Odisha Skilling Conclave Focuses on Gender Gap, Inclusivity

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Skill Conclave today focussed on chalking out a roadmap for Odisha to become a leading skilling hub in the world. The day two of the event saw sessions on narrowing the gender gap, apprenticeship and internship and importance of diversification of workforce. The day started with the session titled, ‘Making India the Skill Capital of the World’ that deliberated upon the role of international facilitators and partners in supporting the creation of an internationally benchmarked Indian workforce and international internships and the role of international Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) providers. Sanjay Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary, Rural Development Department, Government of Odisha said, “Odisha is the rising land of skilling in India, the skill capital of India and the aspiring skill capital of the world.

We take pride in the skilling ecosystem we have in the state and the way it has been globally benchmarked. Through strategic planning, we have been able to develop the same as it is a life transforming initiative for both individuals and society. Diversification will play a crucial role in the future and we seek to ensure that Odisha offers the opportunity to the youth.” The session saw participation from Dr Sunjeh Raja, CEODirector, International Centre for Culinary Arts – ICCA Dubai, Anurag Srivastava, Lead- India and South Asia Corporate Affairs, CISCO, Anita Rajan, Chief Executive Officer & Vice President, Tata STRIVE and Tata Community Initiatives Trust, Bruce Poh, CEO, ITE Education Services, Singapore and Dr Sureshkumar Madhusudhanan, Chairman & Managing Director, Seagull Group of Companies.

The next session, ‘Narrowing the Gender Gap: Empowering Women through Skills’ focussed on Odisha’s role in supporting young girls of the state through learning pathways, employability enhancement initiatives and sustainable livelihoods. Sujata R Karthikeyan, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Department of Mission Shakti, Government of Odisha said, “Every woman or a girl has the right to be empowered to aspire and achieve those aspirations. Gender and skilling, gender and empowerment are important for the government agenda. Our efforts will be to ensure that through Mission Shakti we are able to empower the women of the state.” Panelists for this session included Sohini Sinha, Head – Learning, Leadership Development & Talent Management, Tata Electronics, Prof. Neharika Vohra, Professor, IIM – Ahmedabad, Sangita Jindal, Chairperson, JSW Foundation, Guha Poonam Tapas Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, ORMAS, Dr Monika Aggarwal, Dean Faculty of Design, MGM University and Poonam Mohapatra, Chairperson – Bhubaneswar Chapter, FICCI Ladies Organisation.

The session on ‘Linking Apprenticeship and Internship to Skilling for the New World’ saw experts deliberate upon roadmap for a coherent execution of apprenticeship policies that will expedite and scale up the process. Sanjay Kumar Mishra, CMD, Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited said, “The key components of skill development include apprenticeship and internships that provide on-the-job training to individuals. These are important for the individuals to acquire essentials skills for the jobs as they provide industry exposure, comprehensive understanding of the industry, networking opportunities and certification which enhances employability. As new sectors such as Hydrogen fuels, Green Energy and new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things emerge in the country, upskilling and reskilling the youth will be crucial to enable them with opportunities and contribute to the society.” The panel for this session included Narayanan Ramaswamy, Partner, KPMG India, Alka Mittal, Former CMD & Human Resources Director, ONGC Group, Shenbagam Manthiram, CEO, TP Central Odisha Distribution Limited, Pawan Yadav, DGM – HR, Subros Limited, Gabriel H. Bordado, Skills & Employment Specialist, ILO and Sanjay Shivnani, Head Technical Training and Hindalco Technical University, Hindalco Industries Limited, Aditya Birla Group.

The final session of the day, ‘Skilling beyond shacklesInclusivity in Skilling’ focussed on provisions to ensure that skilling opportunities are available for marginalised communities including differently abled persons and role of TVET system in building inclusive workplaces. Usha Padhee, Principal Secretary, Skill Development & Technical Education Department, Government of Odisha in her valedictory address said, “The insights and discussions from today’s sessions have set forward the roadmap to enhance the skilling ecosystem in the state. The industry partners and policy makers have charted out the areas and policy interventions required to equip the youth with skills that will not only help them build sustainable livelihoods but also strengthen the position of Odisha on a national and global map. Today we have discussed varied themes such as diversity and inclusion of marginalised groups and key areas such as certifications, upskilling and reskilling of the workforce which will help take the mission forward in an effective way.”

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