NSDC, LinkedIn collaborate to teach free digital skills training

National Skill Development Corporation and professional network LinkedIn on Tuesday said they have joined hands to provide access to free LinkedIn Learning resources for imparting digital skills to youth for enhancing employability.

LinkedIn will also provide periodic labour market insights based on its economic graph of more than 69 million members in India. This will include in-demand skills, emerging jobs, and global hiring rates to NSDC to better understand the skilling ecosystem.

According to LinkedIn data, Indian professionals with digital skills were 20 per cent more in demand than professionals without digital skills in 2020. LinkedIn is the world's largest online professional network.

"With this in mind, the LinkedIn and NSDC collaboration aims to enable a future-ready digital workforce by providing access to free learning resources aligned with 10 in-demand jobs in today's digital economy", National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) stated.

The 10 free LinkedIn Learning paths will help India's youth develop the skills needed for those jobs, it added. Each learning path includes video content designed to help job-seekers develop core digital skills needed for an in-demand tech role, covering a range of skills from entry-level digital literacy to advanced product-based skills.

Given the need for adaptable and transferable skills in the current times, LinkedIn is also making available for free, three additional soft skills learning paths on the eskill India portal, the statement said.

"NSDC is facilitating online acquisition of skills through new-age platforms to create a technically competitive workforce. Our collaboration with LinkedIn reflects our commitment to advance digital competencies and skills of young professionals," NSDC CEO & MD Manish Kumar said.

Ashutosh Gupta, India Country Manager, LinkedIn, said upskilling will prove to be a crucial factor on India's path to economic recovery. "By making digital reskilling resources more accessible, we hope to level the playing field so that everyone has an opportunity to not just get back into the workforce, but to also reskill and obtain meaningful work," he added.