By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, May 9, 2016 : The state capital now has a Skill Development Institute to provide skill certification courses.

The Institute was inaugurated on the auspicious day of ‘Akshaye Tritiya’, on Monday by Odisha chief minister, Naveen Patnaik and union minister of state, petroleum and natural gas, Dharmendra Pradhan in the presence of Bhubaneswar MP Prasanna Kumar Patasani and other dignitaries.

This is in line with the National Skill Development Mission of the Government of India, Union ministry of petroleum & natural Gas (MoP&NG) has taken the lead in setting up Skill Development Institutes (SDIs) in different parts of the country, through the oil & gas Public Sector Undertakings under it to take forward prime minister Narendra Modi’s call for skilling of India.

The first such Skill Development Institute (SDI) has been set up by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. at Bhubaneswar, with support from other Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) under MoP&NG.

To begin with, certification courses in two trades (i.e. Industrial Welder and Electrician) will be imparted at SDI Bhubaneswar. The courses are aligned to the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) of Govt. of India and approved by the Sector Skill Councils under National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).

Faculty from Nettur Technical Training Foundation (NTTF) will also be associated in the training process. For the first course around 90 students have been selected and will undergoing training for a period of 6 months, officials said here.

The employment oriented programme to be undertaken by SDI Bhubaneswar will include practical technical training through simulator and actual equipment used in the Industry. In addition, training on soft skills, computer and English language will also be imparted. The training will be followed by stringent assessment and certification process thus making the candidates ‘job-fit’ for the Industry.

Besides, training on entrepreneurship will also be provided as part of the course to enable students earn their livelihood and make them self-sufficient.

There is also a plan to set-up a world class institute for skill development here, which will include multitude of trades/courses required by the industry in general and Oil & Gas Industry in particular.