Participating for first time in IndiaSkills National Competition, J&K youth bags 3 Medallions of Excellence

Srinagar : J&K team put an excellent performance in its maiden outing at the prestigious India Skills National Competition which is considered as the country’s biggest skill competition. Gaurav Bhagat in Patisserie & Confectionery, Sheikh Najeeb Shafi and Mir Faizan in Mobile Robotics category won the Medallions of Excellence at the competition which were held from 3rd October – 5th October, 2018 at Aerocity Grounds, New Delhi. Officials from J&K Skill Development Mission (JKSDM) also accompanied the J&K contingent for facilitating their participation at the competition.

For the first time, six youth from Jammu and Kashmir – after passing base level, state and regional level competitions –participated in the prestigious national skill championship in which more than 400 participants across 27 states showcased their talent across 46 skills, 10 traditional skills and 4 demo skills.

In a first, Jammu and Kashmir government, this year organised district and state level skill competition and prepared a team for participating in this prestigious competition for which the contestants had to undergo rigorous training and selection process.

Mission Directorate, Jammu and Kashmir Skill Development Mission (JKSDM) was the nodal agency of the state for the competition and launched a massive awareness campaign throughout the state, involving newspapers, radio, television, social media etc. 700 candidates below the age of 21 years registered and trained in the skill sets such as Bakery, Cooking, Patisserie and Confectionery, Graphic Design, Web Design and Development, Beauty Therapy, Mechanical CAD, Automobile Technology, Fashion Technology and Carpentry.

The Mission collaborated with prestigious institutions such as National Institute of Technology- Srinagar, Institute of Hotel Management -Srinagar, Central University, Jammu, NIELIT, SSMD – School of Fashion & Interior Design, Rahim Motors, Le-Delice French Bakery and Arena Animation for providing training and guidance to the candidates for the skill competition.

About 100 candidates were selected from the base level selections, out of which 21 candidates cleared the state level skill competition for regional participation. The 21 state level winners participated in the India Skills Regional Competitions, which were held in Lucknow and Bangalore from May 31 to June 23. As many as seven out of 21 candidates from J&K qualified for the national competition but one candidate due to “personal reasons” opted not to participate at national level, according to the spokesperson.

The six skilled youth who represented J&K at the national level in four skills are Sheikh Najeeb Shafi and Mir Faizan for Mobile Robotics, Saharsh Arora and Aman Gupta for Graphic Designing, Gaurav Bhagat for Patisserie and Confectionery and Mohammad Adeeb Butt for Beauty Therapy.

The performance of J&K contingent at the India Skills National Competition has set a new precedent and would make skills aspirational. I hope other youngsters from the state would get inspiration from these winners and create their own success stories”, said JKSDM official.

“The hardwork of last 10 months has finally paid off. The candidates have undergone rigorous training programme at local and national skill training institutes and now with their excellent performance, they have made us proud”, said JKSDM official.

“I am thankful to my parents who have encouraged me at every step and to JKSDM, for their much needed support to prepare for this competition”, said Faizan, who received Medallion of Excellence in Mobile Robotics.

Mr. Anant Kumar Hegde, Minister of State, Ministry of Skill Development And Entrepreneurship, GoI, Mr. Rajesh Agrawal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development And Entrepreneurship, GoI, Mr. Subhash Ghai, Chairman, Media and Entertainment Sector Skill Council and other senior officials attended the valedictory ceremony and felicitated the winners of the national competition.

The winner and the runner up candidates of the India Skills National Competition will get an opportunity to participate in the World Skills Competition which is to be held at Kazan, Russia in 2019.With its secretariat in Netherlands, World Skills organises the world championships of vocational skills every two years in different parts of the world.

At the most recent event, World Skills Competition, 2017 held at Abu Dhabi, there were competitions in 51 skills areas with close to 1,300 young people taking part and India bagged one silver and bronze medal along with 11 medallions of excellence.

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