NEW DELHI: India’s biggest skill competition has drawn maximum participation from the southern states, with Tamil Nadu witnessing the highest number of competitors who are showcasing their expertise in areas as varied as traditional crafts to the latest technologies.
From Tamil Nadu 86 participants - the highest from any state in India - are competing in the India Skills Competition 2024, followed by Karnataka with 61 competitors.
This year, IndiaSkills is witnessing the participation of over 900 candidates from 30 states and Union Territories in 61 skill areas.
Apart from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the other southern states are Andhra Pradesh (42), Kerala (34) and Telangana (33).
Officials said the southern states have stamped their authority at the India Skills Competition 2024, emerging as the undisputed powerhouses by sending a formidable combined force of 265 skilled competitors.
“Driven by targeted skill development schemes, these southern states are fueling a skill renaissance, aligning human resources with industrial needs,” the officials added.
According to Ved Mani Tiwari, CEO of National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Managing Director, NSDC International (NSDCI), “India is excelling in the WorldSkills Competition, moving from 39th to 11th place.”
“This progress reflects nation's advancement in skills. The NSDC's dedication has been crucial, offering continuous support and training to our competitors,” he added.
Through the Skill India Mission and collaborative efforts from state and central governments, we have made unprecedented progress, emphasizing that skills can conquer the world, he said.
Apart from the southern states, Odisha has also drawn a good number of competitors. As many as 64 candidates are participating in the five-day event, which will conclude on May 19. The other states are Maharashtra (57) and Punjab (53).
This year the participants will get the opportunity to earn credits, within the National Credit Framework.
The NSDC, working under the aegis of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, is implementing the event.
The winners of IndiaSkills 2024, with the help of best industry trainers, will prepare for the WorldSkills Competition scheduled to take place in Lyon, France in September 2024 and will bring together 1,500 competitors from over 70 countries.
About 2.5 lakh candidates registered for the competition on the Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) Portal, out of which 26,000 were shortlisted through a process of pre-screening. This data was shared with the states for organising the state and district level competition, out of which 900+ students were further shortlisted for the IndiaSkills National competition.
This year, IndiaSkills is supported by more than 400 industry and academic partners like Toyota Kirloskar, Autodesk, JK Cement, Maruti Suzuki, Lincoln Electric, NAMTECH, Vega, Loreal, Schneider Electric, Festo India, Artemis, Medanta, and Cygnia Healthcare.
Among the 900 participants are more than 170 women who are competing in trades like logistics and freight forwarding, web technologies, visual merchandising, fashion technology, graphic design technology, painting and decorating, electrical installations, industrial design technology, and renewable energy.
This time new-age skills like autonomous mobile robotics, automobile repairing, cloud computing, and mechatronics are also garnering a lot of popularity in this edition of IndiaSkills 2024, officials said.