Delhi: Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, ranked eighth best university among India’s top 10 universities in the NIRF 2018 Ranking, has set up a state-of-the-art skills training centre in the Khorda district of Odisha under the Govt. of India’s Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY).

The new facility was inaugurated by Dharmendra Pradhan, the Union Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. It will train over 200 students from under-served, remote locations in Odisha in industry-relevant courses like Automotive Service Technician (Two and Three Wheelers), Plumber General, Self-employed Tailor, General Duty Assistant, and Data Entry Operator. The training will be provided for free.

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has been selected as an implementing agency for the Govt. of India’s PMKVY Special Project initiative. Under this, the university will open and operate 12 skill training centres across the five states of Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, aiming to train over 1,000 students in the next one year.

Said Bhavani Rao, Director of the Amrita PMKVY Project at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham: “The Amrita PMKVY Centre will follow a ‘Hub and Spoke Deployment Model’ to train, certify and place working-age youth between 18 and 35 years struggling to access viable economic opportunities. It will reserve 50 percent of all seats for women. The project incorporates a unique approach with a focus on soft-skills, entrepreneurship and financial digital literacy training. Assessments, monitoring, certification and evaluation will also be a part of the program.”

Added Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Govt. of India: “It is a matter of great pride for Odisha to get this centre which will help impart vocational training to students who were unemployable due to lack of any skill sets or degrees. The Amrita PMKVY Special Project shows great promise to help train and empower India’s youth in the skills they need to succeed.”

Said Bhavani Rao, Director of the Amrita PMKVY Project at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, “Odisha’s Amrita PMKVY centre will enable socially marginalized and economically disadvantaged youth to access skill development that will be free of cost. The methodology that we adopt in providing skill development not only improves accessibility, but also raises the standard and quality of vocational education. After completing the course, our trainees gain the technical skills required for employment and receive life skills that transform them into more socially responsible citizens.”

To develop a training model that can be scaled and replicated, a monitoring and evaluation plan is integrated into the implementation of Amrita PMKVY. Lessons learned, best practices and outcomes of will be shared to promote knowledge sharing.