KOZHIKODE: Kerala Labour and Skills Minister T P Ramakrishnan on Saturday said there is a need to promote a culture where students earn while studying and to this end will soon bring out a state Skills Policy.
"Kerala will soon bring out a state Skills Policy and also a Career Policy considering the recent surge in the importance of technology in the new age," he said here at the inaugural of India Skills Kerala 2020, an endeavour to showcase the technical proficiency of the youth.
"We must promote a culture where students earn while studying. The state needs its youth in educational institutions to do part-time jobs," the Minister added.
He said the government had initiated several skill development programmes and added, "India Skills Kerala is part of that mission." The three-day state-level round of India Skills Kerala which began here today, offers total prize money of around Rs 78 lakh.
The event features 253 participants who will be showcasing their skills in 39 disciplines with several prizes and a ticket for an international-level competition in China at stake.
India Skills Kerala gives the winner of each skill Rs one lakh, while the runner-up will receive Rs 50,000.
Those finishing in the subsequent four ranks get Rs 10,000 each.
"Kozhikode has a history of popularising peoples festival," Ramakrishnan said.
"Let genuine and extraordinary skills lead the youth to greater heights," he added.
Kozhikode North MLA A Pradeepkumar, who is chairman of the event's organising committee, in his presidential address, said events focused on the skill development of youth are a welcome sign.
India Skills Kerala comes as a result of its district-level competitions held last month, with 4,298 contestants.
The 1,278 winners among them subsequently qualified for the zonal rounds held separately for the north, central and south regions of the state.
While the state-level winners qualify for the national competitions, the prize-winning performers in that round will represent the country at World Skills 2021 in Shanghai.
That global round next year will have youngsters from 83 countries vying for honours and prizes in 54 skills.
The event is being organised by the Industrial Training Department (ITD) and Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence (KASE), both under the Labour and Skills Department.