THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Contestants from Kerala emerged on top with remarkable performances, claiming 16 prizes in total at the India Skills-2018 South Zone competitions held in Bengaluru.
They outshone competitors in 13 out of 18 categories in which the state participated, with five contestants winning the first prize and 11 bagging the second prize. The South Zone competitions were held across a total of 36 categories. The first prize winners got Rs 21,000 and the runners-up were given Rs 11,000.
The winners will participate in the India Skills-2018 national level competitions to be held in New Delhi in September. The national winners will be eligible to participate in the 45th World Skills Competitions, to be hosted by the city of Kazan in Russia.
Kerala won the first and second prizes in the carpentry section. Adwaith. A.J, who became runner-up in the Web Design and Development competition, is a Plus One student from Thiruvananthapuram. First prize winners: Muhammed Rabith, Wall and Floor Tiling (Malappuram); Abhishek, Electrical Installation (Kozhikode); Sushith, Carpentry (Thrissur); Muhammed Bilal. K.I, Graphic Design (Thrissur); and Nidhin Prem, 3D Digital Art (Ernakulam).
Runners-up: Sharon. K.S, Mechanical CADD (Thrissur); Francis Ljo, CNC Turning (Ernakulam); Sijo Joseph Periera, Welding (Ernakulam); Dhamesh Raj. N.C, Wall and Floor Tiling (Kozhikode); Muhammed Sharafuddin. K.P, Automobile Technology (Kozhikode); Adwaith. A.J, Web Design and Development (Thiruvananthapuram); Muhammed Siyad. P, and Vaisakh. P, Mobile Robotics (Malappuram); Rejeesh. M.K, Carpentry (Kannur); Ajith Joseph, Restaurant Service (Kottayam); and Dona. V.S, Floristry (Kannur).
Representatives of Kerala Academy of Skills Excellence (KASE) led the Kerala team. Dr Sriram Venkitaraman, Managing Director, KASE and Director, Employment and Training; P.K. Madhavan, Director, Industrial Training Department; B. Justin Raj, Joint Director; Dr. M.S. Bindu, Manager, Skill Development; and Seeja. S.V, Team Co-ordinator, were among the team of officials.
