IMC-K Framework
Creating Sustained Overseas Employment Pathways for the People of Karnataka
Project Management Unit (PMU)
The Project Management Unit (PMU), housed in the Public Affairs Centre (PAC) is responsible for implementation of all the four constituent pillars of the IMC-K Framework. These pillars drive the implementation of the IMC-K Framework and contribute to achievement of its key objectives, i.e., (a) establish Overseas Employment Pathways (OEPs), (b) make Karnataka the preferred State of origin for skilled and certified manpower, and (c) promote safe, orderly, humane and efficient migrants from Karnataka. The PMU is responsible for registration of two State Government entities as State Government-run Recruitment Agencies (RAs), establish the Research and Analysis Division (RAD), implement the Migration Facilitation Architecture (MFA) in the State and assist the Strategy Group on Mobility and Skills. The following paragraphs briefly elaborate on each of the four pillars of the IMC-K Framework.
Key Pillars of IMC-K Framework
Recruitment Agencies of Karnataka (RAs-K)
The Project Management Unit (PMU) took the end-to-end responsibility of registering two State Government entities, i.e., the KVTSDC and the KSUWSSB, with the Protector General of Emigrants (PGE), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to function as State Government-run Recruitment Agencies (RAs). In order to contribute to the achievement of the IMC-K’s objectives, the State Government-run RAs follows a market-based approach to enhance the people-skill supply and fulfil the requirements of the global job demand. The primary function of both the RAs in Karnataka is to develop a sustainable channel/pipeline to absorb this supply of skills, manpower and to position Karnataka as the preferred State of origin for skilled, trained and certified manpower, and both are expected to function as a credible and reliable supplier of manpower. Further, they are expected to build medium to long-term linkages with both Foreign Employers (FEs) and Industry Bodies (IBs) for overseas placements and ensure a steady increase in revenue generation.
The two-way strategy includes to:
- Build recruitment strategies based on the strengths of Karnataka and focus on Sectors and Job Roles / Trades that the State is known for
- Diversification in terms of Occupations, skill sets and destinations is essential going forward.
In order to achieve the above, both KVTSDC and KSUWSSB will engage with a wide variety of both government and private stakeholders, including the Government of India, registered private RAs, Manpower Recruitment Companies, Foreign Employers, Industry Bodies and others. Both the RAs would also sign Agreements/MoUs, enter into understandings with employers and governments from countries of destination, predict trends in labour shortages and skilled labour in Karnataka, and assist in bridging the gap between skills for the domestic markets those of international markets.
Migration Facilitation Architecture (MFA)
The third pillar of the IMC-K Project is the three-tier Migration Facilitation Architecture (MFA) which consists of the Migrant State Centre (MSC), 4 Migrant Regional Centres (MRC) at the divisional level, and 30 Migrant Information Centres (MIC), one each in all the districts in the State. The main objective of MFA is to provide authentic information and guidance on overseas employment at the last mile for prospective migrant workers, and provide support services to the migrants through the entire life-cycle of the migration process. The MFA network of Centres work in close coordination, not only with the State Government-run RAs (KVTSDC & KSUWSSB) but also with a wide network of government and private institutions on the ground to potential migrants with their overseas employment trajectories.
Research and Analysis Division (RAD)
The Research and Analysis Division (RAD) of the IMC-K Framework ensures that migration process ably managed and that the policy decisions by the Government and the RAs are evidence-based so that the migrants are well informed, and the overall migration and recruitment pathway is seamless for them.
The RAD continuously strives to provide research inputs for policy decisions, handholding support to set up a go-to architecture for migrant information, and training support ensuring that the overall migration process is smooth and hassle-free. The focus of RAD is to generate evidence and undertake research to ensure skilled migration of youth with skill sets that are an advantage to India/Karnataka and suit the requirements of the Foreign Employers (FEs) from select geographies. The Labour Market Assessments (LMA) of focused countries, conducted by the RAD, provide for credible and actionable information that the State Government-run RAs can benefit from.
Since the inception of the IMC-K framework in 2018, a team of researchers from the PAC led the research and analysis work, pursued research, evidence-building, advocacy and action that are crucial to implementation of the IMC-K’s objectives, especially with regards to the development of a strategy for targeted interventions related to labour mobility and skilling. The PAC’s RAD team has completed its term on 31 March 2021 at the end of Year III (FY 2020-21). The Government has constituted a ten-member RAD team with representatives from DITE, KVTSDC and KSUWSSB which will continue to sustain the efforts on the evidence-based research. The Government’s RAD team was trained rigorously for 6 months from October 2020- March 2021 on various aspects of international migration, skills, recruitment and related migration matters, by a team consisting of researchers, academicians and practitioners. Currently, the Government-led RAD team operates out of the Department of Industrial Training & Employment (DITE).
RAD Dashboard, which is data-driven on a real-time basis and that which reflects various deliverables accomplished by the PAC team.
Strategy Group on Mobility and Skills
The IMC-K team has proposed to form the ‘Strategy Group on Mobility and Skills’ (SGMS) to provide strategic policy support to the IMC-K project. The aim of the SGMS is to suggest economy-based interventions that might be considered on migration-related matters, including ethical and efficient recruitment practices, strengthening industry partnerships, developing a network of foreign employers with a Karnataka-centric focus, international region-based partnerships, skill training for overseas employment, independent testing and third-party certification and the mutual recognition of qualifications, to maximise the skills and migration outcomes for the citizens of Karnataka.
The strategy group envisaged to be chaired by the Secretary, SDEL will bring together multiple stakeholders engaged in the migration industry – select industry representatives, foreign employers, recruiters, and other service providers. The group will consider and recommend strategies to collaborate with industry bodies from across the world. Besides industry, the Strategy Group will also include leaders from government and civil society to help fortify IMC-K in accomplishing its objective of supporting labour migrants to be placed in gainful, overseas employment through thought leadership and strategic guidance based on field experience and domain expertise.
The broad objectives of the Strategy Group include providing strategic advice on the following broad areas:
- The choice of strategic sectors and geographies to focus on
- Skill training and upgradation strategies
- Facilitating effective and collaborative direct recruitment of talent
- Enabling mutual recognition of skills, training and certification
- Facilitating social protection coordination to minimise costs
- Forging industry body alliances to advance IMC-K as the premier international labour mobility programme for skilled workers
- Evaluating on an annual basis, the progress in achieving the targeted outcomes through the collective lens of industry, government, and civil society
The project has now reached a crucial stage of its implementation, and, thus, formation and activation of the SGMS is a key activity that the IMC-K project will objectivise during the current year FY 2021-22. This requires a sustained pattern of collaboration with subject experts in migration and skill development specialists from various industry backgrounds.