Flipkart, Karnataka and Centre join hands to build skilled workforce for e-commerce industry

Bengaluru: Flipkart, India's homegrown e-commerce marketplace, on Friday, announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Logistics Skill Sector Council (LSC), an organisation set up by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) through National Skill Development Corporation of India (NSDC) and Karnataka Skill Development Centre (KSDC). As part of this MoU, Flipkart has launched an industry-first Centre of Excellence (CoE) to build a skilled and trained workforce for the fast-growing e-commerce industry in India.

The centre aims to bring the spotlight on the importance of skill development for the sector and complement its growth in the coming years. Flipkart has co-developed the extensive training module along with LSC & KSDC, to train candidates on the various nuances of storage and distribution, customer management, and material handling. This also includes imparting knowledge on local transportation laws and regulations and giving students holistic knowledge of the end-to-end supply chain. Karnataka Kaushalya Mission, which is part of the Department of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Livelihood, Karnataka Government, and LSC is helping mobilise aspirants for the Centre of Excellence.

The training also covers the necessary "soft skills" required to interact with customers. In addition to the above training, selected candidates will also get an opportunity to join an apprenticeship program with Flipkart under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme to work on various aspects of a supply chain. This 60-day training will also increase the candidates' employment prospects in the fast-growing e-commerce sector in India

Upon successful completion of the training, candidates will be awarded certification under the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSFQ), which is equivalent to an undergraduate degree. This certificate is recognised across seven countries including, Australia, Denmark, Germany and Saudi Arabia. Through this initiative, Flipkart aims to enhance the employability of unskilled and unemployed people and make them a part of India's skilled and certified workforce.

Commenting on the announcement, Amitesh Jha, Senior Vice-President and Head of Ekart, said, "As one of the leading e-commerce players in the country with an extensive and robust supply chain, we understand the importance of having a trained workforce for the long-term sustainability of the logistics industry. We are also cognisant of our responsibility towards the workforce to create further employment opportunities and ensure career progression through such initiatives."

Captain T.S. Ramanujam, Chairman of Logistics Skill Sector Council, said, "Unemployment and unemployability are two of the big issues the country faces today. There are many who lack either the skills or the certification for their skills – both of which are necessary for securing employment in the formal economy. The logistics industry is one of the largest employers in the country with over 40 million people employed in the supply chain but faces the shortage of skilled manpower to meet the growing demand. Our first-of-its-kind industry partnership with Flipkart is a bright step towards bringing industry acceptability and employment to the unskilled workforce."