New Delhi: The President of India, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, will inaugurate the first edition of India Skills Competition on the occasion of World Youth Skills Day on 15 July, 2016. Skill India will be celebrating its first anniversary on the occasion.
India Skills Competition is a national contest pioneered by Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to select the best talent who will lead India’s participation at the biennial World Skills International Competition scheduled at Abu Dhabi in 2017.
In order to select the best talent to represent India at IndiaSkills, MSDE and NSDC have completed an uphill task by conducting more than 80 regional competitions in 24 skills/trades including hair stylist, welding, car painting, auto body repair, graphic designing, robotics to name a few. Close to 4,820 candidates registered to participate in the competition this year and around 40 organisations have supported India Skills Competition event to make it success.
The shortlisted candidates from these events will qualify for the final selection for WorldSkills International Competition at Abu Dhabi, 2017. The competition will conclude with a closing ceremony on 17th July, 2016. It is a platform that will bring youth, industries, and educators under one roof and provide youth an opportunity to compete, experience, and learn how to become the best in the skill of their choice.
At the last event organized at Sao Paolo, Brazil, in August 2015, a team of 29 candidates (all below 23 years of age) from India participated in 27 skills and won 8 medallions of excellence.
Key stakeholders in the skill landscape in India such as Central Ministries/Departments, State Governments, leading Industry Bodies, and trainees will come under one roof to make this mega event a success as per the statement issued by the government of India.
Commenting the mega event on skill development, Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge) Mr Rajiv Pratap Rudy has said more than 1.04 crore youth trained under various initiative of Skill India in 2015-16, marking 36.8% growth compared to the previous year. Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Mr Rohit Nandan said that IndiaSkills is an opportunity for the youth of the country to showcase their skill sets on a global platform like WorldSkills International Competition, which is globally honoured as Olympics for Skills and is also recognised by UN, where candidates from more than 75 member countries participate.
