AP to create job-ready skilled manpower: FM

Visakhapatnam: Setting a trend for others, Andhra Pradesh Government has adopted a skill cascading ecosystem to create job-ready skilled manpower, State Finance and Skill Development Minister Buggana Rajendranath said here at National Skill Conclave on Friday.

Under the skills cascading ecosystem, 192 skill hubs and 26 skill colleges have been established. The innovative programme will set up Skill Spokes on the premises of various industries to offer hands-on training as part of an initiative to tackle the shortage of skilled workers. Under this, the industries will offer customised training based on specific needs, boasting of a significant 94 per cent placement. Work is in progress to establish a Skill University in Tirupati.

The Minister said AP Skill Development Mission is evoking rich dividends as the employment potential is increasing significantly over the past few years and hoped that once the ecosystem is developed fully, the ongoing tempo will further gain momentum.

“Our multi-pronged approach is to empower individuals and fulfill manpower requirements by diverse industries,” said S Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary, Skill Development & Training.

APSSDC has trained so far since 2019 a total number of 15.21 lakh and ensured placement for 3.84 lakh. The Skill Development and Training Department undertaken a programme under the name ‘cascading skills for all.’.

The programme was organised by the State Government with Skill AP country-partner UK Government. Among others, Kab Dong Lee, Chief Administrative Officer, KIA Motors India, Souvik Goswami, co-founder, APAC New Network, Dr Vinod Kumar, MD & CEO, APSSDC, Konduru Ajay Reddy, Chairman, APSSIDC, Dr Apoorva Palkar, founding Vice-Chancellor, Maharashtra State Skills University and Dr. Ravishankar Ayyanar, Commissioner of Police, spoke.

The State government through AP State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) has set a target to create over 20 million skilled manpower in next 15 years to meet the growing demand. As part of the Skill International Initiative, APSSDC is also facilitating opportunities abroad. The government is spending over Rs 100 crore in modernising the ITIs and polytechnics and skill colleges.

The job-oriented programmes are being offered as per the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) Level 4. Skill Spokes are mandated to provide customised programmes as per specific needs to boast of a remarkable 94 per cent placement rate. The ITIs and Polytechnics are being modernised and rebranded to make the courses more relevant as per the demand of the day.