The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu has called for equipping youth with skills and knowledge required to successfully face the 21st-century job market. He stressed that the skilled labour force was vital for the country to make rapid economic progress.Speaking after inaugurating an exhibition put up by Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) in the campus of the Swarna Bharat Trust, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh today, Shri Naidu observed that it was the time that India reaps the benefits of its demographic dividend by skilling its youth.Pointing out that there was inherent talent in various sections of the society Shri Naidu said that the youth need to be trained and imparted skills in tune with the fast-changing technological scenario.With India inching towards becoming the third-largest economy in the coming years, he said that the government and various industry bodies such as CII FICCI, ASOCHAM have to create infrastructure for skilling existing and new entrants to the labor force.The Vice President also called for measures to reduce the urban-rural divide in terms of ensuring equitable growth and creating opportunities for youth and students to acquire skills.
Opining that it was important to nurture the talent of the youth to disrupt the status quo and lead to radical innovations, Shri Naidu called for creating an enabling environment for innovation to thrive. He also suggested steps to treat skill development as a National Mission and train the youth, women, and students to support innovation.The Vice President wanted higher educational institutions to promote skilling and entrepreneurship among the youth. He also wanted the academia and the industry to join hands to make students familiar with the skills required for the 21st-century jobs.The Vice President went around the exhibition and visited stalls displaying various programs offered by the government of Andhra Pradesh for students to update their skill sets. Students from various Engineering colleges and trainees of Swarna Bharat Trust were made aware of the schemes.The Governor of Andhra Pradesh Shri Biswa Bhusan Harichandan who participated in the event also accompanied the Vice President during his visit to APSSDC exhibition and later was shown around various training centers at Swarna Bharat Trust.Shri Challa Madhusudhan Reddy, the Chairman of APSSDC, Shri Kamineni Srinivas, Chairman of Swarna Bharat Trust and other dignitaries were among those present at the event.