As a leading UN organization for development cooperation, The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) plays a crucial role in responding to today's developmental challenges. The Technical skill development programmes of UNDP are based on the inputs and experiences of close interaction between the formal and informal education systems, with the productive sector and facilitate access to expertise and sharing of experiences in this field.

The Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India (GOI), has been assigned a lead and coordinating role in the management of Technology and the formulation of S&T policies and their implementation. To facilitate smoother technology acquisition, commercialization and management of appropriate skills of the work force of the Indian industry, the National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB) of DST has been engaged in upgrading / developing skills of this work force in the frontier areas of technology through its various skill training programmes.

TREC-STEP, Tiruchirappalli, being an organization promoted primarily by DST, in 1986, functions as a nodal centre for implementation of DST Projects and is also actively engaged in all DST's major new initiatives. TREC-STEP is the Implementing Agency of many DST Projects such as - Skill Training in Science & Technology, UNIDO-DST Project for Cluster development of Trichy Engineering & Fabrication Industries, Design Innovation Facility along with World Bank's Business Incubator initiative etc. TREC-STEP has also been successfully providing several pioneering training programmes in emerging areas of Technology on a commercial self-sustaining mode, since 1986, training 2000 to 3000 students annually.

An initiative taken up under the GOI-UNDP development cooperation, during 2000 - 2004, has been the "Technical Human Resource Development - Vocational Training for Employment Generation" or VoTEG for short, for which TREC-STEP was the National Implementing Agency. This project culminated in development of new, technology based skill training curricula for unconventional trades (Trades for which regular curriculum / training is not available in the main stream institutions, but these skills have the potential to generate sustainable employment), such as the curriculum for Modern Appliances Maintenance (MAM). This comprehensive, competency based curriculum covers all major domestic appliances and was developed with close interaction with the White goods industry. Critical inputs were provided by Original equipment manufacturers of White goods, during the three year rigorous iterative process. The curriculum was pilot tested with 800 trainees, disseminated through Trainers training in 200 institutions and further refined before being adapted as a model employment generation system.

With the excellent results of the VoTEG project, UNDP and DST, Government of India have come together once again to promote the - Skills and Knowledge for Improved Livelihoods and Living Standards (SKILLS) Project, to leverage the VoTEG outputs and benefit more numbers of deserving youth, by adopting a suitable Public - Private - Partnership mode of franchising the skill training in Modern Appliances Maintenance to like minded aspiring entrepreneurs .