

1. The candidate should be a citizen of India
2. The age should be between 21 - 30 years at the time of application
3. At least a graduate in any discipline (Engineering, Law, Medicine, Social Sciences, etc.) from a recognized university or a postgraduate from a recognized university.
4. Three years of work experience after secondary schooling in the social/non-profit sector with an interest in working in rural areas preferred. However, individuals with no work experience and a strong motivation to work in this area may apply
5. The applicant must have the ability to express proficiency in the official language used in the state government.

After completing their training, fellows will be attached to the District Skill Committee and will help in the formulation of the District Skill development plans at the district level.

How to apply

Interested candidates can apply at: iimb.emsecure.in

For admission-related assistance, email helpdesk.mgnf@gmail.com

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