OdishaPlus Bureau

The 2 Day ‘Odisha Skills 2023-24’ competition across 8 centres in Bhubaneswar & Cuttack has concluded. More than 700 students from various government and private ITIs, Polytechnics & other skill development institutes of the state showcased their talent across 45 skills from 6 diverse sectors.

The ‘Odisha Skills’ competition is organized every year under the ‘Skilled In Odisha’ initiative of the state government. The programme is an opportune platform for the youth of Odisha to exhibit their skills in various traditional and modern sectors broadening the Odisha skill canvas.

The finalists of this state level competition will have the chance to showcase their ability at ‘India Skills’ & ‘World Skills’ competitions bringing glory to the state.

The preliminary round of ‘Odisha Skills’ was held on Tuesday, March 12. More than 700 contestants from various skill institutions of the state participated in it. Out of them around 350 students made it to the final stage. The final round of the competition was held on Thursday, March 14.

The winners across various skills will be announced on Friday and shall be felicitated at a special event to be held at World Skill Center campus in Bhubaneswar.

Eminent jury members and India Skills experts evaluated the live performance of the young minds at various centres. Elaborate arrangements were made by the Odisha Skill Development Authority (OSDA) across sites to ensure smooth conduct of the competition. To connect lots of aspiring youth from different parts of the state with the programme, live streaming arrangement was made from various centres.

During the final round on Thursday, CEO OSDA Reghu G & COO World Skill Center Pinaki Patnaik along with senior officials of Skill Development and Technical Education (SDTE) Department, Government of Odisha visited various centres to oversee the arrangements.

“There is a rising demand for skilled human resources in various sectors across the world today. Therefore, special emphasis is being given on skilling youth through the ‘Skilled In Odisha’ initiative. ‘Odisha Skills’ is a platform to augment their talent and inculcate a competitive spirit among the participants. Looking forward, I hope the youth of Odisha will give their best at India Skills & World Skills,” said Chairperson OSDA, Alka Misra.

Odisha Skills 2023-24 was an amalgamation of six sectors which included Construction & Building Technology, Creative Arts & Fashion, Information & Communication Technology, Manufacturing & Engineering Technology, Social & Personal Services and Transportation & Logistics.

Odisha Skills 2023-24 was conducted in 8 venues. Among them, 16 skills were organised at the World Skill Center in Bhubaneswar. Similarly, various skill competitions were conducted at CV Raman Global University, Institute of Hotel Management, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Central Tool Room and Training Centre (CTTC), National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Govt ITI Cuttack and Bhubanananda Orissa School of Engineering (BOSE), Cuttack.