Keywords

1 Introduction

This chapter focuses on the recognition of green skills and knowledge of employees in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) dealing with waste management and renewable energy. It reports the results of the study that analyzed actions at the macro and meso levels that are related to green policies, setting targets and establishing institutions. For the micro-level analysis, it addresses the questions as to whether jobs in MSMEs provide a basis for engagement with green skills, the existing motivation to learn about green skills along with the barriers for engagement with green skills at the workplace. In addition, it explores the extent to which skills recognition and training opportunities are seen as a career path into new green jobs and a possible way of ‘greening’ existing occupations, and to what extent green skills recognition can build on the existing skills and knowledge of employees acquired in MSMEs in the sectors under examination. In case of India, government pays a special attention to establishing and supporting a renewable energy (RE) sector, thus to contextualise this case study, RE is included in the analysis. It argues that recycling and reduction of waste, reuse of waste water, as well as the reduction of the negative impacts of climate change through renewable energy and energy-efficient devices, are key to all sectors—including catering, automotive and PVC manufacturing. In 2015, Government of India has launched “Skill India Mission” with the target to provide market relevant skill training in various sectors including sustainable development to about 400 million people by 2022. The National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies in India (NISTDS 2010) has highlighted the growing awareness about environmental pollution among enterprises in the informal sector. However, there are skill gaps in this sector that need to be addressed. NISTDS also pointed out that green jobs are important for promoting decent work and appropriate wage-skill levels in enterprises. The notion of recognizing green skills can thus prove important for social equity, economic efficiency and environmental sustainability. Promoting green skills requires a trans-disciplinary knowledge base as well as a holistic and integrated understanding of skills in terms of their influence on environment, society, economy and culture.

Building on the results of the NISTDS study, the basic premise of this study is to look at the potential for including green skills in recognition mechanisms. Recognition, validation and accreditation (RVA) is a tool for identifying and documenting employee’s prior and current learning, skills and work experience in relation to expected green job requirements and learning outcome-based qualifications standards in India’s National Skills Development Framework (NSQF).

Environmental challenges and national policy responses

The nineteenth session of the conference of parties (COP) of the United Nations framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC) held in Warsaw in November 2013 invited all parties to initiate domestic preparations for their Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) towards achieving the objective of the Convention. The concept of ‘nationally determined contributions’ reflects the principles of equity as common but differentiated responsibilities of the participating countries (UNFCCC 2013). India submitted its INDC to the UNFCCC in October 2015 with a strong focus on key aspects like sustainable lifestyles, cleaner economic development, climate change mitigation, adaptation, mobilizing finances, technology transfer and capacity building (UNFCCC 2015), One of the key objectives of the Indian INDC is to reduce the emissions intensity of GDP by 33–35% over 2005 levels by 2030. Indian INDC acknowledged that renewable energy sources are of strategic national value as it contributes to better air quality, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, curb global warming, add jobs to the economy and protect environmental values. Therefore, INDC pays significant attention to skills required for harnessing renewables, aiming to put India on the path to a cleaner environment, energy independence and a stronger economy.

A second objective of India’s INDC is to achieve about 40% of electric power installed capacity to be generated from non-fossil energy resources by 2030 with the help of technological developments and international funding, including from the Green Climate Fund (GCF). Keeping in view of India’s commitment for a healthy planet with less carbon intensive economy, in 2015 Government of India made an ambitious target of achieving 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by the year 2022. This includes 100 GW of solar, 60 GW of wind, 10 GW of biomass and 5 GW of small hydropower. In 2019, India increased its RE target to 450 GW by 2030, over five times India’s current installed renewables capacity and more than India’s current total installed capacity. As of Sep 2020, India has over 90 GW of RE installed capacity rising steadily towards meeting its 175 GW by 2022 target (MNRE 2020).

India’s INDC also aims to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030. India is one of the few countries where forest and tree cover has increased in recent years, and total forest and tree cover amounts to 80.73 million Ha which is equivalent to 24.56% of the geographical area of the country (ISFR 2019). Over the past two decades, progressive national forestry legislations and policies of India have transformed India’s forests into net absorbers of CO2. Launched in 2008, India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) aims to chart a low-carbon development path for the country. It has eight sub missions, focusing on solar, energy efficiency, sustainable habitat, water, Himalayan ecosystem, forest cover, sustainable agriculture and climate research & capacity building. The NAPCC outlines India’s strategic mission to promote sustainable economic development while encouraging private sector action on climate mitigation and adaptation. NAPCC also lays a foundation for achieving India’s INDCs while balancing national economic and developmental priorities. Skilling is the primary future challenge for the country to meet its NDC as India requires 170,000 high and semi-skilled workers and another approximately 180,000 lower skilled technicians in the solar sector by the year 2030 (Cobenefits 2020).

Greening of jobs

All industry sectors can significantly contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, in particular with the adoption of waste management and energy efficiency, use of renewable energy across all sectors, including in sectors such as catering, automotive services and PVC manufacturing.

Catering

The concept of greening the catering business as a single sector has still to take shape in India. Rather, the focus within catering taken by street food vendors, catering organisations and the hotel industry is to follow waste management practices. The catering business, broadly speaking, is a mix of formal and informal sectors characterised by many small business owners who operate locally. On a larger scale is hotel catering, where waste disposal and cleanliness takes on greater significance. Energy is another area of importance for the hotel industry, where greater attention is paid to the use of renewable energy sources, better energy efficiency practices, rainwater harvesting and use of low-carbon technology.

PVC manufacturing

PVC is used in many sectoral applications, including water supply, sewage, supply of electric power, transportation and housing. PVC products contribute significantly to energy efficiency through the material’s low thermal conductivity. Among green skills requirements in PVC are recycling and reduction of waste, recycling and reuse of waste water, and as components used in renewable energy and energy-efficient devices.

Automotive

The main ingredients for ‘greening’ the automotive sector are through adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures, waste water management and waste management including disposal of waste. If water is recycled and reused in automotive sector processes, then significant costs can be saved through inculcating green skills in executing the job. Green jobs and skills impart further advantages when solar energy is exploited.

Green MSMEs should deliver goods and services for sustainable livelihoods so that billions of people can work their way out of poverty and contribute to a greener planet. Mechanisms for the recognition, validation and accreditation (RVA) of non-formal and informal learning outcomes are crucial to the valorisation of skills acquired in the workplace, promoting a holistic understanding of green skills as well as assessing behavioural changes.

The socio-economic context and the challenges

Most of Indian youth still find themselves in low-skilled, low-paid employment in the informal sector, where over 80% of all workers in India are employed. The government of India is seeking to reverse this trend through a national policy on skill development (NPSD) adopted in February 2009 and amended in 2016 by the current Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) (MSDE 2016). The growth rate of the urban informal sector is higher than that of the formal sector workers. Although the proportion of informal sector workers in the agriculture sector has declined over recent years, the proportion has increased in industrial and services sectors. There is a positive, significant correlation between informal sector employment and the incidence of poverty.

Providing skills training to such a huge population is a challenge, as four out of five new candidates to the workforce have never had the opportunity of taking part in skills training. Developing skills is essential for raising productive levels and helping workers secure decent work. India has 487 million workers, but more than two-thirds of Indian employers’ report that they struggle to find workers with the right skills. MSME sector is India’s largest employer after agriculture, representing 40% of the national workforce. Substantial proportion of the workforce is also informal, with 5–10 million new workers added annually. The discrepancy in finding skilled workforce for the industry points to a clear potential, while posing serious questions as to how India can best provide possibilities for people through education and training and skills recognition programmes.

Informal sector enterprises are prominent in fields such as solar energy, waste water treatment and waste management. With creating employable workforce, informal sector enterprises can make a crucial contribution to more efficient resource management in these fields, and promote green jobs and decent work. Informal sector actors are closely linked to their local communities, providing valuable networks that can be channeled for purposes of resource management, renewable energy adoption along with climate-change mitigation.

The informal and formal economies are part of a continuum; raw materials, equipment, finance and consumer goods flow between formal and informal sector enterprises, and there are numerous linkages when large domestic companies or government agencies sub-contract production to informal sector enterprises or buy their products directly. Therefore, to make the green transition a fair one, the role of the informal sector needs to be taken into consideration. Actors that have commonly been powerless and voiceless, particularly women, have found empowerment in opportunities provided by the informal sector, which can, therefore, be key to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger as well as promoting gender equality.

Given the sheer size of the informal economy, its rapid growth potential and its ability to provide livelihoods for the poor, a structured skills development and skills recognition system is essential.

Mapping the potential of green skills recognition in India

The waste water management sector

Waste management sector in India has over 195 combined effluent treatment plants (CETPs) and several thousands of effluent treatments plants (ETPs) in industries to deal with industrial waste water. The operators of CETPs and ETPs play an important role in ensuring proper operation of these treatment plants to treat waste water according to required standards and to minimize risks to the environment.

In today’s scenario of water scarcity, ETPs and CETPs are not merely waste water treatment plants but also a source of water to various secondary applications like landscaping, washing and condensation activity in cooling towers, etc. These plants are responsible for achieving a reusable quality of treated water. In most cases, workers deployed for CETP operations are not adequately competent to operate the plant. The operators are a much-neglected workforce in terms of skills development and they seldom get training to help them perform their functions effectively. Considering this, skills development for operators in waste water treatment plants has become a priority area for the government of India.

Besides skills development, awareness and commitment are also required in waste water management. However, ETPs lack dedicated workers and at the industry level often are defunct or non-existent. This is due to a lack of commitment to ETP operations in industries and a lack of awareness of the consequences. The National Productivity Council (NPC) and the German agency Cooperation for International Development (GIZ) along with SCGJ have conducted stakeholder consultations in waste water management (NPC 2016). Some of the concerns expressed are as follows:

  • Many MSMEs in India do not have qualified supervisors. It is difficult to encourage a supervisor who lacks proper qualifications to hire qualified staff for their ETP.

  • In large and well-organised industries, ETP staff are more qualified and competent.

  • Skilling of staff in the waste water treatment plant at helper/worker level seems to be a novel concept to ETPs and CETPs, and therefore raising awareness about its importance is vital. Regional awareness workshops need to be conducted across the country (4–5 workshops in different regions of India).

  • Based on initial feedback, future requirements for workers in ETP and CEPT will be middle- to higher-level staff. However, the availability of lower-level staff such as helpers/workers, etc. is taken for granted;

  • Considering that, in many cases, helpers/workers have not even had primary school education, and come from the informal sector, putting in place RPL mechanisms to recognise their skills and building upskilling pathways in relation to the national occupational standards (NOS) developed by SCGJ will be useful.

  • The operation and maintenance of the waste water treatment plant is usually outsourced to a third party on contract basis. The workers contracted by the contractor are mostly locally available casual contract workers, who are not on the direct payroll of the unit. Given that the contractor and operating team may change with the renewal of the contract, waste water treatment plants often do not consider it necessary to offer contract workers the opportunity to upgrade their skills and proficiency levels.

  • Contract workers often lack professional qualifications and training required for their job role. They learn their job over the years through hands-on experience. In addition, they face challenges due to their educational background, poor working conditions and lack of avenues for career development. In Indian society, a job in waste water and waste disposal is considered of low status and low image, and the very last option. Over the years, the water industry has experienced restructuring involving the introduction of sustainable practices, energy resource efficiency, new green technologies, recycling of treated water, etc. These are all changes that require upgrading significant skills.

However, even a properly designed plant often fails to meet required results because unskilled operators are allowed to run high-technology treatment plants, resulting in total loss of investment. Water-treatment plants are responsible for disposing of treated water with a minimum impact on the environment. It is imperative therefore, that only skilled operators carry out their operation.

The National Productivity Council (NPC) has conducted several studies in consultation with SCGJ. In 2016, NPC carried out a survey (NPC 2016) of operating staff employed in MSMEs at ETPs and CETPs in 21 different industrial sectors. The total cumulative treatment capacity of ETPs and CETPs based on 66 responses is approximately 274 MLD and the total workforce in treatment plants was 711 personnel across various levels. Based on this survey a future estimate of workforce requirement was projected.

The study concluded that helpers and operators make up more than 65% of the manpower deployed in waste water treatment plants in India, whereas supervisors make up 12%, and technicians and managers make up 6% and 8%, respectively. The study also noted that proactive training is being provided by only a very few ETPs and CETPs. In fact, while the focus is primarily on providing training to a small number of operators and technicians and other senior officials, the need for specialized training exists across all unit operations and at all levels in ETPs and CETPs.

The solid waste management sector

Today, managing waste (urban and rural), its collection, transportation, processing and disposal, requires a workforce that must be fully trained. India, currently the world's second-most populous nation, has witnessed a recent rapid increase in the rate of urbanization and industrialization. The growth in the economy has also brought about a corresponding increase in the demands of its citizens, due to a rise in purchasing power and exposure to many more goods and commodities. Consequently, the quantities of solid waste generated from various cities has significantly risen due to which the Management of Solid Waste has posed a tough challenge to Municipal Authorities and Policy Makers at different levels in Government. Recent initiatives in India, such as the ‘Smart Cities Mission’ and ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ (Clean India), provide an opportunity for citizens to brainstorm, display, and develop best practices in the domain of solid waste management.

Solid Waste Management is a state subject in India which means it is the primary responsibility of State Governments to ensure that appropriate solid waste management practices are introduced in all the cities and towns in the state. The role of Government of India is broadly to formulate policy guidelines and provide technical assistance to the states/cities whenever needed. It also assists the State Governments and urban local bodies in human resource development and acts as an intermediary in mobilizing external assistance for implementation of solid waste management projects. Municipalities and the urban local bodies in the country are, therefore, responsible and required to plan, design, operate and maintain the solid waste management system in their respective cities/towns.

So, in municipalities, the primary jobs include sweepers, sanitary supervisors, sanitary sub-inspectors, sanitary inspectors, sanitary officers, chief sanitary inspector, public health, environmental engineers/civil engineers are deployed as executive engineer, superintending engineer, chief engineer and head of SWM department. Private sector jobs include work in waste processing units, NGOs entrepreneurs, maintenance engineers, supervisors, technicians, chemists, education and awareness managers.

Informal sector workers are often working in small recycling units or as rag pickers, etc. According to a GIZ report of 2010–11 (Gerdes and Gunsilius 2010), it is estimated that about 1% of the Indian urban population, about 3.583 million people, are involved in the informal recycling sector. The estimated number of jobs generated will rise at an annual rate of 7–8% as GDP, and consequent solid waste, grows.

Increasingly, emphasis is placed on the importance of job roles across the value chain of the solid waste management sector. In the urban sector, whereas coordinators and education managers in NGOs and community-based organisers create awareness among people about urban waste management, promoting source segregation and recycling, informal sector waste collectors, sweepers and volunteers play a role in sorting, segregating and recycling. Environmental experts are involved in product development in producers/multi-national companies to ensure compliance with regulations that impose extended producer responsibility, whereas MSMEs play a critical role in designing and manufacturing environmentally friendly products such as innovative dustbins. Others, such as municipal workers and private contractors, undertake door-to-door collection and segregation.

Several new job roles in the rural waste management sector have also been identified. Large quantities of agriculture residues are generated in farms from cultivation of grains, sugarcane, cotton, oilseeds and pulses. A portion of these agricultural residues is used as animal feed, albeit as inferior-quality fodder. With a focus on optimal productivity from dairy farms, there is an increasing shift towards high-yielding forage crops, which is resulting in increasing volumes of agriculture residues. According to the estimates released by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare the total food grain production in the country for financial year 2019–2020 is estimated at record 295.67 million tonnes (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare 2020). With such a scale of annual food production, over the years Indian Agriculture has evolved significantly and the field is not just about the traditional roles related to farming and crops anymore. Important job roles for all the above activities include entrepreneurs, procurement managers, supply chain executive loaders, helpers, logistics supervisors, warehouse managers/supervisors, storage assistants, accountants, sales & marketing executives, information and technology support executives, and quality and testing executives. Activities for the management of animal waste include the construction of biogas plants, supply of feedstock and manure management. Important job roles here include masons, operators and helpers.

The renewable energy sector

One of India’s major advantages today and going forward is that its renewable energy (RE) potential is vast and largely untapped. Recent estimates show that India’s solar potential is greater than 750 GW and its announced wind potential is 302 GW (actual could be higher than 1000 GW) (NITI Aayog 2015). In addition, there is significant potential for decentralised distributed applications to meet for residential, commercial and industrial sectors through solar energy and for meeting energy needs in the rural areas (see Table 7.1).

Table 7.1 Manpower requirements until 2030 in solar energy
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A lot of manpower is required from the informal sector, such as solar project helpers to achieve the capacity targets as per the National Solar mission and close the industry’s skills gap. These informal workers would be recognised for their skills under the RPL mechanism and work has already started, as a later section will elaborate.

Meso level

This section focuses on one important development supported by the Indian government—the establishment of The Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ). It has a mandate to address skills recognition in the following sectors: renewable energy, green transportation, green construction and waste management (solid, water and e-waste).

Skill Council for Green Jobs and green skills recognition

Employing a skilled workforce at all levels is one of the key measures to ensure better quality of implementation and thus SCGJ plays a vital role in providing skilled workers commensurate with national targets and sustainability of installed projects (Table 7.2).

Table 7.2 Scope of SCGJ in all green industry sectors
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The formation of SCGJ in 2015 in the run up to COP 21 to catalyze growth in green business through skilling and entrepreneurship development, is a big step for India in the direction of creating skills across the domain of energy, environment and climate change. SCGJ is one of the most important initiatives by the Government of India which directly handles the Green Skill Development Programs of India. Promoted by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), SCGJ strives to identify the skilling needs of service users as well as of manufacturers and service providers within the green businesses sector, and implement nationwide, industry led, collaborative skills development and entrepreneur development initiatives to meet the skilling requirements of the Green business sector in the country. Figure 7.1 explains the role of Skill Council for Green Jobs and the key activities. SCGJ’s activities in these areas aim to directly contribute to human resource development in the renewable energy sector to achieve non-fossil fuel-based energy resources as well as contribute to capacity building for jobs in green businesses.

Fig. 7.1
A pie chart with 4 equal parts reads thus, in clockwise direction: make Q Ps slash N O Ss; accredit training partners; assess and certify candidates; industry connect and demand aggregation. Also mentioned: S C G J enables the availability of skilled manpower aligned to national skills qualification framework, through benchmarking and curriculum.

Source SCGJ

The role of the Skill Council for Green Jobs.

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Preparing national occupational standards and qualifications packs across green sector

SCGJ is working with renewable energy and waste management industries as well as other industries in different green sectors. SCGJ undertook an exercise to develop occupational maps in each sub-sector and a skill gap analysis, which showed a huge potential for green skills recognition in India. For example, consultations have been undertaken with over 400 industries in different green sectors to understand their current requirement and future business plans. Based on these consultations SCGJs prepared national occupational standards and qualifications packs (QPs) for systematic training on green skills for various green jobs identified. Competency-based curriculum packages consisting of syllabus, student manuals, trainers’ guides, training manuals, trainer qualifications, assessment and testing guidelines as well as multimedia packages and e-material have been developed for each NSQF level. NSQF curricula are modular, allowing for skill accumulation and facilitating exit and entry. Curriculum design is aligned to a credit framework that reflects credits earned and competences acquired. Training of trainers would also be aligned to the NSQF.

2 Terminology and Definitions

In the Indian context ‘green skills’ means skills for executing green tasks and activities. India sees green skills as integrated into broader training and skills development policy. Green skills are a part of day-to-day life, which can help save the environment and be climate friendly. Green skills are integrated into NSQF level descriptors comprising learning outcomes in five domains:

  • Professional knowledge. What a learner should know and understand with reference to the subject. It is defined in terms of depth, breadth, kinds of knowledge and complexity, as follows:

    • depth of knowledge can be general or specialised;

    • breadth of knowledge can range from a single topic to a multi-disciplinary area of knowledge;

    • kinds of knowledge range from concrete to abstract, from segmented to cumulative;

    • complexity of knowledge refers to the combination of kinds, depth and breadth of knowledge.

  • Professional skills. What a learner should be able to do. This is described in terms of the kinds and complexity of skills, and includes:

    • cognitive and creative skills involving the use of intuitive, logical and critical thinking;

    • communication skills involving written, oral, literacy and numeracy skills

    • inter-personal skills and generic skills.

  • Core skills. Basic skills involving dexterity and the use of methods, materials, tools and instruments used for performing the job, including IT skills needed for that level.

  • Responsibility. The nature of working relationships, level of responsibility towards oneself and others, managing change and accountability for actions.

  • Process. A summary of the other four domains.

Green qualifications in the renewable and waste management sectors

National Occupational Standards (NOS) specify the standard of performance an individual must achieve when carrying out a function in the workplace, together with the knowledge and understanding, required to meet the standards consistently. A set of NOSs comprises of a Qualification Pack (QPs), which is the starting document for preparing the Model Curriculum and Training Delivery Plan for successful implementation of the skill development programmes (see Table 7.3) (Fig. 7.2).

Table 7.3 National standards developed by the Skill Council for Green Jobs for green skills recognition and certification
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Fig. 7.2
A table contains 7 levels of N S F Q job, and lists sector wise job roles as follows: solar photovoltaic, solar thermal, biomass energy, waste management, waste water treatment, clean cooking, and wind energy. The number of Q Ps developed under each sector and for each level is mentioned, along with their total count. The cumulative total is 51.

Source SCGJ 2020

Snapshot of QPs developed by SCGJ across Green business sector.

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Implementing skills recognition

RPL is a very important associated function of the NSQF, especially in the Indian context where the majority of the workforce has not received formal training. By introducing RPL through the NSQF, RPL is expected to gain momentum and allow learners to benefit on a larger scale. The National Skills Qualifications Committee (NSQC) will approve the RPL processes for any given job role against the relevant level descriptors and notify the same to skills training providers/vocational training providers and certificate awarding bodies for use in assessment and certification. RPL scheme plans to achieve 2.5 million certifications over four years (2016–2020). Four institutions support the implementation of skills training and skills recognition: the National Skill Development Agency (NSDA), the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), and Directorate General of Training (DGT) and the Sector Skill Councils (SSCs). Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) help link the requirements of industry with appropriately trained manpower. SSCs perform the following functions:

  • Identification of skills development needs includes a catalogue of types of skills, range and depth of skills and the organising of a sector skill development plan and skill inventory.

  • Assessment and certification of individuals with prior learning experience or skills takes place under the mechanism of Recognition of prior learning (RPL), which aims to align the competences of workers in industry, enterprises and the informal sector in the country to the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF).

  • Project implementing agencies (PIAs), such as Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) or any other agencies designated by Ministry of Skills Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC), implement RPL projects in any of three ways:

    • Industry sector-based RPL;

    • Employer-based RPL;

    • RPL of scattered workers in the informal sector.

In the case of industry sector-based RPL:

  • Workers of an industry sector e.g. a specific set of workers in the automotive or the construction industry or the waste management sector are targeted;

  • RPL takes place at a so called RPL ‘camp’ set up by the PIA or training providers;

  • The PIA or training providers identify jobs roles against which RPL can be conducted;

  • The training provider decides the eligibility of the potential candidates;

  • PIA then chooses a prominent locality and mobilises potential candidates to the camps by involving NGOS and training partners;

  • Municipal officials take part in the start of the RPL process.

In the case of employer-based RPL, all steps mentioned above take place at the employer’s premises.

  • The employer can be in private or public-sector organisation;

  • The PIAs tie up with employers and identify job roles that are carried out within the employers’ enterprise;

  • Employers mobilise their employees to participate in RPL.

In the case of RPL for scattered unrecognised skilled workers of the informal sector (such as hairstylists, cobblers, vendors):

  • RPL is carried out in RPL centres;

  • Scattered workers are mobilised:

  • PIAs or training providers identify jobs roles and mobilise candidates together with NGOs and community-based organisations;

  • The designated training centre must in a locality close to the informal sector businesses.

Workers’ training in the project location

SCGJ caters to workers’ training in the project areas. The following stages are carried out in order:

  1. 1.

    Identification of project location, manpower requirement and skill gaps;

  2. 2.

    Memorandum of agreement with industry to provide skilled manpower on a cost sharing;

  3. 3.

    Identification of suitable training institutions in the project vicinity;

  4. 4.

    Enrolment of suitable candidates;

  5. 5.

    Training delivery as per qualification packages and project specific requirements;

  6. 6.

    Placement of successful candidates in industry;

  7. 7.

    Candidates that are not selected are retrained.

Two case studies of RPL of green skills

Box 7.1 Case study of skills recognition and training needs in the waste management sector in India

Skill Sector Council for Green Jobs has been involved in an RPL project for informal sector cleaning workers (safai karamcharis), who are employed by the municipal corporation of Delhi. Most of these people have acquired skills, knowledge and experience through working and learning in the informal sector but have not been certified in any way. They work in the collection and transportation of waste (both wet and dry waste) and its safe disposal. The RPL process entails:

  • Mapping competences of cleaning workers, and aligning them to the standards in the NSQF;

  • Identifying skill gaps;

  • Designing training programmes based on the skill gaps.

For the cleaning workers the following green skill deficits were identified. These dealt with the ability to:

  • Use new equipment and techniques in waste management;

  • Adhere to safety standards, which are often overlooked despite rules and regulations communicated by employers;

  • Collaborate in the completion of group tasks;

  • Communicate professionally with peers, supervisors and the public in the completion of group tasks;

  • View the waste management sector as an area of work that offered career and entrepreneurship opportunities.

Resulting from these findings, the sector council for green jobs was able to identify training needs and design the following training objectives for enterprises in the waste management sector:

  • Develop capacities to use new tools and techniques. Enterprises would be able to expand their skills and move ahead with the latest technology;

  • Introduce methods for reduction and recycling of waste;

  • Develop capacities of employers and employees to judge how long products could be used or be of further relevance;

  • Develop capacities for better compliance with HR rules and regulation;

  • Develop attitudes and values that make them actively contribute to environmentally friendly practices.

The outcomes of skills recognition and staff training were highlighted:

  • Individuals’ skills and competences in enterprises and industry were made visible;

  • Employees were recognised for their work experience and competences;

  • Employers and employees became aware and showed interest in recognising green skills versus simply the practice of green activities;

  • They realised that green skills were transferable skills and were important for employability in the long-term and not just something helping them to secure short-term employment;

  • They accepted that employability often involved new training and credentials, as well as transferring skills from one job to the next.

Source: SCGJ

Box 7.2 Case study of recognition of prior learning in the renewable energy sector

India has launched a national mission on solar energy. As part of this mission, Government of India has set an ambitious target of achieving 175 GW installed capacity from renewable energy by 2022. It is envisaged that out of this total target, 100 GW installed capacity will be from solar energy, including 60 GW installation of Ground Mounted Solar PV Projects and 40 GW from rooftop installations. While this target poses a huge challenge of availability of trained and skilled manpower, it is also an opportunity for youth to get jobs by acquiring skills in the solar energy domain. Most of these jobs are covered by the following Qualification Packs developed by the Skill Council for Green Jobs:

  • SGJ/Q0101—Solar PV Installer (Suryamitra) (level 4)

  • SGJ/Q0102—Solar PV Installer—Electrical (level 4)

  • SGJ/Q0103—Solar PV Installer—Civil (level 4)

The skills of the workforce are mapped and benchmarked against the NSQF levels. This helps to maintain high-quality standards during installations. If any gaps are found, they can be met through revisiting the concepts and expected performance criteria during the technical training delivery.

While the RPL candidates are aware of fundamentals of installation of solar projects through the initial training as well as through on-the-job experience, there are certain knowledge and performance gaps in the workforce, for example:

  • Assessing the solar project site for feasibility;

  • Using latest technology and components available in the market;

  • Ensuring the use of correct material and accuracy in measuring dimensions during installation of solar project structures;

  • Following safety norms and approved designs for electrical installations;

  • Paying due attention to safety considerations (personal and with respect to co-workers) while working at the project site;

  • Promoting collaborative working spirit with co-workers to improve efficiency and to adhere to project timelines.

The outcome of this RPL process is intended to:

  • Assure employment with the service contractors;

  • Provide opportunities to become regular employees;

  • Open avenues for employment with other organisations carrying out installations;

  • Promote a safe working culture, including personal health and safety of workers while they perform their activities.

Source: SCGJ

3 Methodology of Primary Data Collection

This case study follows the overall methodology for the study presented in Chap. 1 of this book that includes the guidelines on how data collection should be organised at the micro level. Addressing the issue of the importance of green practices and green skills and their recognition and certification, information was obtained from 47 enterprises in waste management and renewable energy with the help of the questionnaire designed for employers and employees. Twenty-three respondents were from the informal sector and 24 from the formal sector. The study interviewed 25 renewable energy and 22 waste management organisations. Of the 47 respondents, 24 are employers (director/proprietor/partner/CEO) and 23 are employees. As stated above, this study focused on only the renewable energy and waste management sectors.

4 Results and Discussion

Awareness of environmental regulations, policies, and government initiatives

On the question of the awareness of environmental regulations, 97% of the employers and employees in the 47 enterprises, as well as stakeholders from sectoral organisations, were aware of some environmental rules, regulations and policies. While doing the survey they named several governmental policies related to environment which they were obliged to follow. They also had a good understanding of governmental missions, such as the Swachh Bharat (Clean India) mission, the National Solar mission, etc., which aim to promote a greener and more developed skill regime in India. The national missions that were mentioned by the workers in the enterprises were Make in India 32 (68%); Green India 26 (55.3%); Smart Cities 33 (70.2%); the National Solar mission 34 (72.3%); Clean India 38 (80.9%); Skill India 37 (78.7%), Urban mission 7 (14.9%) and Digital India 1 (2.1%).

  • The Skill India mission aims to create an ecosystem of empowerment by skilling on a large scale at speed with high standards and to promote a culture of innovation-based entrepreneurship, which can generate wealth and employment to ensure sustainable livelihoods for all citizens in the country. Seventy-six per cent of enterprises are keeping up with this initiative and can be characterised as facilitators for skilling with standards within their sectors. This encourages enterprises to align with national missions and have consequent benefits:

  • Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India) was mentioned by just over 80% of respondents. This programme aims to achieve universal sanitation coverage and promote a healthier environment. Companies inculcate values and train their employees to be aware of such missions and propagate it by both word and action. This is a way forward for large-scale inclusion of green skills as part of lifelong learning.

  • The National Solar mission is a major contribution to the global effort to meet the challenges of climate change. For enterprises, it means greater involvement in working for a cleaner industry and environment.

  • The Smart Cities mission was mentioned by 70% of respondents. This is an urban renewal and retrofitting programme in the context of which 100 cities all over the country will be made citizen-friendly and sustainable.

  • Given that informal enterprises are an urban phenomenon, their involvement will be an important contribution to the sustainability of cities.

  • Make in India mission’s basic premise is to encourage enterprises to contribute to the self-reliance of an economy by manufacturing high-quality products, including environmentally friendly products in India. Sixty-eight per cent of respondents are familiar with the Make in India initiative.

Overall, the survey reflects a high degree of environmental awareness: 97.7% of the enterprises are aware of government policies. There is a high awareness, 77.7%, of government initiatives. This correlates with the enterprises’ engagement with green skills.

Green practices and engagement with green skills

On the question of green practices and engagement with green skills, 93.6% have tasks relevant to the green sector (see Table 7.4). This shows that the Indian market is opening areas in the green sector where the formal sector opens to the informal workforce. It also shows the potential of green skills recognition and certification in these sectors. Green practices and green skills instead of being in conflict with businesses are in fact drivers of economic activities and production processes.

Table 7.4 Enterprise engagement with green practices
Full size table

The study also highlights that while most of the enterprises had tasks related to environment and sustainable development, there is still room for improvement. The high percentage of engagement with green skills can be attributed to the fact that all 47 enterprises belonged to the waste management and solar energy sectors. While understanding the importance given to green skills in the enterprises, when scoring on a scale of 1 to10, respondents were not very confident. Thirty-six respondents (47.6%) rated their enterprises’ green skills between 6 and 10, and 11 (23.4%) rated them between 1 and 5. This, they said, was because they did not possess a certificate which recognised their skills in relation to national standards. Overall, a high percentage of respondents said they were willing to undergo training and to achieve certification that recognised their skills against national standards.

The importance attached to certification

On the question of certification of skills of their employees, 85% of the responding enterprises said they certified the skills of their employees after RPL and training. The reason for this certification is to promote the credibility of the enterprise among customers.

Most employees (93.6%) want certification as it gives validity to their skillset and a chance for career growth in a structured manner. Four out of five, 81.7%, said they wanted a national certificate, 19.1% said that they wanted a certificate given by the training organisation. Enterprise training is conducted in two ways, either by learning from other employees, or through the involvement of an outside training provider. Depending on the financial resources and existing training capacity, enterprises take up one of the two forms of training for their employees. Three-quarters, 74.5%, carried out in-house training.

Informal and non-formal modes of acquiring skills

The prevalence of informal and non-formal acquisition of prior and emergent skills and learning was given as the main need for recognition and certification. The highest percentage of acquisition is in self-directed learning (63.8%), company training (57.4%) and short-term skills (51.1%). Working in a sector that is directed towards the betterment of a more sustainable living, individuals are self-driven and bound to achieve a high standing as they work in functions aligned to this goal. Learning is enhanced when an individual is self-motivated to learn, be it through formal or informal learning. Company training through short-term skills in green jobs, when structured and carried out in a focused trajectory will yield high levels of development in individuals.

Benefits of training programmes after RPL

On the question of the importance of staff training, respondents mentioned the benefits of training to employees, employers and to a greener society and economy. They mentioned the following benefits of training programmes after RPL:

  • An increase in performance of the organisation 38 (80.9%);

  • Induction to new tools and techniques 34 (72.3%);

  • Employees’ increased awareness of HR rules and regulations 9 (19.1%);

  • Employees motivated to take an interest in environmentally friendly practices 35 (74.5%).

The survey highlighted the following benefits of training in green skills at the individual level:

  • Increase in salary 6 (12.8%);

  • Increase in efficiency of the employees 30 (63.8%);

  • Increase in self-confidence 26 (55.3%);

  • Greater motivation to save the environment 34 (72.3%);

  • Improve career prospects 30 (63.8%).

5 Conclusions and Recommendations

Much work needs to be done in the Indian context to move from the policies and blueprints to the implementation of RPL at the enterprise level. This is important, if the recognition of prior learning of individuals engaged in the informal sector and their certification in relation to the NSQF is to give a big push to green skills. RPL can help informal sector workers to take up decent jobs in green industries and green jobs. This will improve career progression and skill training of the workers as well as facilitate the engagement of the experienced practitioners as resource persons.

If the green transition must be a just one, then we need to think about the role of the informal sector. Given the sheer size of the informal economy, its rapid growth potential and ability to provide livelihoods for the poor, it needs a structured skills development and skills recognition regime.

The requirement of recognition of green skills is well understood at the individual level, enterprise level and national level. There are, however, some barriers regarding the way green skills need to be included in RPL. While the government of India has understood the problem and has launched a special RPL system in the skill certification scheme Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) under the Skill India Mission (MSDE 2016), the need of the hour is to reach end-users in a coordinated manner so that they can be recognised, and their certificates can be related not only to national skill standards but also to comparable qualifications in other parts of the world.

The survey reveals that the majority of the employees and employers are aware of the various government initiatives to promote green skills and green jobs, initiatives such as the Skill India mission, the Swachh Bharat mission, the National Solar mission, Smart Cities mission and other initiatives to promote green sectors, all of which in turn require green skills. Almost 94% of the respondents deal with tasks related to green skills, but many of the enterprises were unaware what constitutes green skills, and almost 85% of the enterprises want recognition of the green skills through certification which their employees acquire while working.

Almost 80% of the employers with enterprises that have green jobs mentioned that upskilling employees on green practices and skills will increase the performance of the organisation. Further, around 75% of the employers feel that recognition and certification of green skills of their employees will motivate them to adopt the latest technology and techniques and environmentally friendly practices.

Since there had been very few structured training courses in India to provide green skills, majority of the employees acquired green skills through self-directed learning and in-house company training. Only 23% of employees have acquired green skills through vocational education and training. However, with the introduction of national standards, training programmes can be structured, and recognition of green skills can be better realised. Almost 95% of employees want recognition and certification of green skills at the individual level, as they felt that way they could have a high proficiency level of green skills.

Including green skills in RVA for informal and formal sector enterprises will have a knock-on effect in other respects such as overcoming the challenges of informality preventing informal employment in formal enterprises. This in turn will inculcate a culture of regulatory compliance in terms of taxes and labour laws, helping not only to increase the tax base but also help the government to finance minimum social security cover for workers in those enterprises that still prefer not to become organised and provide formal employment.

Formalization of the informal economy through skills recognition and certification would be helped if programmes developed for workers in the formal sector could also be used as training courses for informal workers with minimal alteration to their content: for example, safety courses for solar installation and the waste and recycling industries. Integrating the teaching of literacy and life skills or supporting the provision of basic education can boost the impact and attractiveness of the training provision for some target groups. It is these links at the local level, which will define whether green transition is successful.

Going forward, there are some challenges such as lack of finance that needs to be addressed in recognizing and certifying green skills. Recognition of green skills needs to be understood as part of a quality management system of enterprises and businesses. To address these issues, it has been suggested that RPL be a part of ISO licensing of enterprises. Lastly, green skills recognition and certification as well as improving skill levels of the workforce to match the requirements of the job market and the green economy must at the same time improve the bargaining power of the workforce to achieve decent wages, social security and job security.