ALAPPUZHA:
It was his solo journey into the aesthetic realm of floristry that proved to be a turning point in the life of Jibin Williams, who went to become the proud winner at the World Skills 2019 competitions in Kazan, Russia.
Sharing his experience when hundreds of youths across the state are bracing up for the upcoming India Skills Kerala 2020, the 22-year-old youth from Kuthiayathodu in Alappuzha says until he represented India at Kazan, he was not fully aware of the immense possibilities of floristry as a skill. Jibin, who currently works in an event management company at Nettoor, Ernakulam, had a penchant for floristry since his childhood and honed his skills while preparing for the competitions.
After winning the district, zonal and state-level rounds, Jibin won the South India-level competitions that became a stepping stone to the national event. A win in national-level competition earned him the ticket to the World Skill competitions held in August 2019 in Kazan.
“It was a great experience to perform on the global stage. I was the only participant in floristry among the 40 contestants from India,” says Jibin, an alumnus of Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Thuravoor, from where he had completed a course in Draftsman Civil trade.
Jibin is an adept at creating bridal bouquets for weddings, and he made a mark by making various kinds of eco-friendly and plastic-free bouquets. “Apart from making special bouquets, I can decorate wedding venues with my distinct touch,” says Jibin, who cruised past his rivals by answering clearly to the questions put to him in each stage of the competitions.
According to him, floristry has immense possibilities in the self- employed sector and more and more people need to embrace this profession. “We need training institutes for floristry, which is still a strange subject for many. At present, we have the Indian Institute of Floristry, a certified training institute, at Dadar in Mumbai.”
When Jibin got gold medal in the state-level competitions, the Kerala Government had sent him to the Mumbai institute for advanced training. Due to the flood situation in Kerala, he could not join for training for national-level competition but later, the training was arranged in Kozhikode.
“I had no clue about skill development competitions. But after participating in it, I could tap on my innate talent very well,” adds Jibin, who wants to continue his studies along with his profession.
The youngest of two sons of Williams and Jessy, Jibin longs for setting up his own event management venture in future. India Skills Kerala 2020 is jointly organized by the Industrial Training Department (ITD) and Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence (KASE), the State’s Skill Development Mission under the Labour and Skills Department.
The District level competitions will be held from January 15 to 20, 2020. The Zonal events will be organized in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode from January 27 to 31. The national-level finale is scheduled from February 22 to 24. The State level winners will make it to World Skills India 2020, and the national winners will get the opportunity to participate in World Skills 2021, Shanghai, China.
Last date of registration is December 31. Registration can also be done in all government Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) for free of charge. For details visit www.indiaskillskerala.com. Also contact 9496327045.
