Source: Google

Odisha’s skill development initiatives are going great guns. And, the one-man anchoring the progress of this domain is the secretary, skill development and technical education Sanjay Kumar Singh.

Singh who also doubles up as the CMD of Idco has been instrumental not just in creating the right ecosystem and showcasing favorable optics but also in delivering tangible outcomes on the ground.

His eclectic vision and penchant for skilling are evident in the strides which Odisha has been making ever since the launch of the grandiloquent ‘Skilled in Odisha’ campaign.

Today, Odisha inked three memoranda of understanding (MoU) – two with IT bellwether Tech Mahindra and one with Tata Strive, a skill development initiative under the aegis of Tata Trusts.

Tech Mahindra on its part has committed to establishing a state-of-the-art international Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) unit to serve its high-end Fortune 500 Global customers.

The BPO facility is coming up at Fortune Towers, Bhubaneswar with office space leased out by Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco).

Singh claimed it will be a 500-seater BPO, offering potential employment opportunities for the youths in the state.

Separately, Tech Mahindra signed an agreement with Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) and College of Engineering & Technology, Bhubaneswar for establishing a Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML).

The center is expected to boost research in the two domains and help formulate remedies for some of the pressing problems stalking the agriculture and mining sectors. Each year, the center would enroll 30 students.

The three-way MoU was signed by B K Mishra, senior vice president (global delivery head) at Tech Mahindra, PK Patra, principal of CET and H S Behera, registrar, BPUT.

Simultaneously, the state directorate of technical education & training inked an MoU with Tata Strive, the skill development initiative of the Tata Community Initiatives Trust under the aegis of Tata Trusts.

The pact is designed to impart life skills to students of government-owned Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) make them ready for the job market. Training on life skills would be offered at all the 49 ITIs of the state.

Subroto Bagchi, Chairman of Odisha Skill Development Authority (OSDA) said, “We are extremely delighted with the quality of partners who are now coming forward to work in Odisha. Tata Strive and Tech Mahindra share our philosophy that skills must lead to human transformation”.