Bhubaneswar, 20 th April 2023: The three-dayOdisha Skill Conclave 2023 today witnessed
various sessions on industry-led skilling and emerging opportunities for the youth of the
state. The conclave being organised by the Skill Development Department, Government of
Odisha, Odisha Skill Development Authority (OSDA) is aimed at engaging with Industry,
Academia, Training Partners, Sector Skills Councils, International Organizations, Country
Specific Representatives and Skill Ambassadors from the State.
The inaugural session was addressed by Chief Minister of Odisha, Mr. Naveen Patnaik and
other dignitaries including Mr. Pritiranjan Gharai, Minister of State (Independent Charge),
Skill Development & Technical Education Department, Government of Odisha and Mr.
Subroto Bagchi, Chairman, Odisha Skill Development Authority, Government of Odisha,
along with key government officials.
The state government also signed 12 MoUs to promote skilling and create a robust skill
ecosystem with leading organisations and institutions. These MoUs were signed between
ITE Education Services, Singapore and Skill Development and Technical Education,
Government of Odisha; Mission Shakti and World Skill Centre; School and Mass Education
Department and ITE Education Services, Singapore; Odisha Computer Application Center
(OCAC) and Skill Development and Technical Education, Government of Odisha; Drone
Federation of India and Skill Development and Technical Education, Government of Odisha.
In addition to the MoUs, some of the global leaders like Festo, Mitutoyo, Schneider,
Coursera, Alterra, Philips Education and ISB expressed interest in investing in the youth of
Odisha and Skill Development and Technical Education, Government of Odisha.
The day further saw industry experts deliberating upon the skill ecosystem, importance of
skilled manpower in the state and industry-led skilling.
The first session, ‘Building a coherent skill ecosystem in India’ deliberated on creating a
roadmap for Technical and Vocational Education Training in India (TVET). The session also
highlighted the importance of establishing convergence of skill training initiatives as per the
market demands.
Ms.Usha Padhee,Principal Secretary, Skill Development & Technical Education Department,
Government of Odishamoderated the session and highlighted the importance of all the
stakeholders in the system to work in tandem. The panel discussion started with avideo
showcasing the demographic advantage India offers in terms of skilling and the upcoming
opportunity to position itself as a preferred destination for skills, globally.
Dr. Shabnam Sinha, Lead Education Specialist, Education Global Practice, The World Bank
Group in her welcome address for the session said, “The future of India lies in the states.
Odisha has taken a lead in skilling. We look forward to a close partnership with the state and
take forward the skilling initiative.”
The panel for this session includedMs Kanta Singh, Deputy Representative, UN Women
India Office, Ms Tmt. J. Innocent Divya, IAS, Managing Director, Tamil Nadu
SkillDevelopment Corporation, Dr. Usha Titus, Chairperson & Managing Director, ASAP
Kerala and Mr Shrikant Sinha, CEO, Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge, TASK,
Telangana.
The second session, ‘Commendation of skilled manpower’ discussed the importance of
premium wages for the skilled manpower and the long-term benefits of the same.
Addressing the gathering, Mr K Ramakrishnan, Chief Executive – Skill Development
Mission, Larsen & Toubro said, “There is a need to ensure that the skilling system is
aspirational for the youth and there is convergence of needs of the employers to the skills of
the workforce.”
The panel for this discussion consisted of corporates such as Mr SP Gathoo, Former
Director – HR, Bharat PetroleumCorporation Limited, Mr Ashok Ramachandran, CEO &
President, Schindler India, Mr J D Giri, Vice President, Shahi Exports Pvt Ltd, Ms Gina
Joseph, Founder & Chief Designer at Zola India, Mr B.V.Sudharshan, Deputy Managing
Director, Nettur TechnicalTraining Foundation (NTTF), Bangalore.
The third session, ‘Towards industry led skilling’ in the country discussed the disruption
caused with the onset of Industry 4.0 and technologies such as AI and robotics. The session
also offered interesting insights around the gig economy, demographic and social shifts that
are changing the ‘future of work’ in the country.
Panelists for this session were Ms Trishaljit Sethi, Director General (Training), Directorate
General of Training, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India,
Mr Manoj Agrawal, Executive Advisor, Training Academy, MarutiSuzuki India Limited, Mr
Balwant Singh, IAS, Managing Director, Odisha Mining Corporation, Mr Sanjib Kumar Rout,
Founder & President, C.V. Raman Global University and Mr. Rakshit Kejriwal, President,
Phillips Education.
The conclave is also showcasing skilling prowess through an exhibition which has 134 stalls
– out of which 62 stalls are from ITI, Polytechnic, Engineering Colleges and Technical
Universities of 30 districts; 58 stalls are of industries and startups like ARNS, Auto Desk,
HAL, Microsoft and CISCO; 8 stalls are of state PSUs and 6 departments like Mission
Shakti, Energy, OMC, Bayonika, Directorate of Prisons and GATI.The inaugural day
concluded with various cultural performances from the state of Odisha.
Odisha Skill Conclave 2023 is being hosted at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar till 22 nd April.
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is the industry partner of
the event.
