Skill East 2019 Summit organized by CII Eastern Region – A Report

The Skill East 2019 Summit organized by CII Eastern Region was a path-breaking event as it provided a definitive platform to discuss various aspects related to skill development. The theme of the summit “Future skills, Entrepreneurship and Networking” reflected in the core message from all the speakers and it helped in initiating a discussion around many critical issues in skilling present and future workforce in the eastern region.

The presence of many industry members and active engagement with the participants showed that skilling for future and entrepreneurship needed deeper discussions and continuous interaction. The event was held on 22nd June 2019 at The Hotel Hindustan International, Bhubaneswar. National Skills Network – NSN was the online media partner for the event and had the privilege of interacting with the CII East team, from the conceptual stages of the summit.

Emphasising the fact that skill and knowledge are growth drivers, the speakers in the inaugural session delved into many issues such as scalability, quality and the need for inclusivity in various initiatives from the government and the private sector. With reference to the richness of Odisha in terms of human capital and natural resources such as iron ore and bauxite, the highlight on the state drew attention to how skilling can transform the mining industry. A presentation from ORMAS demonstrated their positive impact in transforming the lives of rural youth through DDU-GKY. CII Eastern Region has been playing a crucial role in impacting the evolving skills and entrepreneurship ecosystem in the region by facilitating dialogue among the industry members, the government, the academia and the vocational training partners. Some of the key points from the session:

• Economic activities in the region need skills and more trades to meet the diversity
• Quality of training needs to be improved and industry and academia have to work closely
• Fast changing technology demands continuous skilling in many job roles
• Being blessed with natural resources and a long coastline, Odisha should create new job opportunities for the youth through MSMEs
• Reduce migration by creating aspirational jobs for youth in their region
• Industry involvement and participation in supporting entrepreneurship and offering demand driven skill based training

Inaugural session: Mr Pradipta Mohanty, Vice Chairman, CII Odisha State Council and Chairman, SNM Group; Mr Dibya Shankar Mishra, Hon’ble Minister, Department of Home, Energy, Industries, Micro, Small & Medium Enterprise, Government of Odisha; Mr Shubhenjit Chaudhuri, Co Chairman, Skill Development Sub-committee CII ER & MD, Tata Pigments Ltd; Mr Pradeep Purohit CII-Member, Sub-committee on Skill Development; 

Future Skills – Readiness for Industry 4.0

The focus of this panel discussion was ways to prepare the existing and future workforce with skills required for Industry 4.0. Most of the skilling initiatives at present concentrate on skills for entry level jobs, however, there is a dire need to convey the importance of digital skills since technology adoption requires a skilled workers. And, we need to overcome the apprehension that automation will take away many jobs. Some of the key points from the session:

• Readiness for industry 4.0 to work with cyber physical systems and smart factories
• Automation and latest technology will create new jobs that need reskilling and upskilling
• Digital skills should be integrated in the school curriculum; this will also pave way of exploring entrepreneurship opportunities at young age
• Continuous learning is the only way to keep pace with change in the industry
• Industries like paints and coating offer new challenges and skilling can bridge the gap between the informal and formal workforce
• Design thinking is an essential element of today’s workplace and it reorients the alignment of skills with theoretical knowledge

Future Skills – Readiness for Industry 4.0 Panelists: Mr Rajesh Patil, Chief Executive Officer, Odisha Skill Development Authority (Moderator); Mr Abhinav Madan, Managing Director, Gram Tarang Employability Training Services;  Mr Satyarth Priyedarshi; Head of Digital, Tata AIA Life Insurance Ltd; Mr Supreeth Nagaraju, Head Education -Digital Media, Adobe; Mr Jagadish Acharya, Chief Executive Officer, Paints & Coatings Skill Council; 

Fostering entrepreneurship – the next big game changer

CII has been advocating the need for promoting entrepreneurship among youth and encouraging them to be job creators. However, the notion of entrepreneurship is mostly centered on creating white collar jobs. There is a need re-look at how MSMEs can transform the employment landscape in India, if strategically aligned with Skill India and Startup India mission. Some of the key points from the session:

• 80% of jobs are created in informal sector, hence we need to look beyond white collar jobs 
• Informal sector entrepreneurs need access to supporting system with access to better markets, finance and mentoring
• Educational qualifications are expected to lead to formal jobs and informal sector is creating many skill and trade based jobs
• Mindset change is needed to make career choices in entrepreneurship 
• The goal of business is not just making money, an entrepreneur faces many mindset issues from the family and society and he or she needs to be supported in many ways

Fostering entrepreneurship – the next big game changer Panelists: Mr Ranjit Singh Chugh,Chief Operating Officer, Paradeep Phosphates Ltd (Moderator); Dr Gayathri Vasudevan, Chairperson, Labournet; Col. Anil Kumar Pokhriyal, Chief Executive Officer, Management and Entrepreneurship & Professional Skills Council; Mr Rajiv Lochan Sharma, Head Responsible Sourcing – Jewellery Division- Eastern Region, Titan India Ltd; Mr Kamalesh Mishra, President, Seafood Exporters Association of India; Mr Dippankar S Halder, Founder, Jalongi.com; Ms Ambika Ghuge, Founder, Zoofresh Pvt. Ltd;

Skilling in the mining sector

Mining industry forms the core of Odisha and it has huge potential to create employment at various levels. It needs highly qualified engineers and well as people working with tools and equipment in challenging geographies. Skilling is mandatory and industry has been training their own workforce in various mining trades and particularly in safety. Some of the key points from the session:

• To increase productivity, it is essential for corporates to take up skilling as voluntary activity
• Skill development has to be mainstream activity and not limited to CSR and other statutory requirements
• Allied industries have to work closely with core mining sector for meeting the needs of ecosystem 
• Shift in technology for extraction and other activities should be complemented with appropriate training in using the new tools and technology
• Create jobs for local people using their native skills and focus on safety training as a priority

Skilling in the Mining Sector Panelists: Mr Sashi Shekhar Mohanty, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Nilachal Ispat Nigam Ltd (Moderator); Mr B K Thakur, Director – HR , NALCO; Mr Pramod Kumar Patra, Vice President & Unit Head, TRB Iron Ore Mines, Jindal Stainless Steel and Power Ltd; Mr Prasant Mallick, GM-CS, Tata Steel Ltd

Networking for skills – go global

Globally renowned and successful skill development and vocational training models of Switzerland and Germany have been adapted by many training organizations in India. Today, it is a basic requirement to meet international standards in skilling for seeking overseas jobs. Whether it is in Hospitality or Manufacturing, dual education models through apprenticeships are gradually making a mark in India. Some of the key points from the session:

• Industry driven apprenticeships has a deep impact on preparing the youth for present and future jobs
• The Swiss model of apprenticeships has shown tremendous results and now it is being extended for courses like B.Voc in Aviation and Mechatronics
• There is need to skill the youth as per international standards to help them seek employment in countries like Japan that need young workforce
• Hospitality industry has adapted many best international best practice to offer Diploma and Degree courses

Networking for skills – go global Dr Madhuri Dubey, Founder -Editor, National Skills Network (NSN) (Moderator); Mr Praveen Roy, Associate Director, EHL Advisory Services; Mr Arunachalam Karthikeyan, Country Head, Head of iMove;  Mr Prasenjit Kundu Chief Executive Officer, SkillSonics

Besides all the panel discussions, a special mention should be made of the presentation from ORMAS that demonstrated their positive impact in transforming the lives of rural youth through DDU-GKY. The summit concluded with heartfelt appreciation of the CII East team that coordinated meticulously to make the event eco-friendly by reducing the use of paper and plastic in many ways!