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GJF to Promote the National Skills Certification & Monetary Reward Scheme

The All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation has rolled out 'Star Scheme' to train retail staff of jewellers and will benefit 10 lakh youth at an approximate cost of Rs. 1,000 cr. Gem and Jewellery Industry poised to gain from skill development under GJF's Star Scheme

Mumbai , Nov 27-The All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation (GJF), the national trade federation for the promotion and growth of trade in Gems and Jewellery Industry across India in association with Gem and Jewellery Skill Council of India, has rolled out the National Skill Certification and Reward Scheme branded as the STAR SCHEME (Standard Training Assessment & Reward) to train sales staff of the jewellery retailers.

The Star Scheme has been formulated to encourage skill development for youth by providing monetary rewards for successful completion of approved training programs under the Government of India’s National Skill Certification & Monetary Reward Scheme (NSCMRS).  India has 400,000 retail outlets and has over 1.5 million individuals employed as Retail Sales Associates (RSAs).

With the Star Scheme being rolled out, GJF offers all jewellers a fabulous opportunity to upgrade the skills of their existing Retail Sales Associates at no cost. GJF has affiliated with the Gem & Jewellery Skill
Council of India (GJSCI) to train the jewellers’ Retail Sales Associates under the Government of India’s
National Skill Certification & Monetary Reward Scheme (NSCMRS). The Government of India will reimburse the cost of the training of Jewellery Retail Sales Associates to the trainees under this scheme.

Mr. Haresh Soni, Chairman, GJF, said, “The Star Scheme will benefit 10 lakh youth at an approximate total cost of Rs.1,000 crores.  We, at GJF, want to ensure that this benefit is availed by our entire Member fraternity and the jewellery Industry at large.  The Star Scheme program aims to increase productivity of the existing workforce and align the training and certification to the needs of the country.  It provides monetary reward for Skill Certification to boost employability and productivity of youth by incentivizing them for skill trainings.  It rewards candidates undergoing skill training by authorized institutions at an average monetary reward of Rs. 10,000 per candidate.”

GJF will plan the training programmes for the Retail Sales Associates in every city.  Each city will have a minimum of 10 batches scheduled.  Each batch will have 25 learners.  The training will be imparted by GJF appointed training providers like Future Sharp, IL&FS Skill Development Corporation, LabourNet, Aptech, etc. GJSCI has developed the content for the training that has been validated by representatives from our industry.  The training will be on the product domain knowledge as well as on selling skills and  soft skills.  At the end of the training the learners will have to undergo as assessment test.  The assessment will be undertaken by the GJSCI.  Only the successful candidates who have cleared the assessment will be awarded a certificate by the GJSCI and be eligible for the reimbursement of the training costs under the scheme.  GJSCI under the aegis of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) is the implementation agency for the scheme.

The scheme was announced by the Honourable Prime Minister on August 15, 2013 and launched by the Honourable Finance Minister on August 16, 2013. GJSCI will train the jewellers’ Retail Sales Associates under the Government of India’s National Skill Certification & Monetary Reward Scheme (NSCMRS).  The Government of India will reimburse the cost of the training of Jewellery Retail Sales Associates to the trainees under this scheme.

Gem and Jewellery has been identified by the NSDC as a high growth sector to initiate skill-training programs.  Most of these individuals have learnt on the job and have no any formal training.  Formal training would make all Retail Sales Associates STAR performers.  Trained Retail Sales Associates would have a better understanding of the product, competition, learn new sales techniques and be more confident in their job and be in a better position to service the customers. Trained Retail Sales Associates are more productive and will lead to increased profitability to our jewellery establishments.  One of the reasons Jewellers have been hesitant to train their Retail Sales Associates has been the cost of training.

About the All India Gems & Jewellery Trade Federation

The All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation (GJF) is the national nodal and the largest single trade body in India for the promotion and growth of trade in gems and jewellery across India. It represents over 6,00,000 players comprising manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, distributors, laboratories, gemologists, designers and allied service providers to the domestic Gems & Jewellery Industry.  The Gems & Jewellery Industry is highly labour intensive and currently employs 4.6 mn individuals.  The  industry size is estimated to be in the region of Rs. 4,00,000 crore.  The Federation’s mission is to support and promote the progress and prosperity of all the members in the gems and jewellery industry across India. It also provides regular news updated on notifications, rules and regulations declared by the Government.  It promotes the trade, by participating in promotional events on a national level.  It encourages the trade through the organization of consumer exhibits in India.  It also counsels educational and research institutes that help in developing superior quality and high standards for effective functioning of the trade.

About the Gem & Jewellery Skill Council of India

The Gem & Jewellery Skill Council of India is an autonomous not-for-profit organisation working under the aegis of the National Skill Development Corporation.  The GJSCI has been established by the Indian jewellery industry and represents all the sub-sectors of the industry such as diamond processing, coloured gemstone processing, jewellery manufacturing and jewellery retail.  The GJSCi has a mandate to identify the skill development needs of the Industry and plan a road map for meeting the human resource requirements of the Industry for its future growth.

About the National Skill Development Corporation


The NSDC, a one-of-its-kind Public Private Partnership in India, was set up by the Ministry of Finance as part of a national skill development mission to fulfill the growing need in India for skilled manpower across sectors and narrow the existing gap between the demand and supply of skills.

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