LSSC has been given the mandate of accelerating apprenticeship adoption in the leather industry. Apprenticeship is the best way for the youth to enter the industry through work-integrated training. It is also a win-win strategy for the company to engage apprentices and groom them as per their job requirements. Earlier apprenticeship was under the purview of DGT and RDAT and now, with National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), the onus is shifted to the industry to fill the skill gaps by hiring and nurturing young people.

Apprenticeships are also encouraged by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), the line department for leather sector working with Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) to ensure capacity addition, identifying new markets, looking into environmental issues, providing financial assistance for procuring new machines and implementing HRD schemes for training, Training of Trainers and Training of Assessors.

Apprenticeships can become the game changer for the industry through its adoption across lines – shop floor, middle level, supervisors and product designers. All of them will get first hand experience in the factory. Particularly, students from the renowned academic institutions like FDDI and NIFT, will get a chance to appreciate their job roles and get absorbed in footwear and fashion industry. Besides connecting education with work, apprenticeships can show the youth industry best practices through which we can garner their intellectual abilities for improving our outcomes.