New Delhi, Oct 10 (IANS) The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) on Friday launched the IGNiTE 4.0 programme that will train 1,000 economically disadvantaged youth in future-ready automotive technologies.

IGNite 4.0 is a collaboration between the National Skill Development Corporation and Mercedes-Benz India. The government envisions employing 45 million people in the mobility sector alone, with 9 million in the EV ecosystem, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhary, during the memorandum signing event with Mercedes-Benz India, an official statement said.

IGNiTE 4.0 aims to skill talents in future-ready automotive technologies, especially Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Industry 4.0, while ensuring at least 30 per cent participation of women, it added.

The 12-month programme will be implemented by Kedman Skilling Private Ltd and will adhere to the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF), with assessments conducted by relevant sector skill councils to ensure global-quality benchmarks.

Training will be conducted through two advanced Skill Development Centres to be established at the Manav Rachna University (Delhi-NCR) and the MIT ADT University (Pune).

The initiative targets job roles such as Electric Vehicle Service Assistant, Automotive Quality Control Assistant, Automotive Product Testing Technician, and Industry 4.0 Technician, requiring a minimum of 30 per cent female participation.

Chaudhary emphasised the need for India to leverage its demographic dividend, highlighting government initiatives. He stated that institutions should focus on innovation, product development, and intellectual property creation rather than just cost competitiveness.

“With the recent Rs 60,000 crore allocation under PM-SETU, we are enabling lakhs of youth to gain national certifications, pursue ITI programs, and become job creators. This is how we make skilling aspirational — by fostering lifelong learning, breaking silos, and building a future-ready India,” he said.

–IANS

aar/vd