NSDC in Collaboration with CBSE Launches First Edition of ‘JuniorSkills Championship’

NEW DELHI:
With an objective to enhance integration of technical and vocational education (TVET) at the school-level, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), in collaboration with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), today announced the launch of the first edition of JuniorSkills Championship 2021. The championship shares the values and objectives of the Skill India Mission, emphasizing technical and vocational skill training and capacity building in the interest of creating a productive and self-reliant workforce as a part of nation building.

Leveraging its experience and expertise of leading India’s participation at WorldSkills International competitions since 2011, NSDC, through this initiative, aims to create wider awareness about the importance of skill development amongst the youth of the country at an early age. The championship, to be held virtually this year, will provide students an opportunity to identify their talent and interests and make informed career choices in a rapidly changing world. The registration for JuniorSkills will be open until 19th February 2021.

The championship will be promoted through nearly 21,000+ CBSE-affiliated schools across India. Targeted at students studying in standard 6th to 12th across the country, the JuniorSkills Championship 2021 will provide a platform for talented children of India to showcase their skills. At the same time, it will create a pipeline for forthcoming WorldSkills Competitions and will connect education with industry-related skills.

Further, the championship will also assimilate international standards and assessment norms, build capacity of teachers as per WorldSkills standards, create role models among students and make skills aspirational for youth. The championship will have myriad activities planned over the course of the next two months including skill competitions for schools, career counselling webinars, digital seminars and panel discussions, online boot camps and roundtable conference of academicians and corporates leading up to the final national competition to be held in April 2021.

Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship lauded the initiative and said that the introduction of skill training at school level can play a pivotal role in providing lifelong learning opportunities to the children and enhance their prospects of sustainable livelihood in the future. Under the Skill India Mission, we have reinforced our efforts towards integrating skills at an early age in line with the National Education Policy 2020. As we continue the journey of making India the ‘Skill Capital of the World’, now is the time to commence initiatives from our schools, to build the right knowledge, awareness and skill sets from the foundational years.

National Skill Development Corporation emphasized that the JuniorSkills Championship will introduce to children the power of vocational education and its positive impact on career in the long run. The championship will contribute towards making skills truly aspirational for youth.

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) shared that the board aims to make skills and vocational training an integral part of the education. Our collaboration with NSDC to launch JuniorSkills Championship is an intent to create a platform that will expose children to limitless career opportunities via skill development. It will encourage students to discover their inherent capabilities and shape their careers from an early age. At the same time, it will help us empower teachers to integrate skill development at school level to train an agile workforce for jobs of the future.

JuniorSkills Championship 2021 has got support from private partners such as ICICI Bank as an event partner, Qrencia – a technology partner and Pearl Academy, which is to function as an academic skill partner. Other skill partners include the National Film Development Corporation (NFSC), Smalt & Beryl, D-Link, the Small Industry Development Bank of India (SIDBI), the Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ), the Delhi School of Photography (DSP), and Holosuit. Jagran Josh and Amar Ujala have also come on board as media partners, and i-Skill Junior as an outreach partner.

The championship has been envisioned in accordance with the latest National Education Policy 2020 wherein the emphasis has been laid upon the integration of vocational courses in schools. CBSE will play an important role in promoting and setting benchmarks for the skill competitions among schools affiliated with it.

The championship will be conducted at four levels – Screening, Qualifying, Semi-Final and Final. Amidst current COVID situation, the first three levels of championship will be organised online, and the finale is proposed to be conducted on-ground in Delhi. The competition levels will further be classified in three groups: