About a 100 handloom weavers in Tamil Nadu will be offered training for 50 days under the Integrated Skill Development Scheme (ISDS). During training the weavers would also be given a daily stipend of Rs 150. The training imparted to weavers in the centre would help them develop new designs and come out with diversified products with improved quality to meet changing market needs and enhance their earnings.

In the first batch, 20 weavers will be trained and all 100 weavers will be covered in the next 10 months. The training centre is equipped with all necessary infrastructure facilities, including looms, motorised jacquard boxes, computerised design machines, computerised card punching machines, and motorised winding machines to help weavers upgrade their skills and get updated with emerging technologies.

ISDS was launched to address the manpower needs of textile and related segments including handicrafts, handlooms, sericulture, jute and technical textiles and develop a cohesive and integrated framework of training based on industry needs.
The scheme envisages a substantial skill program, which aims to develop around 30 lakh persons in the next five years. Skill development and entrepreneurship programs for women are a specific focus of the scheme. It also seeks to connect entrepreneurs to mentors, incubators and credit markets, foster innovation and entrepreneurial culture, improve ease of doing business and promote a focus on social entrepreneurship.