Sri City plans to take up skilling in big way

Hyderabad: Sri City, the integrated business city in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, is planning to take up skill development in a big way, according to its Founder and Managing Director Ravindra Sannareddy.

Sannareddy, who was recently appointed as a Member of the High Level Advisory Committee on Skill Development constituted by the Andhra Pradesh government to advise it on the skill development, said that skill development programmes were imperative to equip unemployed youth with requisite skill sets, and fill the skill gaps.

"We are taking up skill development programme in a big way. Further, we also want to focus on re-skilling to upgrade skill sets among the existing workforce," Sannareddy told The Hans India. As part of these efforts, Sri City, AP State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) and Alstom, which has a manufacturing plant in Sri City, are jointly organising a skill development programme for diploma holders in mechanical engineering. "We are planning to launch the programme on October 2," he said.

Pointing out that people from other States were being employed when local talent with required skills were not available, he said: "Locals can employed for such roles if the skill gaps are filled". Right before its inception, Sri City took up skill training initiatives for transforming the local people with agrarian background as blue-coloured workforce. Initially, it collaborated with National Academy for Construction and IL&FS to offer free vocational training in different trades. Till date, over 4,500 people were trained, and more than 90 per cent of them got jobs either in Sri City or at other places.