Bhubaneswar, 13 May (H.S.): The Minister for Skill Development & Technical Education and Industries, Odisha, reviewed the progress and future roadmap of the World Skill Center (WSC), Bhubaneswar, during a high-level meeting held on Tuesday.

The review focused on strengthening the state’s skilling ecosystem and expanding the reach of industry-oriented training programmes to better prepare youth for both domestic and global employment opportunities.

Officials informed that the World Skill Center has emerged as a flagship skilling institution in Odisha, having trained more than 9,000 candidates since its inception.

The institution has achieved a placement rate of over 99%, including 251 international placements. Trainees have been placed in leading organisations such as Tata Group, Hitachi, Wipro, Emrill, and EFS.

The Centre has also trained over 4,000 faculty members under its Training of Trainers (ToT) programmes and established Centres of Excellence in advanced sectors such as Industrial Automation, Smart Manufacturing, and Advanced Welding.

Appreciating the performance of WSC, the Minister emphasised the need to further scale up its operations by optimally utilising existing infrastructure and increasing student intake.

He stressed the importance of expanding short-term, industry-aligned training programmes and introducing niche skill areas, including underwater welding and pipe welding, to meet emerging global demand.

“The World Skill Center has laid a strong foundation for advanced skilling in Odisha. We must now scale its reach by fully utilising infrastructure, strengthening industry partnerships, and aligning institutions across the state,” the Minister said.

He further highlighted that the objective is to make Odisha’s youth competitive in global job markets, including platforms such as WorldSkills.

The Minister also called for enhanced coordination between government institutions, private Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), and polytechnic colleges to create a more integrated skilling framework in the state.

He emphasised that collaboration with industry partners would be crucial in ensuring employability and relevance of training programmes.

The review meeting was attended by Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Skill Development & Technical Education Department, Bhupendra Singh Poonia; CEO of WSC Rashmi Ranjan Mohapatra; COO Pinaki Pattnaik; Principal Subhanga Kishore Das; along with other senior officials.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda