Year-End Review 2025: The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), established in 2014 to equip India’s youth with industry-ready skills, has made significant strides over the past 11 years. In 2025, the ministry advanced short-term and long-term vocational training, apprenticeships, entrepreneurship, and support for traditional trades, while expanding global skill mobility. The Year-End Review highlights major achievements, including the upgradation of ITIs under PM-SETU, expansion of PMKVY 4.0, increased apprenticeship opportunities, and international collaborations to position India as a hub for skilled manpower.
National Skilling through PMKVY 4.0
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 4.0 has emerged as a large-scale, demand-driven and outcome-oriented skilling ecosystem, strengthening India’s short-term skilling landscape. As of 7 December 2025, over 27.08 lakh candidates have been trained across 38 sectors, covering 36 States and 732 districts, with more than 7.5 lakh trained since April 2024 in key sectors such as IT-ITeS, aerospace, agriculture, leather, rubber and tourism. The scheme has introduced 77 customised courses and 102 future-skill job roles in emerging areas including AI, Industry 4.0 and green jobs, implemented through over 15,500 institutions, including 7,000 Skill Hubs and premier national institutes. With ₹1,652.89 crore utilised between April 2024 and September 2025, PMKVY has been converged with major national missions to embed skilling across development programmes, while a dedicated ₹200 crore outlay for Training of Trainers and Assessors has led to the certification of over 48,000 professionals. Aligned with priority sectors such as semiconductors, AI, cybersecurity and renewable energy, MSDE has developed over 600 job roles and skilled more than 4.3 lakh youth in new-age courses.
Modernising the ITI Ecosystem and Launch of PM-SETU
Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) continue to form the backbone of long-term vocational education. Between 2014 and 2025, the number of ITIs increased from around 9,977 to over 14,682, with enrolments rising to more than 14 lakh trainees. Reforms such as the Flexi MoU Scheme and Dual System of Training have strengthened industry linkages, while World Bank-supported projects like STRIVE enhanced training quality nationwide.
A landmark reform came with the launch of PM–SETU (Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs), approved at an outlay of ₹60,000 crore. Launched by the Prime Minister in October 2025, PM-SETU aims to upgrade 1,000 government ITIs through a hub-and-spoke model, industry-led Special Purpose Vehicles and state-specialised clusters. Five NSTIs are also being upgraded as National Centres of Excellence with global partnerships.
Expanding Apprenticeships through NAPS 2.0
Apprenticeships remain central to industry-aligned skilling. Since 2016, over 49 lakh apprentices have been engaged under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS). Under NAPS 2.0, nearly 18 lakh apprentices were engaged between FY 2024–25 and November 2025. Government stipend support through Direct Benefit Transfer exceeded ₹859 crore during this period.
Reforms under Jan Vishwas 2.0 reduced compliance burdens, while inclusion of service-sector trades led to a sharp rise in women’s participation, which reached nearly 23% in FY 2024–25. Initiatives such as PM National Apprenticeship Melas and special support for the North Eastern Region further expanded outreach.
Digital Public Infrastructure for Skills – SIDH and Digital Platforms
The Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH), launched in 2023, has emerged as India’s Digital Public Infrastructure for skills. Integrated with Aadhaar, DigiLocker, GSTN, NCS and Bhashini, SIDH enables seamless training, certification, crediting and employment linkage. Between April 2024 and September 2025, SIDH recorded over 1.6 crore candidate registrations, enabled more than ₹1,100 crore in DBTs and hosted over 10 lakh job and apprenticeship opportunities.
Entrepreneurship Development and Access to Finance
Through NIESBUD and IIE, over 12.75 lakh individuals have received entrepreneurship training, leading to the creation of more than 26,000 enterprises. Women-focused programmes like Swavalambini strengthened inclusive entrepreneurship. The revamped Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme for Skill Development expanded loan limits and institutional participation, improving access to skill financing.
Inclusive Skilling – Jan Shikshan Sansthan
Jan Shikshan Sansthans trained over 33 lakh beneficiaries from rural, tribal and marginalised communities, with full digital integration into SIDH. Globally, MSDE strengthened India’s position as a skilled manpower hub through G2G agreements with seven countries and Skill India International Centres, which trained over 8,300 candidates for overseas employment.
Taking Indian Skills Global
MSDE has strategically positioned India as a global hub for skilled manpower through Government-to-Government agreements, migration partnerships and international skill centres. India currently has seven active G2G MoUs with key partner countries and has embedded skill development into multiple labour and mobility agreements. Deployment of skilled Indian workers has gained momentum in countries such as Israel, Japan and Mauritius, supported by targeted training, RPL and sector-specific skilling. Complementing this, Skill India International Centres and Pre-Departure Orientation Training have strengthened ethical and informed overseas employment, with thousands of candidates trained in language, domain skills and workplace readiness. At the same time, MSDE continues to address domestic skill gaps through demand-driven training and deeper industry participation, with leading corporates contributing to industry-aligned qualifications.
Skill Competitions and Celebrating Skill Pride
India’s skilling ecosystem showcased strong outcomes through WorldSkills, IndiaSkills and employment-linked initiatives. At the WorldSkills Competition 2024 in Lyon, Team India competed in 52 skills with 60 participants and secured the 13th position, winning four Bronze Medals and 12 Medallions of Excellence, while utilising ₹45.92 crore of the sanctioned NSDF support. At WorldSkills Asia 2025 in Chinese Taipei, India ranked 8th, earning one Silver, two Bronze medals and three Medallions of Excellence. Domestically, the IndiaSkills National Competition 2023–24 saw over 900 competitors across 61 skills, while IndiaSkills Competition 2025 attracted 3.65 lakh registrations in 63 skills nationwide. Employment-focused Kaushal Mahotsavs recorded significant outreach with over 1.87 lakh registrations since 2022, and the Kaushal Deekshant Samaroh 2025, held at Vigyan Bhawan, marked the felicitation of ITI and NSTI toppers and the formal launch of the PM-SETU scheme.
Strengthening Governance, Quality and Decentralised Planning
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has implemented comprehensive reforms to make India’s skilling ecosystem scalable, accountable, and quality-driven. Under NCVET, uniform standards are ensured through 139 Awarding Bodies and 68 Assessment Agencies, while the ISDS cadre professionalises scheme administration. Enforcement actions deactivated 4.5 lakh ITI seats and de-affiliated 415 ITIs. The World Bank-supported SANKALP programme strengthened institutional capacity, expanding District Skill Committees to 776, preparing State Skill Development Plans for 27 States/UTs, and facilitating over 1.3 crore candidate registrations on SIDH. Key outcomes include 24,055 certifications, 18,192 placements, 21,602 enterprises established, and 20,575 wage employment opportunities generated. Additionally, National and Global Skill Gap Studies, AR/VR-based E-Skill Labs, and sectoral demand assessments have fostered a decentralised, data-driven, and inclusive ecosystem aligned with national and international priorities.
National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) – Regulator for Skill Development
The National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), established in 2018, serves as India’s unified regulator for vocational education and training, ensuring standardisation, quality, and national recognition across schools, universities, ITIs, and other institutions. With 229 recognised Awarding Bodies and Assessment Agencies, NCVET drives modern, industry-aligned qualifications, digital governance through KaushalVerse, AI readiness via the SOAR initiative, employability skills, and strengthened apprenticeship pathways. It also leads strategic workforce initiatives like semiconductor talent development and global collaborations through Skill India International Centres, National Centres of Excellence, and partnerships with countries including France, Australia, Singapore, Japan, Germany, the Philippines, Africa, and the EU, positioning India for a skilled, future-ready workforce aligned with national priorities and global standards.
Conclusion – India’s Workforce, India’s Power
In just over a decade, MSDE has laid a strong foundation for a skilled, aspirational and entrepreneurial India. From mass skilling and ITI reform to digital platforms, artisan empowerment and global mobility, Skill India has become integral to national growth. As India advances towards Viksit Bharat @2047, every skilled citizen remains central to the country’s economic and social transformation.
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