KOZHIKODE:
The meticulous planning and flawless conduct of the state-level finale of India Skills Kerala 2020, being held at Swapna Nagari here, has won accolades from a top official of the Central Skill Development Ministry.
Taking stock of the proceedings of the ongoing event on Sunday, Kailash Chand Gupta, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India, heaped praises on the flawless conduct of the mega skill festival, jointly organised by the Industrial Training Department (ITD) and Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence (KASE), both under the State Labour and Skills Department.
“Kerala is undoubtedly the leading state in skill development. I’m very much impressed by the quality of the competitions here,” said Gupta, who spent a considerable amount of time at the venue watching the contestants giving expressions to their ideas with great flair.
“When I talked to the participants, they expressed their satisfaction about the facilities and the way competitions are progressing. It’s a fitting venue to conduct such an important event,” the official commented. Meanwhile, responding to the appreciation by the GOI official, S Chandrasekhar, Director, ITD, and Managing Director, KASE, said Kerala has set an example for other states to follow suit.
“We are the first amongst the states to conduct the state-level competition this year. Representatives from other states have come here to see the competitions and to learn the best practices carried out by India Skills Kerala,” Chandrasekhar said.
“We have submitted proposal for hosting the national event in Kerala. The Centre also has put forward its requirements. Other states have also given their proposals. But we hope the World Skills India 2020 will be held in the state,” he added.
“There is more industry participation this time with more firms coming forward to sponsor various trade competitions.” Chandrasekhar added. around 253 participants are vying in 39 categories at the event. The competition categories and number of participants (in brackets) are the following:
3D Digital Game Art (7), Auto Body Repair (6), Automobile Technology (6), Bakery (6), Beauty Therapy (6), Brick Laying (6), CNC Milling (6), CNC Turning (6), Cabinet Making (5), Car painting (6), Carpentry (6), Cooking (18), Cyber Security (10), Electrical Installations (6), Electronics (6), Fashion Technology (6), Floristry (6), Graphic Design Technology (6), Hair Dressing (6), Health and Social Care (6), Hotel Reception (6), Information Networking Cabling (6), Jewellery (4), Joinery (6), Landscape Gardening (12), Mechanical Engineering CAD (6), Mobile Robotics (10), Painting and Decorating (6), Patisserie and Confectionery (6), Plastering and Drywall System (4), Plastic Die Engineering (4), Plumbing and Heating (6), Print Media Technology (6), Refrigeration and Air conditioning (6), Restaurant Service (6), Wall and Floor Tiling (6), Water Technology (5), Web Technologies (6), and Welding (6).
The event, which will conclude on February 24, gives the prize-winning contestants an opportunity to participate in the national competitions, where the victors get a chance to represent the country at World Skills 2021 at Shanghai in China.
