FFSC has signed an MoU with National Skill Training Institute (NSTI) to establish the FFSC Centre of Excellence (COE) at the latter’s Hyderabad campus. The parties signed the MoU last week, with the common objective of upgrading training infrastructure in the country to create an agile and skilled workforce for the furniture and allied industry. As FFSC, NSTI join hands to set up a Centre of Excellence in Hyderabad, the furniture industry can look forward to an enhanced supply of skilled workforce soon.
Furniture & Fittings Skill Council (FFSC) is the sector skill council for interiors, furniture, and allied sectors. It has the mandate to establish an effective and efficient eco-system for the development and imparting of skills for furniture, interiors, and allied industries. It is being supported in this project by Homag India and Modular Furniture Manufacturers Association Hyderabad.
NSTI is a premier institute under the Directorate General of Training (DGT), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
The parties to the MoU envisage setting up of COEs on a hub and spoke model, where COE will be the hub around which several training centres and skill academies will come up nearby. The COE at NSTI Hyderabad will be a role model for future centres to be built across the country, as well as for public-private collaboration in the skilling sector.
The objectives listed in the MOU are to meet the industry’s demand for skilled manpower; train and skill manpower as per requirements of the furniture industry; provide job opportunities to aspiring candidates; encourage and promote Make in India policy; and promote entrepreneurship.
Key features of the FFSC Centre of Excellence at NSTI Hyderabad will be Research & Development Unit, Counselling Cell, Skill Testing Centre, International Collaboration Unit, Training Centre, World Skills Academy, and Production Assistance Centre.
The COE shall be managed by FFSC’s master trainers and workshop managers, while industry partners would be invited to offer support and resources for various programs. The R&D unit will create appropriate qualifications, training delivery programs, and content for various qualifications, to enable skilling, re-skilling and up-skilling of the workforce.
The qualification and training programs will be related to furniture & interior design; furniture workshop & machine shop (joiner, cabinet maker, machine operator, assembler, surface finisher, upholsterer, etc); and furniture & fittings installation (carpenter, installer).
The COE shall offer NSQF and non-NSQF programs linked with apprenticeship, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. It will also have programs for skill orientation, recognition of prior learning (RPL), upskilling/reskilling, short-term training, and customised programs. Besides, it will facilitate capacity building by offering programs for training of trainers and master trainers, and assessors and master assessors. The programs will be offered in both residential and non-residential modes.
All the training programs will have joint certification from NSTI and FFSC.
