The Andhra Pradesh Government has built a unique program as part of its mission to enable 20 million people with enterprises needing skilled labor. Built-in partnership with the Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Cooperation (APSSDC), the Skills Cascade Ecosystem is one of the differentiators of Andhra Pradesh state’s focus on revamping and revitalising skilling institutes in the state. The objective of the Skills Cascade Ecosystem is to make Andhra Pradesh a knowledge & skills hub of the world.
Honourable Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy will be launching a range of initiatives in Vishakhapatnam, and the ‘AP Skills Universe application‘ is one among them. Among the several features, the Skills Cascade Ecosystem will align the technical and vocational education ecosystem to industrial demand by setting a series of market-relevant curriculum with the ultimate objective of gainful employment for students.
Among the major initiatives, the Andhra Pradesh Government had announced its investment of over Rs. 88 crores to modernize and rebrand Government industrial training institutes (ITIs), polytechnic colleges, and skill colleges as industry cum training centers. Further Rs. 9.1 crores is invested to build brand new 13 Skill Development centres in 13 districts. The AP State Skill Development Corporation will spearhead the implementation of the Skills Cascade Ecosystem. This ecosystem will comprise Skills hubs (at legislative assembly constituencies), Skill Colleges (Parliamentary Constituency), Skills University (state-level institutions), Skill Spokes (collaboration with industries), and Skills International (to create internationally benchmarked quality programs). With 26 skill colleges and 192 hubs across the state, 55 industries have already joined hands with APSSDC as skill spokes to train youth according to their specific requirements.
According to Sri S Suresh Kumar I.A.S., Principal Secretary of Skills Development and Training Department, “The Cascading Ecosystem is a first-of-its-kind integrated model designed to address shortcomings in existing skills development programs. It aims to provide holistic training aligned with future industry needs.”
AP Skills Universe is a one-stop digital portal for all skills development-related activities in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Candidates who are seeking training in different skills or looking for job opportunities can register on the portal for the same.
Principal Secretary to the Government, Shri S Suresh Kumar elaborated on the same and said, “A unique feature provided by the AP Skills Universe platform is that it will allow the job providers to register on the same platform as well, which will make it easy for job seekers to get in touch with them.”
The AP Government has taken an active lead in the areas of skilling. As of 2023, the skill ecosystem in Andhra Pradesh has benefitted 2.88 lakh candidates per annum. More than 10 Lakh students have been trained as part of the 100 CM excellence centres (Engineering Colleges) and 498 Employability Skill Centers (Degree Colleges). Leading industry players, such as Dassault, have collaborated with the state Government to establish respective centres that have benefited over 10 lakh pupils. These programs have effectively led to wage increases, successfully placing previously unemployable adolescents into jobs.
As part of the Skill International initiative, the APSSDC is facilitating opportunities for skilled youth to be placed in foreign countries. Multiple stakeholders such as NSDC International, TAKT International, INLAMOBI, Domestic Workers SSC, APNRTS, OMCAP, etc. are onboarded by the AP Government.
“The evolution of our institutes into industry-cum-training centers, coupled with strategic collaborations with major industries, represents our vision for fostering a skilled workforce aligned with the demands of a dynamic economy. Over 200 industries, including Kia, L&T, and JSW, have joined hands with us, marking a major boost to our initiatives,” said, Smt. B. Navya, Director, Employment & Training, Govt. of AP.
The AP Government and Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy call upon citizens of Andhra Pradesh to actively participate in the states journey towards becoming a skills-driven and economically vibrant region. The CM is also expected to detail on other measures undertaken by the Government that re-affirms the collective efforts, collaboration between the Government, private sector, and educational institutions, and its steadfast commitment to skills development which is essential for realizing the full potential of Andhra Pradesh and its people.
