About Centre Accreditation

Centre Accreditation is a quality assurance process for evaluation of the required parameters of the Training Centres. It is of key importance to ensure that the trainees are provided quality training, thereby creating the requirement to have a well-defined validation process of the Training Centres, creating the need of accreditation of Centres. Accreditation focuses on learning and self-development, and encourages the Training Centres to pursue continual excellence.

The Centre Accreditation process helps in effective management and delivery of the competency-based training, aimed at overall development of the trainees. Accreditation ensures that a Training Centre has met the prescribed qualitative standards, pre-set by the respective Sector Skill Councils (SSCs). With this aim, it is imperative that the trainees have confidence in the quality of the training provided by the Training Centres.

Though Centre Accreditation is a voluntary process, it is mandatory for a Training Centre that wishes to impart training aligned to National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) to go through the accreditation process. In order to participate and implement any Skill Development Scheme funded by the Government of India, alignment to NSQF is mandatory.

Why get accredited?

• An Accredited Centre provides assurance to a number of vital stakeholders, such as the trainees, the employers, and the public in general, that the Training Centre has met the established standards necessary to impart training for the specific job roles.
• Centre Accreditation also results in awarding an Accreditation Grade to the Training Centre.
• Only an Accredited Training Centre becomes eligible for affiliation by the SSC with respect to specific job roles. Accreditation and Affiliation are mandatory steps to be followed in order to execute any Training Program aligned to NSQF.

Process of Center Accreditation

The process of Centre Accreditation involves a combined mechanism of self-evaluation by the Training Centres and an external evaluation by a Third Party Inspection Agency to determine if the prescribed qualitative standards are met by the Centre. The Inspection Agency conducts a physical check on the Centre. The inspection agency/agencies are empaneled by NSDC, and the Inspection Agency may establish any additional operating procedures it deems appropriate, subject to approval of NSDC.

SMART provides access to the Training Providers to apply for the accreditation of its Training Centres. Please refer to the Tutorial to know the process in detail

Accreditation Standards

The Accreditation Standards inspected are related to the operations and services offered by the Training Centres to its trainees. These standards are a set of practices and concepts, as laid down by the SSCs pertaining to each job role, that provide guidance to the Training Centres on all relevant aspects of skilling.

The Accreditation Standards applicable to a Training Centre is a combination of certain parameters categorized as Part-A and Part-B standards. The standards of the Part-A category are the mandatory indicators to be adhered to. It is necessary that a Training Centre complies with all the Accreditation Standards of Part-A category to become an accredited Training Centre. The standards of the Part-B category are the other indicators, on which the Centre shall be scored on the predefined points. It is mandatory that the Training Centre achieves a minimum of 40% score with respect to the Accreditation Standards Grading Metrics. A Training Centre that meets the Accreditation Standards becomes an Accredited Centre. Please refer to Knowledge Centre to download the Guidelines of Accreditation, Affiliation and Continuous Monitoring of the Training Centres for Skill Ecosystem to know more details.

How to apply for Accreditation

The Training Provider desirous of seeking accreditation for its Training Centres has to register online on SMART. The Training Provider has to register through Training Provider Registration Form . Post successful registration, the Training Provider has to submit Centre Accreditation Application Form (CAAF).

Accreditation Fee

Please refer to Knowledge Centre to download the Guidelines of Accreditation, Affiliation and Continuous Monitoring of the Training Centres for Skill Ecosystem to know details on the fee ."

De-accreditation of a Training Centre

The Accreditation Committee may suspend or cancel the accreditation of a Training Centre because of any of the following reasons, but not be limited to :

• Severe non-compliance or violation of the scheme specific guidelines
• Improper/misleading use of accreditation status
• Improper/misleading use of the application for accreditation prior to receiving the accreditation status
• Providing wrong/forged data in the application for accreditation, or at any point of time in any form during the scheme implementation
• Imparting training in the job role for which it is not accredited
• Non-payment of fees, as and when required
• Refusal to conduct continuous monitoring through self-audits
• Non-compliance to the Grading Standards during the Scheme implementation
• Any other condition deemed appropriate by the Accreditation Committee

Sector Skill Councils and their role in Accreditation of the Training Centre

Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) are set up as autonomous industry-led bodies by NSDC. They create Occupational Standards and Qualification bodies, develop competency framework and assess and certify trainees on the curriculum aligned to National Occupational Standards developed by them.

For the Accreditation process of the Training Centres, SSCs have specified certain qualitative standards for each job role. The Training Centres are assessed on the basis of these parameters to ensure delivery of the competency-based training aimed at overall development of the trainees. Accreditation ensures that the Training Centre has met the prescribed qualitative standards, pre-set by the respective SSCs.

During the process of Centre Accreditation, the Centre inspection report submitted by the Inspection Agency along with the recommended accreditation status and grade of the Training Centre shall be sent to the concerned SSC for its observation. The said report will also be considered for grant of affiliation for the accredited job roles by the respective SSCs.

Please click below for details of all the SSCs