400 participants from 27 states of India are preparing to contest at the IndiaSkills National Competition 2018, which is the biggest platform for showcasing the skills of the country’s youth.
The event is being organised by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the aegis of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). It is the result of the collaboration of over 70 corporates and academic institutes, along with 22 state governments who have come together to realise the vision of establishing India as the skill capital of the world.
Over 50,000 registrations were received for IndiaSkills Competition 2018 from 21 states and union territories. These participants competed in 46 skills/trades across different levels to make it to the regional-level competitions at Lucknow, in the North, Bangalore in the South, Bhubaneshwar in the East and Jaipur in the West.
To be launched on October 2, at the Aerocity Grounds, New Delhi, it will be followed by the skill competition from the 3rd to the 5th of October. Over 400 participants from 27 states will display their talents across 46 skills, 10 traditional skills and four demo skills.
What is unique about this event is that the Abilympics or the ‘Olympics of Abilities’ will feature persons with disabilities (PwDs), who will be showcasing their talents across 10 skill competitions, for the first time ever.
During the closing ceremony on October 6, the winners in the various skill categories will be felicitated in Delhi. In addition, they will also get the opportunity to experience best-in-class industry training which will equip them with the skills and knowledge required to compete in the WorldSkills International Competition, to be held from August 22 to 27 next year, at Kazan, Russia.
Rajesh Agrawal, joint secretary, MSDE, said, “IndiaSkills competition plays a catalytic role in improving the overall aspiration for vocational training in India. This year’s competition is unique, as for the first time we have collaborated with 22 state governments who have organised district- and state-level skill competitions in their respective states and have supported us in training the winners for the national –level competition. We are hopeful that this year’s finalists will bring laurels to the country at the WorldSkills next year.”
According to Manish Kumar, MD and CEO, NSDC, “IndiaSkills Competition 2018 has witnessed more than fifty thousand entries this year, which is 10 times more than what we received for a similar event in 2016. It’s a great achievement for all the participants who are representing their states at IndiaSkills 2018. Competitions like these will help youth benchmark their skills against their peers in other states of India and those around the world, which will help us improve the overall standards of vocational training in India.”
Other than skill competitions, the event will also offer career counselling, skill exhibitions, and opportunities for the youth to try a skill among others. Several other events — State Ministers Conference, Skill Conclave, Industry Round Table — will also be organised parallely with the skill competitions.
India won a silver, a bronze and nine Medallions of Excellence in the last WorldSkills 2017 in Abu Dhabi. It ranked 19th among 56 countries at the event, which saw over 1300 contestants competing in 51 skills.
