India Skills Kerala 2020: Finale Venue Goes Green, Showcases Culture

KOZHIKODE:
The sprawling venue of India Skills Kerala 2020 finale commencing at Swapna Nagari here on February 22 will showcase Kerala’s rich and diverse cultural heritage and eco-friendly initiatives, creating the right ambience for youngsters from across the state to display their talent and dexterity in a wide array of skills and crafts.

The three-day event will witness winners of district and zonal rounds vying for honours in the finals of the multi-tier competitions, jointly organized by the Industrial Training Department and Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence (KASE), the State Skill Development Mission under the Department of Labour and Skills. Apart from the 52,000 sqft. competition arena, the venue boasts of an aesthetically-set stage for the grand inaugural ceremony, besides more than 50 stalls, VIP pavilion, food court, and parking space.

The whole complex has been designed to give a feel of Kerala’s storied history and culture, especially the exquisite arts, skills and crafts nurtured and perfected over centuries, kept intact through generations. The creation of the venue has gone strictly by the green protocol to the last detail, using only traditional and natural materials like bamboo, coir and tender coconut leaf to set up the main stage and other facilities. Reusable materials are being used for the construction of the venue.

The India Skills Kerala 2020 winners will make it to World Skills India 2020, and the national winners will get an opportunity to participate in World Skills 2021, Shanghai, China. Three winners of the previous edition had made it to the World Skills 2019 held in Kazan, Russia, and bagged honours.

The ensuing finale of the current edition of the event will see competitions in 39 skills, more than double compared to the finals of the previous edition staged at Marine Drive, Ernakulam.

“Popular skills like Cooking, Bakery, Hair Dressing and Mobile robotics are part of the competitions. 100 Students from various Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) have been designated as volunteers at the venue,” said Shri Chandrasekhar. S , Director, Industrial Training Department and Managing Director, KASE.

A total of 253 contestants selected from district and zonal competitions respectively are vying for glories at the State-level finale.