New Delhi, Jun 2 (IANS): After serving the rubber sector for over nine years, the Rubber Skill Development Council (RSDC) is expanding its vertical to cover the chemicals and petrochemicals (plastic) sector.

Accordingly, RSDC will now be known by the name 'Rubber, Chemical and Petrochemical Skill Development Council' (RCPSDC).

The council will implement skill training programmes in the chemicals and petrochemicals (plastic) vertical for the youth across the country.

The RSDC was set up by the All India Rubber Industries Association (AIRIA) and the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA) in collaboration with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).

Talking upon the merger of the CPC vertical with RSDC, Vinod Simon, Chairman, RSDC, said, "We are gearing up in earnest to serve the nation through skill training in the CPC vertical with as much commitment as we have demonstrated in the Rubber sector. RCPSDC is poised to emerge as one of the most diversified Sector Skill Councils in the country."

The talks of the merger of the CPC vertical with RSDC started in 2019 when the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals issued an official statement to merge the CPC vertical with RSDC. Following that, additional rounds of talks with officials from the NSDC and the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals were held to discuss the next steps.

The Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant constraints caused the merger to be postponed. However, now all the verticals -- Rubber, Chemicals and Petrochemicals -- are being merged in the right earnest for skill training.

The Development of National Occupation Standards (NOS) and conducting Skill Gap Analysis (SGA) are fundamental to undertake skill training of any sector. As a result, sub-committees for NOS and SGA have been constituted with members selected by petrochemical stakeholders.