New Delhi, November 2022.

Exhibiting extraordinary talent and skills, twenty candidates from India, won two silvers, three bronzes and thirteen medallions for excellence in the ongoing WorldSkills Competition 2022 (WSC2022). They participated 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 in the ongoing WorldSkills Competition 2022 (WSC2022). This is also the first time that India has won a medal in the skill of Hotel Reception.

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

A strong 58-member Indian contingent is competing in WSC2022, the biggest skills competition in the world. The competitors from India are showcasing their skills in 52 trades across 15 countries in Europe, Korea, Japan, and the USA. In the current edition of the competition, Team India is competing in six new-age skills, including Industry 4.0, Robot System Integration, AdditiveManufacturing, and Renewable Energy. This has been a testament to India’s youth becoming proficiently skilled in digital skills and getting ready for thefuture of work.

This year, women students comprise 19% of the team, while 12% of the competitors are from various Industrial Training Institutes. All Indian competitors have also undergone training in industries and academia like Toyota, Maruti, NIFT, Mahindra etc. Preparing the students for WorldSkills starts much before the competition commences. To skill the youth and prepare them for the global platform, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) organise IndiaSkills Competition every two years with the support of state governments and industry.

On the recognition that India is receiving at this global platform, Mr. Ved Mani Tiwari, COO, NSDC said, “It is encouraging to see India’s youth achieve this victory on a global platform, known as the gold standard for skills. My congratulations to all the winning candidates and their families. All our achievements in the WorldSkills competition are a testament that India’s youth is getting proficiently skilled in new-age trades and getting ready for the future of work. Our complete focus is on harnessing the potential of India’s young talent and raising their profile on global platforms like WorldSkills Competition. With this, we will continue to build robust skilling ecosystems for India and partner countries as a skilled workforce is the backbone of making us the Skill Capital of the World.”

WorldSkills Competitions are the gold standard of skills excellence. They inspire young competitors to reach new heights, helping them turn their passion into a profession. The 46th WorldSkills Competition will bring together more than 1,400 young professionals, representing over 60 countries. In 2019, a 48-strong contingent took part in WorldSkills International at Kazan, Russia. The team won one gold (Water

Technology), one silver (Web technology), two bronze (Jewellery and Graphic Design Technology) and 15 medallions for excellence.

Championships like the WorldSkills are also very important as they provide emerging professionals with a platform to display their skills with perfection and make India proud. It also facilitates cooperation among governments, industry, and academia. They also play a vital role in creating nationwide awareness, ownership, and participation across various skills. Going forward, such endeavours will be able to help the Indian youth attain world-class standards of competence, excellence, and productivity.

SummaryofIndia’sperformancesofarinWorldSkillsCompetition2022isgivenbelow:

Annexure- Candidate Profiles

Praveen Kumar Giri from Bhubaneswar, Odisha has proven it by showcasing his skills by bringing laurels to India with his big win on the globalstage atWorldSkills2022.

Praveen has won the Silver Medal in Water Technology, at the Worldskills Competition 2022 held in Stuttgart, Germany and has made India proud.  Praveen a student of Mechanical Engineering was studying at C.V. Raman Global University realized that conserving water through technology would be crucial as it’s the world’s most critical resource. The insufficiency of water on earth and the urge to do something to conserve it, along with that complex problem of solving and fixing things encouraged him to take part in World Skills competition.

With an aim to be a Water Supply Engineering Technician, Praveen invested in honing his skills under the guidance of his mentor Rajat Kumar. He was encouraged to participate in the Worldskills 2022 and dreamt of representing India on the global platform when his senior represented India at the Worldskills competition in 2019. 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.

Likith Kumar YP has completed his diploma in Mechatronics from Toyata technical training institute and was training for the competition since the beginning of this year. He has been trained by Mr. Bhaskar Singhfrom Toyota India Expert, who is also the Chief Expert for Prototype Modelling Skill at WorldSkills International Competition. Likith had won the national skill competition, IndiaSkills 2021 in this trade and has now become an inspiration for India’s youth after getting recognised by WorldSkills Competition, the gold standard of skills excellence.

A farmer’s son, Likith has made a name for himself and his family with this huge achievement. From getting selected by the training institute, winning IndiaSkills competition and now winning a bronze medal for the country at an international platform, Likith has left no stone unturned.

22-years old, Anushree Srinivasan, from Madhurai, Tamil Nadu has made her family proud with her exemplary success in the WorldSkills competition 2022. With her determination and skills, she won a bronze medal in the trade - Hotel Reception in Montreux, Switzerland. This is the first time that India has won a medal in the skill of Hotel Reception. India’s hospitality is known in the world and now, because of young minds like Anushree, our skills are also being acknowledged on an international stage.

Back in 2019, while pursuing her graduation at SRM IHM Katankulathur, her faculty members introduced her to WorldSkills. Soon after college, she joined the esteemed, ITC Hotels and started gaining skills that would help her in the competition. During her training with her mentor Aagman Baury, she learned time management, teamwork and problem-solving skills. This journey from college to working at ITC made Anushree’s dream of making her country proud, possible. WorldSkills Competition has given her the confidence to believe in her dream and overcome every obstacle. Moreover, it offered her the opportunity to grow personally and network with people from across the globe. She is keen to share her experience and learnings with other people to empower them the same way this competition did to her.

24-year-old Akhilesh Narasimhamurthy had a rough start to life. After his father abandoned him at a very young age, his specially-abled mother struggled to make ends meet. That is when his maternal uncle came to his rescue and funded his study. The gesture motivated him to make his uncle proud and do everything in his power to support his family. Akhilesh was always a bright student, eager to learn and explore. After completing his higher education, he joined Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI) and came to know about the fascinating world of Mechatronics. With the guidance of his teacherBhagyashree Patil and his seniors, he learned all the nitty gritty of the skill. However, his thirst for knowledge didn’t end there. He enrolled to participate in the coveted India Skills competition. For the first time, his journey was bumpy and due to a small error of judgment, his team could not clear for WorldSkills. Determined to prove his mettle, he started training harder for the upcoming competition. In 2022, his efforts paid off and his team won the bronze medal in Stuttgart, Germany in Mechatronics.

Mechatronics is a difficult trade which requires a lot of patience and cognitive skills and Akhilesh had to train both his body and mind for the competition. He also feels that after the WorldSkills competition he became a lot more patient and strong-minded person. Akhilesh is keen on sharing his experience and motivating other students who aspire to participate in skills competitions. He said, “I understand how hard it is for students coming from financially weak backgrounds to make a name in this world. In reality, we only have our dream and passion, and we should never let go of that and lose our focus. Always remember that there is no dearth of hard work, and real talent will always be recognised. Be consistent and nothing can ever stop you.”

Karthik Gowda SeehalliNagarajuhas left no stone unturned to prepare for WorldSkills 2022. The 20-year-old hails from a humble background and he emerged victorious by winning the bronze medal

despite facing many challenges during the competition. Putting on a brave face, he overcame the hurdles emphatically. Karthik is a Mechatronics competitor from Mysore with the experience of having worked at Toyota Kirloskar Motor. Under the guidance of his mentor Bhagyashree Patil, he gained immense knowledge during the IndiaSkills Competition which paved the way for his victory at the WorldSkills 2022.

His experience and learnings in South Korea helped him imbibe various skills and gave him the necessary exposure. He learnt about IndiaSkills Competition while working at Toyota Kirloskar Motor and instantly enrolled himself, following which there was no looking back. Talking about his experience in South Korea, Karthik was appreciative of the training he received with comparative learning which helped him understand the technique to polish his skills in Mechatronics.

Nandita from Karnataka has always been eager to expand the horizon of her knowledge and participating in the WorldSkills gave her the perfect opportunity. After completing her graduation, she joined IHM Aurangabad and started honing her skills in patisserie and confectionery. Under the guidance of Vinesh Johny, her mentor, she not only learned the nuances of the trade but also boosted her confidence and learnt the virtues of patience and perseverance. According to her, the golden opportunity to participate in the Olympics of skills has opened new doors to realise her dreams. Pratham Sharma another participant in the bakery trade was on cloud nine when he won a medallion of excellence. He said that winning the award is the biggest milestone of his life and here is determined to help others gain interest in vocational education. 

They say nothing is impossible if you set your mind and soul into it and this became the gospel truth for Steven Harris. Hailing from Karnataka, he made the entire country proud by winning the medallion of Excellence in Graphic Design Technologywith the help of his mentorSatish Narayan. From a very young age, Steven had a creative mind and was interested in codes and designs. It was during his graduation from the National Institute of Fashion Technology that he got to know about the WorldSkills competition from his seniors. During the training, Steven gained practical knowledge which boosted his confidence. With his passion for codes and art, he learnt the integrities of graphic designing. With determination and grit, he made his mark in the competition. 

India continued its winning spree with Subasis Paul, a native of Tami Nadu, bagging the third medallion of excellence award in jewellery design. It was in his hometown where he learnt about jewellery designing for the first time and there was no looking back for him ever since. His thirst for knowledge and constant guidance from his mentor Anupam Karmakarmotivated him for the WorldSkills competition. Subasis believes that one should never quit and follow their dream with determination.

Abhinav Verma, a resident of Dehradun won another medallion of excellence award at the WorldSkills Competition under the category of 3D Digital Gaming Art. Since his school days, Abhinav was a creative person and always knew he wanted to do something in VFX. After completing his graduation from Arena Animation South Extension institute, he started training for the WorldSkill competition under the leadership of Pradeep Kumar. His dream to represent India at the global level was finally achieved when he won the award. Motivating other students, he said that dreams will come true when one has the courage and determination to follow them.  

Born and brought up in the Malappuram district of Kerala, Vaisakh always wanted to represent his country on a global platform. After completing his Engineering in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Eranad Knowledge City Technical Campus, Vaisakh worked as an IT Engineer at Kochi’s Lulu International shopping mall for three years. However, when he got to know about the WorldSkills Competition, he left his job and started training for it, under the guidance of his mentor Ninad Desai. He feels that through competitions like these, India is shaping its youth to take up the challenges of Industrial Revolution 4.0. 

Another youngster from Kerala showcased a brilliant performance at the WorldSkills 2022 and won the medallion of excellence. Adavith is a third-year B-tech student from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

who trained diligently for the global competition under his teacher Druv Joshi. Adavith’s success is a result of sheer grit and determination, and his achievements offer a guide to aspiring youth to shape their careers.

Sonu Lather from Haryana showcased extraordinary talent on the global stage at WorldSkills 2022 while competing in the Autobody Repair trade. He did his training in Autobody Repair at the Industrial Training Institute, Rohtak. From childhood, his hobby was creating new things, and he knew this is what he wanted to do in his life. 

Mohammad Siyad and Mohammad Faisal are both from Kerala and are skilled in Mobile Robotics. Both are pursuing BTech at the Cochin University of Science and Technology and are passionate about gadgets. Mohammad Faisal enjoys listening to music and travelling and considers determination as his strongest suit. He has also been the State science fair winner and the robotics competition winner. Mohammad Siyad is a logical thinker and can solve tech-related problems well. He achieved 100% marks in Grade 12 and was the Winner of the Kerala state-level science fair in the category of the working model (2018 and 2020).

Saraswathy PV from Tamil Nadu is skilled in Health and Social Care. She attended Bharat Scouts and Guides Rashtrapati (President award) camp, passed SSLC with 98% and 12th grade with more than 80%. She also maintained 90% throughout in Bachelor of Engineering. She is currently pursuing her final year of Biomedical Engineering at Bannari Amman Institute of Technology. Her hobbies include listening to music, doodling and exercising. She feels that her ambition inspired her to compete in the WorldSkills Competition.

Divejya from Maharashtra bagged another medallion of excellence award at the WorldSkills Competition in the category of Fashion Technology. He completed his graduation from NID Gandhinagar with M. Des in Apparel Design. It was during his graduation that he got to know about the competition. Under the guidance of his mentors and seniors, he started honing his skills in fashion technology and represented India at a global level. Divejya proved that with true grit and determination one can achieve anything. 

Charmi Sen, a B. Com graduate showed exemplary performance at the WorldSkills Competition by bagging another medallion of excellence award in the category of Hairdressing. A resident of Rajasthan, Charmi did her graduation from MLSU College. After her graduation, she started working at Prabhat Salon & Academy as a creative director and stylist. After learning about the competition there was no turning back for her. 

Under her mentor’s guidance, she invested in her craft and brought laurels to India.

Subrat Patel, born and bought up in Odisha, completed his graduation in Hospitality and Hotel Administration from Ranjita Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology in 2021. Stood first in state, regional and national skill competition – IndiaSkills 2021. He has been under training at WelcomeGroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration under mentorship of WorldSkills India Expert Mr. ParistoshDabral.

At WSC 2022 he won Medallion of Excellence in Restaurant Services Skill.

Mohammad Salman completed his ITI in Diesel mechanic from ButtiBori. He won Mahindra UstadokeUstad competition and joined Unnati Motors as light vehicle technician after completing e-tek training in 2019. In IndiaSkills 2021 he won gold medal in Automobile Technology Skill and started his training for WorldSkills 2022 at Mahindra Institute of Excellence under WorldSkills India Expert Mr. PrassanaSamel.

At WSC2022 he won Medallion of Excellence in Automobile Technology Skill.