QCI joins FDDI to boost quality and skilling in leather & footwear sector
LW Desk
The Quality Council of India (QCI) and the Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen the quality, testing, accreditation, and skilling ecosystem in India’s leather and footwear sector.
According to a statement released by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, the collaboration aims to establish a structured framework for capacity building, certification, testing infrastructure development, and quality ecosystem strengthening across key footwear clusters, including Agra, Bahadurgarh, Ranipet, Chennai, Calicut, and Kanpur.
Through this partnership, QCI and FDDI will jointly design and deliver need-based, outcome-oriented programmes for workers, MSMEs, supervisors, and industry professionals across the value chain. This initiative will focus on enhancing workforce skills, promoting personal certification, strengthening quality management practices, improving access to testing facilities, and supporting laboratories in achieving accreditation.
To drive these goals forward, QCI will provide technical guidance on accreditation principles, quality management systems, and relevant standards. The Council will also support awareness initiatives for MSMEs regarding quality, testing, and applicable government schemes, while contributing to joint monitoring frameworks, research studies, white papers, and case studies.
At the same time, FDDI will lead cluster-specific skilling and training programmes tailored to the unique requirements of different footwear hubs. Its responsibilities also include mapping testing and calibration laboratories, identifying gaps in laboratory access, supporting the establishment of sample collection centres in underserved clusters, and developing knowledge resources for industry stakeholders.
Additionally, the MoU envisages the creation of a multi-level worker assessment and personal certification framework. This includes Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) pathways for semi-skilled and experienced workers who possess industry-relevant skills but lack formal educational qualifications.
The MoU was signed by Chakravarthy T. Kannan, Secretary General, QCI, and Vivek Sharma (IRS), Managing Director, FDDI, on behalf of their respective organisations.
The partnership is expected to contribute to the broader national vision of building a globally competitive, quality-driven, and future-ready manufacturing ecosystem in India, particularly benefiting the MSMEs and workers engaged in the leather and footwear sector.
