Visakhapatnam: IAS officer S. Suresh Kumar, the Principal Secretary of the Skills Development & Training Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh, discussed the state’s commitment to transformative skilling at the APAC National Skill Conclave- AP Edition.
In his address, Kumar stressed that skilling in Andhra Pradesh is not merely about employment but about transforming lives. He said, “We are not considering skilling just as a tool for providing employment. Skilling for the Government of Andhra Pradesh… It is an opportunity for transforming lives, not just providing jobs but for transforming lives of young boys and girls from the remotest parts of the state from humble backgrounds, from diverse ecosystems.”
Kumar outlined the government’s efforts over the past five years, including structural changes and aligning training programs with industry demands. Looking ahead, he recommended transitioning to future skills to meet the demands of the evolving job market. He suggested a collaboration among stakeholders to build a roadmap for the future of skilling in the state.
Addressing the demographic transition in India, Kumar said, “We have the highest number of youth in the world, and for the next 20 to 30 years that is going to be the reality. However, if we have to reap the benefit of this the biggest market in the world, the biggest economy in the world, we need to have skilled manpower and that is one area where we are actually lacking.”
Kumar insisted on the need for skilled manpower to leverage the country’s youth dividend effectively, pointing out that only 4.7 per cent of India’s workforce has undergone formal skill training, creating a significant gap compared to other nations like South Korea, where it is 96%, and Germany with 75% of the youth will formal skill training.
Highlighting the need to skill the vast informal sector workforce and integrate skill development with education from the school level onwards, Kumar said, “From class six onwards we are going to introduce future skills. We are going to introduce the skills which are going to make our youth employable, and make them valuable on the global platform.”
