India Skills Regional Competition begins at Lucknow, 20 youth from JK to showcase their skills

Youth should consider vocational education as mainstream career option: Ansari

LUCKNOW, MAY 31: Minister for Higher Education, Technical Education and Information Technology, Molvi Imran Raza Ansari on Thursday asked the participants at India Skills Regional Competition to give their best, saying that focusing on skills would ensure their better tomorrow.

20 youth from JK are participating India Skills Regional Competition at Lucknow to showcase their skills. The Minister while interacting with the participants said that government is mulling to strengthen ITI’s and other skill initiatives, which offer skills at a lower level.

Ansari said the Higher Education has been a challenge and the government is mulling that degrees being offered at graduation, Post Graduation and doctorate level be given some vocational orientation. Ansari congratulated the participants and hoped that they would bring laurels to the Jammu and Kashmir.

He said that it is high time that government start focusing on identifying the skilled youth and tame their energies to develop various sectors of the State. He said such events would make skill development aspirational and would motivate the youth to consider vocational education as a mainstream career option in a highly unemployed State of Jammu and Kashmir.

With an aim to promote international standards in nearly 40 skills among the youth of the country, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the aegis of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is organizing India Skills Regional Competition here from May 31 to June 2.

Uttar Pradesh, Deputy Chief Minister, Dinesh Sharma, State Sports And Youth Affairs Minister, Chetan Chauhan and other senior state officials inaugurated the inauguration ceremony of the three-day event hereon Thursday.

The competition is designed to showcase the highest standards of skills in India. More than 200 contestants from the states of Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Chandigarh will participate in this 3-day competition across 24 trades/categories.

The event began with a grand inauguration ceremony, followed by skill competitions and exhibition on subsequent days. Winners will be announced at the closing ceremony on June 2. The winners from the regional competition will get a chance to compete at the National Skills Competition scheduled in New Delhi from July 15 to June18.

Commenting on the initiative, Jayant Krishna, ED and COO, NSDC said, “The IndiaSkills Competition promotes excellence in skills and competency development. It’s a platform for the youth of the country to showcase their talent and aims to exhibit the country’s training excellence; thereby encourage world-class skilling standards.

The participants for the IndiaSkills Regional Competitions have been selected post a rigorous process at the district and state level organized by 20 states. The winners from each states will compete in four regional competitions scheduled in Jaipur - West (May 24-26), Lucknow - North (May 31- June 2), Bhubaneswar – East (July 6-8) and Bangalore – South (July 15-17).

In 2017, with one silver medal, one bronze medal and 9 Medallions of Excellence, India ranked 19 among 56 countries participating at the WorldSkills Competition in Abu Dhabi. More than 1,300 competitors competed in 51 skills/trades at the event. The next WorldSkills Competition is scheduled at Kazan, Russia in August 2019.

At least 20 young skilled youth from Jammu and Kashmir have been selected for regional level India Skill Competition 2018. The participating candidates are competing at the national level skill competition which will be held in July, 2018, leading to their participation in the World Skills Competition-Russia, 2019.

Mission Director, Jammu and Kashmir Skill Mission, Dr Peer Ghulam Nabi Suhail informed that said candidates qualifying the regionals will qualify for the national level competition leading to World Skills Competition-Russia, 2019. He said that apart from J&K, the states including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh and Punjab will be participating in the regional level skill competition.

The Mission Director along with other officers are camped in Lucknow to give moral boosting to the participants of the event.

Pertinently in order to aim at engaging different stakeholders in skill building, entrepreneurship and grassroots innovations, the government recently held a two-day skill and entrepreneurship conclave, first-of-its-kind event in the state. The maiden conclave TALAASH was themed as “Building Human Capital: Skill-Innovation-Entrepreneurship". 

He lauded the role of Jammu and Kashmir Skill Development Mission for launching hunt to spot young talent and identify the skilled youth and work for their further improvement.