Thiruvananthapuram : That around 1 lakh students out of the total 1.5 lakh trained through the Additional Skill Acquisition Programme (ASAP) of the State Skill development (SSD) project have been placed, attests to its quality.
The project, launched to equip youngsters with skills in cutting edge sectors and enhance their employability has now received international attention. On Monday, a delegation from Singapore Skills Investment Mission arrived in Kerala for a meeting with the ASAP CEO, and government officials to explore the possibility of forging a strategic partnership.
The ASAP programme, which began in 2012, has already created waves at the national level and the students who pass out of the programme are much sought after. Employers who have recruited the first batch of students are all praise for ASAP and the training they had imparted.
In February this year, Abhiram, a student of Mechanical CAD skill course at ASAP Skill Development Centre, Kottila, got selected to national level competition Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE), sponsored and managed by the department of science and technology.
“ASAP is expected to be a game changer as it offers the required skills and training for students from the disadvantaged and marginalized sections. Its focus is on those who cannot afford to have proper school and college education due to their poor economic conditions and such students can earn while they continue to learn. Skill training increases their employability and some of them could get the required backing to pursue higher education,” said Usha Titus, secretary, higher education.
“With the delegation from Singapore Skills Investment Mission we are exploring the possibility of working together to upgrade skills of youngsters in a mutually beneficial manner,” said Haritha V Kumar, CEO, ASAP.
ASAP has plans to develop the state as a skill hub with participation from countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Germany and the US. Pramod A S, academic division coordinator at VismayasMax Animation Studio, said they had a several employees working in animation, who were trained under ASAP programme. “After a short training at ASAP the youngsters have inculcated all the core skills. By investing more time, they can develop the expertise. It is remarkable that the government is sponsoring a programme of international standards for the youth,” he said.
“The state government launched ASAP to impart sector specific skills and create a work force that is ready for labour market,” said M K Vivekanandan Nair, communication head, ASAP.
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