BSF personnel, families to be skilled to boost job potential

NEW DELHI: BSF personnel, especially those who have retired or are on the verge of retirement, as well as their families, will be imparted skill training through multi-skill development centres and schools to enhance their employability potential, the government has said.
A tripartite agreement in this regard was signed today between National Skill Development Fund, National Skill Development Corporation and Border Security Force (BSF) here.

As part of the MoU for a duration of five years, "multi skill development centres will be set up in three training centres, 14 frontiers across 46 sectors and 186 Battalions on the Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangladesh borders," a release said.

It said the MoU has been signed to assist retiring and retired BSF personnel to acquire additional skills aligned with the National Skills Qualifications Framework and to the Qualification packs (National Occupational Standards developed by the sector skill councils) in order to enhance their acceptability by the industry and thereby ensuring smooth transition to their second career post-retirement.

Moreover, the retired BSF personnel having the relevant aptitude can be utilised to fill the existing gap of trainers and assessors that are required in the field of vocational training or skill development based on trainer and assessor certification and guidelines set forth by relevant sector skill councils.

"There is an acute scarcity of trainers and assessors with the experience and expertise for skill development in the country and I feel our retired BSF personnel can be a great resource in filling this gap as they are disciplined, technically sound, aware about the work culture and have fair amount of employability skill," Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.

To maintain a skill profile of the serving personnel, Recognition of Prior Learning will be conducted to make an assessment of their potential in their field of experience.

"The MoU will foster employment opportunities and acceptability by the industry thereby facilitating their resettlement through a second career," the release said.

Schools adopted by the BSF at the area of deployment for civic action programme will be facilitated by NSDC to make the schools training National Skills Qualifications Framework compliant for carrying out training activities.