WorldSkills Competition 2022: Indian wins 2 silver, 3 bronze, and 13 medals of excellence so far

Twenty candidates from India received two silvers, three bronzes, and thirteen medallions for excellence in the ongoing WorldSkills Competition 2022 (WSC2022), demonstrating remarkable talent and skills.

As part of the ongoing WorldSkills Competition 2022, they competed in the following trades: Water Technology, Patisserie and Confectionary, Hotel Reception, Prototype Modelling, Mechatronics, Graphic Design Technology, Bakery, Jewellery, Web Technologies, Health & Social Care, Mobile Robotics, Restaurant Services, Information Network Cabling, Autobody Repair, Automobile Technology, 3d Digital Game Art, Fashion Technology, and Hair Dressing. 

India also receives its first medal in the category of hotel reception, where it also won this time.

Nandita Saxena became the first Indian female competitor to win the silver medal in Patisserie and Confectionary Skill.

The biggest skills competition in the world, WSC2022, has a competitive 58-member Indian team. The Indian contestants are demonstrating their expertise in 52 trades in 15 countries including Europe, Korea, Japan, and the USA. In the current round of the tournament, Team India is competing in six new-age skills, including Industry 4.0, Robot System Integration, Additive Manufacturing, and Renewable Energy. This is evidence that young people in India are developing strong digital skills and preparing for the workplace of the future.

This year, 12% of the candidates are from various Industrial Training Institutes, while 19% of the team is comprised of female students. Every Indian competitor has also received training from industries and academia including Toyota, Maruti, NIFT, Mahindra, and others. Preparing students for WorldSkills begins long before the competition. Every two years, with the support of state governments and industry, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) organize the India Skills Competition to train the youth and prepare them for the global stage.

WorldSkills Competitions represent the pinnacle of skill excellence. It encourages young competitors to achieve greater heights and assists them in transforming their passion into a profession. The 46th WorldSkills Competition will bring together over 1,400 young professionals from over 60 countries. In 2019, a 48-person contingent competed in WorldSkills International in Kazan, Russia. The team received 15 medallions for excellence in addition to one gold (Water Technology), one silver (Web Technology), two bronze (Jewellery and Graphic Design Technology), and one silver (Web Technology).

Meet the winners

Praveen Kumar Giri, an athlete from Bhubaneswar, Odisha, has brought honour to India by winning the Silver Medal in Water Technology at the World Skills Competition 2022 hosted in Stuttgart, Germany. At C.V. Raman Global University, mechanical engineering student Praveen concluded that water conservation through technology will be essential because it is the most important resource on the planet. He was inspired to compete in the World Skills competition by the scarcity of water on Earth, the need to do something to save it, as well as the challenging task of addressing and fixing things. Praveen had earlier won a silver medal at the state-level competition and won a Gold at the National Skill competition in Delhi. He received a walk-over at the regional level Competition at Patna as a mark of encouragement.

Mr. Likith Kumar YP represented India with a Bronze medal in prototype modelling at the WorldSkills Competition 2022 (WSC2022), which took place in Bern, Switzerland from September 7 to 10, 2022. Mr. Likhit Kumar YP also took first place in the Prototype Modelling skill of India’s National Skill Competition, “IndiaSkills 2021.” He received training from Mr. Bhaskar Singh, a Toyota India expert who is also the platform’s Chief Expert in Prototype Modelling Skills.

Anushree Srinivasan, a 22-year-old from Madhurai, Tamil Nadu, competed in the trade of hotel reception in Montreux, Switzerland, and received a Bronze medal for her efforts. India has never before taken home a medal for proficiency in the hotel reception. She first learned about WorldSkills in 2019 while pursuing her graduation at SRM IHM Katankulathur. She joined the prestigious ITC Hotels soon after graduating from college and began developing the talents that would make her competitive. She gained experience in problem-solving, teamwork, and time management while training with her instructor, Aagman Baury. Anushree was able to fulfil her aim of making her country proud through her path from graduation to working at ITC.

Akhilesh Narasimhamurthy, 24, had a difficult childhood. His specially-abled mother struggled to make ends meet after his father abandoned him at an early age. At that point, his maternal uncle saved him and provided the money for his study. He was inspired by the gesture to uphold his family’s welfare and make his uncle proud of him. Akhilesh was always a gifted student who was eager to discover new things. He joined Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI) after completing his higher education and learning about the exciting field of Mechatronics there. He was taught all the specifics of the skill by his mentor Bhagyashree Patil and his seniors.

Karthik Gowda Seehalli Nagaraju has done everything possible to get ready for WorldSkills 2022. The 20-year-old, who comes from a humble background, overcame several obstacles to win the bronze medal despite his struggles during the competition. He faced the challenges head-on and triumphed resoundingly. Karthik is a Mysore-based contender in the field of mechatronics who has expertise working for Toyota Kirloskar Motor. He learnt a lot at the IndiaSkills Competition under the tutelage of his mentor Bhagyashree Patil, and this helped him win the WorldSkills 2022 competition.

Also read: Meet the Indian team that won medals and medallions at WorldSkills Kazan 2019 https://nationalskillsnetwork.in/meet-the-indian-team-that-won-medals-and-medallions-at-worldskills-kazan-2019/

Nandita Saxena from Karnataka has always wanted to broaden the scope of her knowledge and competing in the WorldSkills provided her with the ideal chance. She joined IHM Aurangabad after receiving her degree and began developing her patisserie and confectionery talents there. She gained confidence and learned the values of patience and tenacity under the direction of Vinesh Johny, her mentor, in addition to learning the specifics of the craft. She claims that having the wonderful opportunity to compete in the “Olympics of Skills” has given her additional opportunities to pursue her goals.