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JAMMU: Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary spearheaded a crucial stakeholders’ workshop, “Mission SKILL – Transforming the Skilling Ecosystem,” at Jammu’s Convention Centre, marking a significant stride towards revolutionizing J&K’s skill development landscape. The high-level event, organized by the Directorate of Skill Development, was aimed to chart a transformative roadmap for the region’s skilling ecosystem.
The Deputy Chief Minister, who was the chief guest on the occasion, described Mission SKILL as a transformative and future-oriented initiative aimed at building a unified, demand-driven skilling ecosystem in J&K. Addressing a gathering of senior officials, industry leaders, academicians and trainees, he highlighted the importance of the mission and emphasized that J&K possesses a significant demographic advantage with over 70 percent of its population in the working-age group.
“Our efforts are to harness this potential effectively through a structured, inclusive and outcome-oriented skilling framework,” he said. He further underlined that Mission SKILL adopts a lifecycle approach to skilling, beginning from school-level exposure to vocational education and extending to technical training, career guidance and lifelong learning opportunities.
“It will help bridge the gap between education and employment by aligning training programmes closely with industry demands,” he added. Speaking in detail about the initiative, the Deputy Chief Minister noted that Mission SKILL aims to benefit lakhs of youth across J&K, including students, job seekers and the existing workforce.
“Focused attention is being given to integration of vocational education in schools, strengthening career guidance systems, modernization of it is and Polytechnics and promotion of future-ready skills in sectors such as IT, renewable energy, tourism, and modern services,” he said. Emphasizing inclusivity, he reiterated the government’s commitment to ensure equal access to opportunities for women, rural youth and marginalized communities, thereby fostering broad-based economic participation.
The Deputy Chief Minister also stressed the adoption of a digital-first approach with an integrated platform for skill mapping, monitoring, certification and placement, ensuring transparency and real-time tracking of outcomes. Expressing confidence in the initiative, the Deputy Chief Minister said that Mission SKILL will serve as a cornerstone for youth empowerment and inclusive economic growth in Jammu and Kashmir. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to build a skilled, capable and future-ready workforce.
Calling for collective action, he urged strong collaboration between the government, industry and educational institutions, stating that such partnerships are essential for building a robust and sustainable skilling ecosystem. Earlier, Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, Secretary, Skill Development Department, highlighted the need for convergence across the departments to ensure optimal utilization of resources.
Among others Owais Ahmed, Director, Skill Development Department; Arun Manhas, Director, Industries and Commerce, Jammu; Arun Gupta, President, Chamber of Commerce & Industry; Rahul Sahai, Chairman, Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) J&K; Harvinder Singh, Director Employment & MD YUVA and Leena Padha, Mission Director, J&K Skill Development Mission besides other industry representatives and academic leaders also shared their perspectives.
The workshop witnessed participation from over 200 stakeholders and 250 trainees, who contributed valuable insights on bridging skill gaps and improving training outcomes.
