The Skill India Mission, officially launched in 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aimed to equip over 400 million Indians with market-relevant skills by 2022. While the mission gained significant momentum post-2015, the groundwork and early institutional scaffolding were heavily influenced by key figures at the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), a public-private partnership crucial to India's skilling ecosystem. Among these were Dilip Chenoy, who served as CEO and Managing Director, and Atul Bhatnagar, the Chief Operating Officer.

During their tenures, particularly in the years leading up to the formal launch of the Skill India Mission, Chenoy and Bhatnagar were instrumental in building the foundation upon which the national skilling agenda would later expand. The NSDC, under their leadership, focused on:

Catalysing Private Sector Participation

A core mandate of the NSDC was to foster private sector investment and initiatives in skill development. Chenoy and Bhatnagar worked to create a framework that encouraged companies and training providers to engage in large-scale skilling programs. This involved developing innovative funding models and partnerships that leveraged private capital and expertise to address India's massive skill gap. Their efforts were crucial in moving skill development from a purely government-driven approach to a more collaborative public-private model.

Establishing Sector Skill Councils (SSCs)

A significant contribution was the establishment and operationalization of Sector Skill Councils (SSCs). These industry-led bodies were designed to identify skill gaps, develop qualification packs (QPs) and national occupational standards (NOS), and standardize training delivery and assessments across various sectors. This structural innovation, championed by the NSDC leadership, was vital for ensuring that the skills imparted were industry-relevant and met the actual demands of employers, thereby improving employability.

Scaling Up Training Infrastructure

To meet ambitious skilling targets, there was a pressing need to expand training infrastructure across the country. Chenoy and Bhatnagar oversaw initiatives to scale up the network of training partners and institutes. This involved vetting and empaneling training providers, developing quality assurance mechanisms, and extending the reach of skill development programs into various regions, including smaller towns and rural areas. Their focus was on increasing the capacity for skill delivery to a national scale.

Laying the Groundwork for Flagship Schemes

While schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) were formally launched later, the preparatory work in terms of developing training methodologies, assessment frameworks, and initial implementation strategies was carried out during their time. The experience and data gathered by NSDC under their guidance provided valuable insights that informed the design and evolution of subsequent flagship programs under the Skill India Mission.

Though both Chenoy and Bhatnagar resigned from their roles at NSDC around October 2015, their contributions in the formative years were critical. They helped build the institutional capacity, establish vital industry linkages, and define the operational blueprint that enabled the Skill India Mission to take shape and pursue its ambitious objectives of transforming India into the "skill capital of the world." Their tenure marked a period of significant expansion and formalization within India's nascent skill development ecosystem.