India Skills Kerala 2018: Three-day Finale Begins on Saturday

KOCHI:
The grand finale of the biggest skill and excellence fair Kerala has ever seen — India Skills Kerala 2018, is set to begin from Saturday (April 28).
Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan will officially inaugurate the state-level competitions at 6pm at a grand ceremony that highlights technological and cultural excellence at Marine Drive, Kochi. Minister for Labour, Skills and Excise T.P. Ramakrishnan will preside over the function and Additional Chief Secretary, Labour and Skills Department, Tom Jose will welcome the gathering; Director of Industrial Training & Managing Director Kerala Academy of Skills Excellence (KASE) Dr. Sriram Venkitaraman will propose a vote of thanks at the function.
The programme will commence on Saturday morning at the venue where 23 exhibition stalls have been set up. Major national-state agencies will be participating in the exhibition based on the current themes of skill development.
Tom Jose will give away the prizes to the winners at the valedictory function to be held on Monday evening (April 30).
On the sidelines of the finale, a panel discussion, led by experts, on the topic “Entrepreneurship and Employment in Changing World” will be organised on April 29 at 6pm.
The Industrial Training Department and Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence (KASE) have been jointly organising the ‘India Skills Kerala 2018’ competitions for the last one month across the state. The event saw overwhelming participation of youngsters.
The objective of the competition was to drive home the importance of skill development among youth and in the society. Winners of the district-level and zonal-level competitions are vying for glories in the state-level finale. Two winners each from zonal-level competitions have been selected for each of the skill sections of the state-level competition.
The state-level winners will represent Kerala at the ‘India Skills 2018’ planned in July, which will pave the way for their participation in the 45th World Skills Competition in Kazan, Russia in 2019.
Kerala leads in Skill Development
It’s a globally-accepted fact in the changing world that attaining skills in accordance with the opportunities is vital to scripting success in the employment sector. Along with academic brilliance, skill in a craft or trade would be helpful to take it up as a living, if necessary. The Kerala Government is implementing skill development projects to help learned people find better opportunities and nurture the skill efficiencies of people in the employment sector.
Kerala Model in Skill Development
Kerala’s far-sighted activities in skill and labour sectors have helped youth get jobs and the state attain prosperity. As many as 70,000 students complete their vocational courses in Kerala every year. The contribution of the Labour Department is significant in creating global-level job-equipped human resources. There are opportunities for skill development training in more than 500 training institutes, along with commercial institutions in Kerala.
Skill Sessions in Competition
‘India Skills Kerala 2018’ aims to revamp the attitude of youth, parents and society to skill development. The grand success of ‘Skill Fiesta 2016’ is also an inspiration to conduct competitions in this field. These competitions set the stage for the youngsters to foster and express their potential and technological efficiency. The event is an opportunity for the country and the state to be proud of talents in the skill development sector.
‘India Skills Kerala 2018’ explores skills in 20 sectors that have been included in the World Skills Competition. Competitions were held in the following employment sectors:
1. Carpentry
2. Painting and Decorating
3. Plumbing and Heating
4. Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
5. Wall and Floor tiling
6. Fashion Technology
7. Electronics
8. Mechanical Engineering CAD
9. Electrical Installation
10. Welding
11. CNC Milling
12. CNC Turning
13. Bakery
14. Restaurant Service
15. Automobile Technology
16. Floristry
17. Graphic Design Technology
18. 3D Digital Game Art
19. Web Design and Development
20. Mobile Robotics
The winners at the state-level competitions will get Rs one lakh as prize money and the runners-up Rs 50,000. They will also get a trophy and a citation. A consolation prize of Rs 10,000 will be given to the other participants who made it to the state-level competitions.