The Indian government has launched SWADES (Skilled Workers Arrival Database for Employment Support) to conduct skill mapping of citizens returning from overseas under Vande Bharat Mission.
A collaboration between Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), SWADES aims to create a database of qualified citizens based on their skill sets and experience to empower them with relevant employment opportunities in Indian and foreign companies.
The returning citizens are required to fill up an online SWADES skills card. The online form is available on nsdcindia.org/swades and requires details related to the work sector, job title, employment, years of experience. For queries/support, you can call on 1800 123 9626 (Indian toll-free number).
The card will facilitate a strategic framework to provide suitable employment opportunities through discussions with key stakeholders including state governments, industry associations and employers.
Around 7000 registrations were recorded until June 3, 2020. As per the data gathered so far, the top countries from where the citizens are returning are UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Hardeep Singh Puri, civil aviation minister, said, “When we started Vande Bharat Mission, we observed that a lot of our overseas workers returning to India due to job losses possess international skill sets and experience which can be of great value for domestic and international markets. We reached out to MSDE to create an online portal for gathering database of these workers.
“To ensure dissemination of information on SWADES skill card, inflight announcements are being made by Air India and Air Indian Express that are operating flights under the Vande Bharat Mission. Airports Authority of India and other private airports have also put up banners/standees and digital signages to ensure that all our migrants returning from abroad can be informed about this initiative.”
Adding to this, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, minister of external affairs commented, “We shall actively promote the SWADES skill card initiative through our embassies/ high commissions/consulates across different countries. The initiative will help in the deployment of returning Indian workforce matching their skill sets.”