The Odisha Higher Education Department is planning an Odisha Skill and Innovation Alliance (OSIA) to promote innovation and entrepreneurship among undergraduate and postgraduate students in state-run universities and degree colleges, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.
A meeting on OSIA was organised in Bhubhaneshwar recently between the Higher Education Department and Startup Odisha, presided over by the Higher Education Minister Rohit Pujari. The idea, Pujari said, is to create an alliance between the industries, institutes and students to make them job ready by skilling them in different sectors and subjects in an internship model.
Different streams, training in different streams
The New Indian Express reports that in addition to being trained in skill subjects that are relevant today, students from different streams will also be given training in subjects outside their stream – like an Arts student in a Commerce subject or a visual art student in a science subject.
The department is also in talks with Infosys Springboard and NASSCOM to finalise the operating protocols and practices. Another component of this alliance would be networking with industries across the country to employ skilled UG and PG students, similar to how it is for engineering students.
"This is in a preliminary stage of planning and modalities are being worked out with the involvement of different industry and academic stakeholders," the education minister said.
Among others, Executive Chairman of Startup Odisha Dr Omkar Rai; Vice-Chairman of OSHEC Ashok Das and VC of Ramadevi University Aparajita Choudhury, and her Ravenshaw counterpart Sanjay K Nayak were present.
Odisha Skill Conclave 2023
Apart from this, the Odisha Government has also launched the “Skill-in-Odisha” initiative for the upcoming Odisha Skill Conclave 2023, “with the intention of drawing national and international attention to the skilling ecosystem in Odisha,” reports The New Indian Express. Odisha Skill Conclave 2023 would take place from April 20 to April 22 and is said to offer a plethora of opportunities for the state’s skilled workforce.
