IndiaSkills 2021 Nationals, the country’s biggest skill competition, concluded today with more than 150 participants being felicitated by Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India. The closed-door competition, organised by National Skill Development Corporation under the guidance of MSDE, witnessed participation in 54 skills such as concrete construction work, beauty therapy, car painting, health and social care, visual merchandising, graphic design technology, wall & floor tiling, welding, among others.

IndiaSkills Competition, which raises the profile and recognition of the youth, brought together over 500 participants from 26 states/ union territories this year. The skill competitions were held at multiple locations, including Pragati Maidan and offsite locations in the National Capital Region, from 7 to 9 January under Covid-19 guidelines mandated by local authorities and the Delhi Government. Additionally, all safety protocols were followed including no entry for visitors/ spectators, adequate social distancing, and frequent sanitization of the competition premises. To further disperse the participants, the competitions for eight skills were conducted in Bengaluru and Mumbai from 3 to 5 January.

Of the 150+ winners, 59 were awarded gold medals with a cash prize of INR 100,000, 73 were given silver medals with a prize money of INR 75,000 and 53 received bronze medals with a cash prize of INR 50,000. More than 50 participants won the Medallion of Excellence. This year’s IndiaSkills Competition has raised the bar of skill development by witnessing over 2.5 lakh registrations in August-September 2021.

Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary was happy to witness the quality of talent, passion and perseverance with which the candidates have competed at the IndiaSkills National Competition. Congratulations to all the winners and participants. He further said that the government, industry and experts will work together to ensure that Team India is best equipped with the desired training and tools to perform their best at WorldSkills International Competition, which will be held in Shanghai, China later this year.

Ved Mani Tiwari, Chief Operating Officer and Officiating Chief Executive Officer, National Skill Development Corporation said that skills create opportunities, build societies and fuel economic growth. Skill competitions play a vital role in raising awareness about the importance of skilling in one’s life and prepare for the jobs and challenges of the future. The introduction of new-age skills shows how IndiaSkills Competition updates to future-relevant trades and job roles. This will definitely put us ahead of the curve and inspire other young people to consider a career in these skills, he added.

              Highlights of IndiaSkills 2021 National Competition

• Abilympics – Skill Demonstration by Persons with Disabilities

IndiaSkills 2021 National Competition also featured Abilympics, a demonstration of skills by Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), in 16 skills including computer programming, painting, embroidery, poster designing and photography. With such participation, IndiaSkills has the potential to reach the grass-root level and is a major step towards bridging the gap between the demand and supply of a skilled workforce.

• Demonstration Skills

IndiaSkills 2021 introduced three new skills – yoga, shoe making (leather) and garment making (leather), which were exhibited to showcase opportunities for candidates in these trades.

• New-Age Skills

Seven new-age skills—robot systems integration, additive manufacturing, digital construction, industry 4.0, renewable energy, mobile applications development, and industrial design technology—have been introduced to this year's competition, keeping pace with the emerging technologies.

• Women Participation

IndiaSkills not only offers a platform to transform the lives of the youth but provides equal opportunities to all. Plumbing & Heating skill witnessed participation by a female candidate for the first time ever. Landscape and gardening skill had two all-women teams. Visual merchandising was female dominated too. Mobile robotics also saw a team of two girls. As we progress as a society, women are breaking stereotypes and participating in all kinds of skills. PFLS data suggests that participation of the women in the workforce is as low as 22% and if women do not get the opportunities, it impacts economic growth of the country. We are proud that IndiaSkills is offering an equal playfield.

• Industry supporting IndiaSkills

The event has received tremendous response from the industry and partner institutions supporting infrastructure, experts and equipment need for skill training of candidates during workshops, boot camps and the competitions.

• Partner Institutes

The partner institutes who have supported the IndiaSkills National Competition include Maruti Suzuki, Larsen & Toubro, Festo India, Hotel Leela, Toyota India, CBIP, Concept Mahindra, Academy of Pastry & Culinary Arts, Government Tool Room & Training Centre (GTTC), Karnataka German Technical Training Institutes (KGTTI) and Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers' Association (IMTMA), Bengaluru, ICT Center of Excellence, Mumbai, IndiaTV News (as media partner), and Playtonia (as gaming partner), and more.

• Journey from IndiaSkills to WorldSkills

IndiaSkills 2021 National Competition (from 7 to 9 January) has been conducted following four Regional Competitions that were held in East (Patna), West (Gandhinagar), North (Chandigarh) and South (Visakhapatnam) during October-December. Participants for regionals were selected through competitions organised at the district and state levels between August and September 2021, which recorded over 250,000 registrations. The winners of IndiaSkills 2021 Nationals will undergo rigorous training to represent India at WorldSkills Shanghai, China to be held in October 2022.

*****

MJPS/AK