INS Shivaji | 23 Mar 2022

Why in News?

Recently, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has recognised INS Shivaji as the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in the field of Marine Engineering.

• MSDE's designation of INS Shivaji as a Centre of Excellence is the first of its kind for any military organisation, and it reflects the INS Shivaji's continued commitment to skill and technology development.

What is INS Shivaji?

• INS Shivaji is an Indian Naval Station in Lonavala, Maharashtra.
• It houses the Naval College of Engineering, which educates and trains Indian Navy and Coast Guard officials.
• It has three premier training entities, namely Centre of Marine Engineering and Technology (CMET), Centre of Excellence in Marine Engineering and School of Basic Sciences
• The Nuclear Biological Chemical Defence School, which trains naval personnel on all aspects of NBCD, is also located in the station.
• The naval Station was commissioned as HMIS (His Majesty's Indian Ship) Shivaji in February, 1945.
• INS Shivaji's Centre of Excellence (Marine Engineering) was established in 2014 with a broad mandate that included the induction of niche technologies for naval applications, quality research in collaboration with R&D (Research and Development) and academic institutes of high reputation.
• The larger goal here is to improve the skills of the personnel across the Indian Navy, Friendly Foreign Navies, and the entire ecosystem.

What is the Centre of Excellence (CoE)?

• CoE is a body that provides leadership, best practices, research, support, training of trainers and skill training for a specific sector/s.
• The literal meaning of a Centre of Excellence is – ‘A place where the highest standards are maintained’.
• As per the National Policy for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, 2015, it was decided that National Skills Universities and Institutes will be promoted in partnership with States as centres of excellence for skill development and training of trainers.
• The Centre of Excellence in the skilling ecosystem is envisioned as a one-stop resource centre established/working in partnership with industry to raise training standards, boost productivity, address emerging skill gaps, and align training and research with industry needs.
• With the intent to overcome skill demand-supply mismatch, to have continuous supply of skilled workforce and disseminate best practices, “Centre of Excellence” is proposed to be recognized by the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
• The initiative will encourage such bodies already engaged in research and development activities in the skilling domain and allied fields to work on key emerging areas where there is knowledge deficit or skill gap, so as to set up Centres of Excellence.

Source: PIB