25cr youth need to be brought under skilling ecosystem: Minister

Bhubaneswar, April 16 (SocialNews.XYZ) There are about 25 crore youngsters in India including 75 lakh in Odisha between the age group of 15-25 years, who need to be brought under the skilling ecosystem, Union Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said here on Saturday.

Launching India's first Skill India International Centre at Skill Development Institute (SDI) Bhubaneshwar, Pradhan said: "We will leave no one behind and ensure skill, knowledge and employability linkages for all to achieve fast-paced development of Odisha and India."

The launch of Skill India International Centre, WorldSkills Academy and National Academy for Skill Teachers at SDI and the signing of MoU between National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and international employers are big strides towards transforming India into the skill capital of the world, he said.

Pradhan said the initiatives launched today will not just open up overseas job opportunities for the youth but also create a world-class workforce.

Talking about the role of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Pradhan said the NEP 2020 is a guiding philosophy to convert aspirations into reality.

"In the next decade, we must collectively scale up our efforts to integrate knowledge, skill and employment with flexible entry-exits to make our youth future-ready," said the Minister.

Pradhan also called upon the stakeholders in Odisha to fulfil their responsibilities and create a model and a benchmark ecosystem for quality skill development.

The Skill India International Centre will be set up for high-quality training of Indian youth, especially the aspirants from Odisha aiming to work overseas.

The centre will host training facilities to provide skills as per the demand of international employers in countries like UAE, Canada, Australia and other GCC regions, officials said.

Source: IANS