Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of Education, launched India’s first Skill India International Centre at Skill Development Institute (SDI) Bhubaneswar on Saturday. At the institute, the Minister also launched WorldSkills Academy and National Academy for Skill Teachers. There were also several MoU signings between National Skill Development Corporation International (NSDCI)with the State Government of Odisha and overseas employers.

Skill India International Centre will provide high-quality training of Indian youth, especially for the aspirants from Odisha aiming to work overseas. The centre will host training facilities, providing skills as per the demand of international employers in countries like United Arab Emirates (UAE), Canada, Australia and other GCC regions. It will comprise of a wide network of partnering organisations and recruiters from overseas to facilitate supply of skilled and certified workforce in other countries.

Further, the National Academy for WorldSkills Competitions will offer training of trainers, corporate training, upskilling and trade testing, thereby creating a pool of potential competitors for IndiaSkills and WorldSkills competitions. And the National Academy for Skill Teachers will be skilling teachers and assessors alligning with the emerging needs of technical and vocational education. The academy would identify and evaluate impact of emerging trends in teaching and skill delivery and would prepare technical and vocational education and training (TVET) teaching staff for the emerging job roles.

“The launch of Skill India International Centre, WorldSkills Academy and National Academy for Skill Teachers at SDI Bhubaneswar and the signing of MoU between NSDC and international employers are big strides towards transforming India into the skill capital of the world,” said Shri Pradhan. The minister further added that the initiatives launched today will not just open up overseas job opportunities for the youth, but will create a world-class workforce.

According to Shri Pradhan there are approximately 25 crore youngsters in India and 75 lakh in Odisha between the age group of 15-25 years. “We will leave no one behind and ensure skill, knowledge and employability linkages for all to achieve fast-paced development of Odisha and India,” he said.

At the event Shri Dharmendra Pradhan urged other attending institutes including All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhubaneswar, Utkal University and all other universities to come forward and collaborate to boost skilling while reducing the employability gaps. The Minister also called upon the stakeholders in Odisha to fulfil their responsibilities and create a model and a benchmark ecosystem for quality skill development.

Further, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between NSDCI and Odisha Skill Development Authority (OSDA) to promote international workforce mobility for skilled and certified workers from Odisha to other countries. Under the agreement, NSDCI will help in aggregating demand from different countries and will help in capacity building of the state. OSDA will support in awareness, training and funding of the candidates who aspire to work overseas.

On this occasion, MoU was also exchanged between NSDCI and various international placement groups. Ved Mani Tiwari, director, NSDCI and Tariq Chauhan, chairman, EFS Facilities Group exchanged MoU to explore collaboratively, possibilities of establishing skilling and training hubs across India and globally for promoting mobility of trained, skilled and certified Indian workforce overseas.

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