QCI and FDDI Sign MoU to Strengthen Quality and Skill Development in Leather & Footwear Sector

Ø Agra, Chennai, Kanpur Among Key Footwear Clusters to Benefit from QCI-FDDI Partnership

Ø Partnership to Develop Multi-Level Assessment and Certification Framework for Footwear Workers

Key Highlights

· The Quality Council of India and Footwear Design and Development Institute signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

· The partnership aims to strengthen the quality, testing, accreditation, certification, and skilling ecosystem in India's leather and footwear sector.

· The initiative will benefit workers, MSMEs, industry professionals, and footwear manufacturers.

Key Footwear Clusters to Benefit

The collaboration will focus on major footwear hubs, including:

· Agra

· Bahadurgarh

· Ranipet

· Chennai

· Calicut

· Kanpur

Major Objectives

· Capacity building and workforce skill enhancement.

· Development of certification and accreditation systems.

· Strengthening quality management practices.

· Improving access to testing and calibration facilities.

· Supporting laboratories in achieving accreditation.

Role of QCI

· Provide technical guidance on:

o Accreditation principles.

o Quality management systems.

o National and international standards.

· Conduct awareness programmes for MSMEs.

· Support research studies, white papers, case studies, and monitoring frameworks.

Role of FDDI

· Organize cluster-specific training and skilling programmes.

· Map testing and calibration laboratories.

· Identify gaps in laboratory access.

· Establish sample collection centres in underserved areas.

· Develop industry knowledge resources and training material.

New Certification Framework

· A multi-level worker assessment and certification framework will be developed.

· The initiative includes Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) pathways.

· Semi-skilled and experienced workers without formal qualifications will be able to obtain recognized certifications based on their skills and experience.

Signatories

The MoU was signed by:

· Chakravarthy T. Kannan

· Vivek Sharma

Expected Impact

· Improve quality standards in the leather and footwear industry.

· Enhance employability and skills of workers.

· Support MSMEs in becoming globally competitive.

· Strengthen India's manufacturing ecosystem and export potential.

Conclusion

The QCI–FDDI partnership is a significant step toward building a quality-driven, skilled, and globally competitive leather and footwear sector, benefiting workers, MSMEs, and major footwear clusters across India.

[ABS News Service/13.06.2026]

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 Bharat’s leather and footwear sector.

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, industry professionals and other stakeholders across the leather and footwear value chain. The 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.

As part of the collaboration, QCI will provide technical guidance on accreditation principles, quality management systems and relevant standards. It will also support awareness initiatives for MSMEs on quality, testing, accreditation and applicable government schemes, while contributing to the development of joint monitoring frameworks, research studies, white papers and case studies.

FDDI will lead cluster-specific skilling and training programmes tailored to the requirements of different footwear hubs. It will also undertake mapping of testing and calibration laboratories, identify gaps in laboratory access, support the establishment of sample collection centres in underserved clusters and develop knowledge resources for industry stakeholders.

The MoU also envisages the creation of a multi-level worker assessment and personal certification framework, including Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) pathways for semi-skilled and experienced workers who possess industry-relevant skills but may lack formal educational qualifications.

The MoU was signed by Secretary General, QCI, Shri Chakravarthy T. Kannan, and Managing Director, FDDI, Shri Vivek Sharma (IRS), on behalf of their respective organisations.

The partnership is expected to contribute to the broader national vision of building globally competitive, quality-driven and future-ready manufacturing ecosystems in Bharat, particularly for MSMEs and workers engaged in the leather and footwear sector.

The Quality Council of India (QCI) is a premier autonomous body established by the Government of India. QCI promotes a culture of quality across products, services and processes that impact citizens' lives. As an independent institution, it facilitates credible third-party assessments through its constituent boards and divisions. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, serves as the nodal department for QCI.

The Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, works in the areas of education, research, skill development, testing and certification for the leather and footwear sector.