BITAN Expands Skill Development Program to 3 New Districts

Building on the strong outcomes of BITAN's Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programme in Kolkata and Howrah districts, the organisation has announced a major geographic expansion in partnership with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). The new phase will extend skill certification services to youth in Malda, Murshidabad, and Nadia — three districts where informal-sector employment is predominant and formal skill credentials remain scarce.

The expansion is funded through the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 4.0 framework and will target 2,400 youth over the next 18 months. Training will cover sectors including construction, retail, beauty and wellness, healthcare support, and light engineering — trades with active placement demand in these districts and in Kolkata's industrial corridor.

"These districts have enormous potential. Young people here are already working — they just lack the formal certification that opens doors to better wages and safer conditions," said BITAN's Programme Director. "RPL is exactly the right model: it validates what people already know and skips the classroom theory they don't need."

Each district will have a dedicated Skill Assessment Centre, with mobile assessment units visiting remote blocks where transport infrastructure is limited. BITAN's community mobilisation teams — which already operate in these districts through BITAN's health and livelihood programmes — will lead outreach to ensure enrolment reaches women, Scheduled Caste communities, and persons with disabilities.

The initiative builds on BITAN's track record of certifying over 4,000 youth through RPL since 2019, with more than 72% placed in wage or self-employment within six months of certification. NSDC has cited BITAN's placement outcomes as a benchmark for RPL implementation in West Bengal.