60+ winners from Class 6-12 awarded at 1st ever India Skills Junior Championship

April 2: Junior Skills 2021, the country’s first championship for school students, ended on a high note today in the capital as Mr. Atul Kumar Tiwari, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India, felicitated more than 60 winners with cash prizes, certificates, and medals.  An initiative of National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), under MSDE, JuniorSkills Championship is India’s skill competition for school students, launched in partnership with CBSE.

Gold medal winners will get an opportunity to travel to Shanghai in October 2022 to experience from close quarters the WorldSkills Competition, the world’s premier skill competition where different countries participate for the ultimate recognition in skills. Additionally, it was announced that the second edition of JuniorSkills will be renamed as IndiaSkills Junior, and a new logo was unveiled.

Congratulating the participants, Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE)said that Skilling is a top priority of the Government and the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship is committed towards creating platforms for young students to showcase their talent and learn from experts. JuniorSkills is yet another step towards making skills aspirational for children at an early age. He further said that the National Education Policy that also aims to integrate vocational education in school curricula will find able support in events like JuniorSkills that will aspire students to hone skills of their choice and participate in nation-building.

Dr. Biswajit Saha, Director, CBSE said that the skills are the backbone of a country’s plans for future growth. Skill training at the school level will help students grow into independent thinkers and problem solvers, preparing them for any future challenge. Vocational training also helps boost a student’s academic pursuits by building analytical skills, collaboration, and teamwork, that are ultimately beneficial in developing problem-solving aptitude. JuniorSkills is an endeavor to provide school students exposure to vocational education at an early age that help them in making a well-informed decision about their career choices, and is in keeping with the National Education Policy 2020, he added.

Mr. Prakash Sharma, Chief Financial Officer, NSDC said that skilling and education are integral part of development of students which will help in empowering them for a promising future. Competitions like JuniorSkills play a vital role in raising awareness about the importance of competence-based learning and promoting life-long learning.  This championship is an opportunity for students to display their passion and receive appropriate training to channel their abilities into a gainful opportunity. He congratulated all the winners and would like to thank experts, trainers, partner institutes, jury and states who supported NSDC and CBSE in executing the country’s biggest skill championship for school students, he added.

Aligned to the New Education Policy (NEP 2020), which lays emphasis on vocation education and training instead of the traditional content-heavy learning, JuniorSkills is designed to provide exposure to students to 21st century skills. JuniorSkills Championship 2021 is a pioneering event aimed at creating a platform for career guidance and to enhance integration of technical and vocational education at the school-level. The championship has raised the bar for skills among school students and has met with enthusiastic response in the first year of the competition.  Over two lakh students of classes 6-12 registered in 10 emerging vocations such as Web Technologies, IT software solution, Visual Merchandising, Graphic Design, Fashion Technology, Mobile Robotics, Painting and Decorating, Solar Energy, Innovative Business Ideas and Photography.

JuniorSkills 2021 is a platform that emphasises practical learning and encourages students to showcase their talent and gives them the opportunity to be groomed by industry experts in order to be recognised and rewarded for their abilities on a national scale. JuniorSkills 2021 has been envisioned in accordance with the National Education Policy 2020, wherein the emphasis has been laid on the integration of vocational courses into the school curricula.