agniveers: Agnipath Scheme: Jobs, skillset, courses for Agniveers at entry, in-service and exit levels

Officials from the armed forces and the skill development and education ministries have begun discussions on building a framework to enhance skills acquired by Agniveers while in service and improving their career prospects.

Under discussion are job roles, skillsets and certifications for Agniveers at entry, in-service and exit stages, ET gathers.

In the first round of discussions, aviation, shipping and automotive-related skilling courses have been identified as key areas. It is indicated by the armed forces that a significant proportion of Agniveers will acquire technical skills in the above areas in their four years of service.

Courses on drone technology and management, armoured vehicles management, submarine and shipping industry are among the first to have come up for discussions, sources said. “The idea is to open up pathways for them at various levels — academic, self-employment and entrepreneurship. Skilling, education and training courses are being planned in discussions with the armed forces…,” a senior official told ET.

It is envisaged that the skills Agniveers may have acquired in service will be given academic credits that can help acquire further national certifications that will help in landing them jobs, attuned to industry needs.

The Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has alerted its relevant Sector Skills Council to help develop Agniveer-specific courses which are attuned to industry. Their councils on aviation, shipping and automobiles already have representation from ex-servicemen and this is expected to help in drawing up of suitable course formats.