The advent of digital technologies and environment-friendly techniques adopted in the leather sector has raised the need to provide impetus to skilling and up-skilling, Union Minister of Education and Skill Development Dharmendra Pradhan said on Tuesday. The sector plays a major role in generating large-scale employment in the country with over 4.4 million people currently working, Pradhan said after unveiling the Skill Certification Assessment for Leather Employees (SCALE) mobile application at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and Central Leather Research Institute here.

The application, developed by the Leather Skill Sector Council, provides for a one-stop solution for the skilling, learning, assessment and employment needs of the leather industry. The application allows people from all age groups interested in leather craft to access online live-streamed classes from the state-of-the studio at the CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute office.

"Glad to launch SCALE app which provides a one-stop solution for the skilling, learning, assessment and employment needs of the leather industry," he said on a micro-blogging site. Pradhan, on the changes happening in the sector due to the advent of digital technologies and environment-friendly techniques, said it calls for renewed impetus on skilling, re-skilling and up-skilling and drive capacity-building.

The National Skill Development Corporation and CSIR-CLRI would work together for addressing the skilling needs of the sector and a national-level capacity-building programme should be held at the institute for augmenting the capacities of working professionals, Pradhan was quoted as saying in a release. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, NSDC, CLRI, and the Leather Sector Skill Council would collaborate to set up a common facility and skilling centre across the country, including in Chennai, he said.

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Pradhan called upon young professionals in this sector to leverage technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship to become job creators. "They must handhold craftsmen and connect them to opportunities available in the digital space including e-commerce," Pradhan said.

Earlier in the day, Pradhan called on Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi along with Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries of India L Murugan and BJP Tamil Nadu unit president K Annamalai at Raj Bhavan. During his interaction, Pradhan presented a picture of Lord Venkateswara to the Governor.

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