Powering Odisha Through Skill Development

From left to right: Sanjeev Das, Senior VP Corporate Affairs & Legal, IMFA, Prof. Mukti Kanta Mishra, President, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Dr. Omkar Nath Mohanty, Director, RSB Industries, J B Pany, Executive Member-ICC, Odisha Expert Committee and MD, Radiant Telesystems, Sanjeev Mohanty, Resident Director, ICC Odisha State Office, at Business Standard Smart Business in Bhubaneswar on 26th May 2014, in association with Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

 

While the demand supply mismatch and skilled manpower continues to be a big challenge for the industrial units, the entrepreneurs need to leverage on ‘Earn while learn’ model to overcome the problem, say experts.

“The industries need to play a major role for skilling initiatives. Apart from ‘Earn while learn’ model, they should weigh the option of wage increment to incentivize the training initiatives”, said Sanjeev Das, Senior VP corporate affairs & legal, IMFA.

“Thirty six power projects are supposed to be set up by 2016 and 12 coal projects and related industries are proposed to come up by 2015, but unfortunately, this is unlikely to happen. As the industries have not come up, the employment has been delayed by two to five years. The skill training must be done in other sectors like transport, infrastructure, education, auto industries, textile and hospitality sector”, he suggested.

The National Skill Development Corporation has projected that 13.5 million skilled personnel are required by 2026 with the grounding of all investments proposed in the state.

“The target to enhance skill of 500 million people by 2020 is achievable with the coordination among the departments”, said Omkar Nath Mohanty, Director, RSB industries.

Mohanty, who is a council member of the Institution of Engineers (IoE), said IoE will start training of teachers and students of engineering colleges and vocational training centres in next three months in the state.

“The skill development programmes should not be certificate based, it should be competence based”, said Mukti Kanta Mishra, President, Centurion University of Technology and Management.

The state government has targeted to impart skill training to one million youths in the 12th five year plan and the Centre plans to train 500 million people across the country by 2020.

Among others, J B Pany, Executive Member-ICC Odisha Expert Committee, Sanjeev Mohanty, Resident Director, ICC Odisha State Office, also spoke on the occasion.