BHUBANESWAR: Odisha government is mulling introducing more drone and other new-age technology courses in skill institutions of the state to enhance the employability of youths in the emerging sector, said authorities of the Skill Development and Technical Education (SDTE) department on Saturday.
Addressing the concluding day of Odisha Skill Conclave 2023, SDTE minister Pritiranjan Gharai said, “The state government is taking initiatives to impart skill training to our youth in new age technologies as per the requirement. Accordingly, initiatives are being taken to explore opportunities in drone and other such sectors and seek guidance from experts in the fields concerned.”
Technical Education director Reghu G said at present only two to three courses in drone technology have been introduced in certain technical institutes including ITIs. However, given the vast scope of use of drone technology in the field of agriculture, mining, energy etc, the state government will seek the help of experts to introduce more courses related to drones to create more employment opportunities for youths. He said as part of the initiative, a short-term course named ‘fault testing using drone technology’ has been launched for those being skilled to work in the field of power transmission.
Smith Shah, president of Drone Foundation of India, which entered into an MoU with the SDTE department during the three-day conclave, said a five to seven days course for drone pilots can help youths with basic qualifications earn a wage of `30,000 per month. He said the course will enable youths to work with the government in areas of aerospace testing and others.
Experts also suggested the establishment of a drone technology park as well as drone hubs in different parts of the state along with training more youths to become drone pilots. They suggested the state government ensure competency-based learning is imbibed in the curriculum to enable technical institutions to produce skilled manpower. This apart, the involvement of sector skill council experts in the framing of skill curriculum for students was suggested.
SDTE secretary Usha Padhee said experts from various sectors including energy, education, infrastructure, oil & gas and technology came together to showcase the avenues for employment in the skill sector in the state during the conclave. The first-of-its-kind conclave witnessed the participation of over 2,000 students, 360 teachers, 60 role models, 25 students from Singapore and 100 high-level dignitaries including speakers across sectors. At least 24 MoUs were exchanged between the state government and different agencies.