First IIS Aims to Provide New-age Skills, Modern Training

Mumbai, Sep 11 (PTI) Union Skill Development Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for the first Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) in the city here which aiming to provide new-age skills including factory automation, digital manufacturing, cybersecurity among others.

"IIS aims to help candidates equip themselves with marketable skills. There is a need to build a skilled workforce equipped with the required skill sets to meet the demand of Industry 4.0, powered by technology like automation, Artificial Intelligence and machine learning, cyber technology, energy conservation among others," Pandey said here.

The skill scenario is changing the world over, and these institutes will keep it competitive and the institute in Mumbai will also cater to aspirations of the youth of Maharashtra who are eager to become a part of the new-age industrial economy, he added.

The institute, to be built on public private partnership, build at an investment of Rs 300 crore providing modern training and skill development and along with the new age courses, it will also continue to provide traditional skill training courses, the minister said.

While the government will provide four acres for IIS at Sion in Central Mumbai, the Tata Trust will build the infrastructure and run the centre.

Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran, who was also present on the occasion said that jobs are critical for economic growth and with the current demographic dividend, skill development is the appropriate solution to get the youth productively employed.

"We need to ensure that latest market relevant skills are imparted to make the youth ready for jobs of the future," he added.

Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship secretary K P Krishnan said the institute is expected to become operation in 12-18 with a capacity of 10,000 students.

"We are planning to open the institute in the 2020-21 academic year with at least 4-5 programmes. The government is planning to set up another two IIS, which is cleared by the Cabinet. The other two IIS will be built in Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh by 2022," he added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)