The world’s biggest international vocational skills competition, WorldSkills Kazan 2019 got underway with a grand ceremony at Kazan, Russia.

The 48-member Indian team, resplendent in colourful attire, wowed spectators as they walked through the parade along with 62 other participating countries.

More than 2.5 lakh people attended the opening ceremony at Kazan Arena, where youth from 63 nations gave a variety display of various cultures. The 48-member Indian team — the sixth largest contingent at the WorldSkills — stole hearts with a performance that brought alive the rich diversity and beauty of the vast country.

Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister, Russian Federation opened the six-day event that will see more than 1,300 competitors from around the globe competing across 56 skills and trades.

Contestants from India who are representing the country at the global stage have made it at WorldSkills Kaza 2019 after a gruelling selection procedure where went through a series of skill competitions conducted at different levels in India.

An initiative of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the aegis of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), WorldSkills India is integral to the vision of building a Skilled India, exposing young talent to the best-in-class technology, techniques and skills amongst different trades.

Mahendra Nath Pandey, Hon’ble Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship who is leading the Indian contingent, also inaugurated the India Pavilion at the Kazan Expo competition area. The Pavilion adorns myriad hues of India’s culture, traditions, diversity and skills. Dr. Pandey’s is at Kazan to motivate the participants and is aimed at building G2G and B2B relationships.

During his visit, Dr. Pandey will address delegates from Industry on the subject ‘Skilling for future with Scale, Speed and Standards: India Experience’.

He is also scheduled to meet representatives of key industry players such as DMG MORI, CISCO, Siemens, Lincoln Electric to name a few, to explore ways of knowledge exchange and global mobility of Indian workforce with multinational corporations.

As the competition begins on August 23, the Indian Team will participate in 44 skills namely mobile robotics, prototype modelling, hairdressing, baking, confectionary & patisserie, welding, brick laying, car painting, floristry, etc.

Forty-four skill experts and 14 interpreters for various Indian languages have also accompanied the participants in Kazan to support them at the event.

Inaugurating the India Pavilion at WorldSkills, Mahendra Nath Pandey, Honb’le Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, said, “Watching Team India showcase the unique Indian culture in a foreign country is heart-warming. These youngsters are not merely competitors at an international event of such scale, they are also ambassadors of the Indian culture and it has been a pleasure to have seen this beautiful performance.

My best wishes are with the team and I hope they win many awards in the skills they represent. They are the future of India and their vocational skills will open many doors for them.

With the Government taking a number of initiatives to boost technical training and vocational skills, India has climbed the skills ladder, and this year we have a 48-member team up from 28 the last time. I am confident of a good show from the team. In the future, we will also bid for hosting the WorldSkills.

The Ministry of Skill Development and other government departments are directing all their efforts at tap the talent of India’s youth by empowering them to become job-givers and not job-seekers alone. We have provided training support 12.6 lakh people and we aim to double this number in the near future with support from other ministries.”