Recognition of Prior Learning — NSDC
Certifying the existing skills of informal workers, improving their employability and opening doors to the formal sector.
About This Project
In partnership with NSDC under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), BITAN conducted RPL camps across Kolkata, Howrah, and North 24 Parganas — certifying over 3,200 workers in sectors including construction, beauty & wellness, and retail under QP-NOS aligned job roles.
For most participants — many of whom had worked in their trade for 10–20 years without any formal credential — this was the first time their skills were officially recognised. The certification process involved a practical skills demonstration assessed by sector-specific assessors from NSDC-empanelled assessment bodies, followed by theory orientation on safety, professional conduct, and customer service.
BITAN's RPL camps were notable for their outreach model: rather than requiring workers to travel to training centres, camps were held at community halls, municipal parks, and trade association premises — going to where the workers were. Post-certification, BITAN partnered with district employment exchanges to organise job fairs where certified workers could meet formal sector employers.
What We Did
- Outreach and mobilisation of informal workers through trade associations and local networks
- Orientation sessions — explaining RPL process, benefits, and certification framework
- Practical skills assessment — conducted by NSDC-empanelled assessors at community venues
- Theory orientation — safety, professional conduct, customer service, digital literacy basics
- Certificate distribution events — attended by NSDC officials and local government
- Post-certification job fairs — 6 events, 80+ formal sector employers
- Financial literacy sessions — banking, digital payments, and government scheme awareness
From the Field
Challenges & How We Addressed Them
Many workers were initially sceptical — they had encountered 'training schemes' before that promised certificates but delivered little. BITAN addressed this by holding community testimonial sessions where workers who had already been RPL-certified spoke about the tangible difference — better wages, access to contractor networks, and recognition from employers — before new batches were enrolled.
“I have been a painter for 18 years but never had any paper to show for it. After the RPL camp I received a Government of India certificate with my name on it. The contractor now pays me 20% more because I am a certified skilled worker.”
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