Battle of the skills: Meher, a BVRIT student, competed in the Skill Olympics conducted in Abu Dhabi and had the experience of a lifetime

After practising for 8 to 11 hours a day, receiving training under Phani Kondepudi, CEO, 3x3CONECT, training under BVRIT College's WISE programme (Women in Software Engineering) and more, 19-year-old Meher Rishika Nori felt prepared for the WorldSkills Competition, which was held from October 14 to 19 in Abu Dhabi. Also known as the Skill Olympics, this is one of the largest vocational skills competition, which this year saw participation from about 27 countries. The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has been spearheading India’s participation at WorldSkills over the years and selects the competitors that get to participate in it.

NSDC identified all the competitors through a series of competitions organised at regional and national-levels over the past two years

Though Meher did not win at WorldSkills, she has no regrets. "Those that won deserved to win. They have been preparing for this for almost 2 to 3 years," says the Hyderabad-born youngster, who competed in the category of IT Software Solution for Business. For her task, she was given a real-time project to figure out a reservation system and other technicalities of an airline. The experience offered her a lot of exposure and the opportunity to make new friends, "even the experts at the competition were really nice to me," she says.

Through all this, not only has her college been supportive, but even her parents, "who motivate me even more than I motivate myself," she says

The event opened new doors for her, including an invitation to participate in a student exchange programme. She also got to visit Al Salam, as every country visited one school and spoke about the importance of skills. And of course, she had the time to play tourist at Abu Dhabi too, an experience for which, "I have no words," says Meher, who is already gearing up for the next WorldSkills.