Pune: Four youths from Pune have been selected by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) as a part of a 28-member team, which will represent India at the WorldSkills Competition or Skill Olympics in Abu Dhabi next month. The four will be representing the country in beauty therapy, mobile robotics and welding categories.
Around 1,200 competitors from over 70 member countries and regions will be participating across 51 skill competitions between October 14 and 19.
The four candidates from Pune are Karishma Gupta, Vibhor Meshram, Samarth Goudar and Omkar Sawant. They were identified by the NSDC through competitions organised at the regional and national levels over the past two years. Officials said that after selection, the candidates took extensive training with industry partners to improve their skills.
According to officials, Gupta, with a goal to become a successful beauty therapist, took up the course soon after finishing her high school.
"She attributes her personality for being fit for her profession - a keen observer, quick learner and gentle demeanour; making her determined to pursue her passion. She had the privilege to work and train under some of the best trainers and beauty experts in India. She represented India at WorldSkills UK 2015 and undertook specialised training in Singapore," they said. About the mobile robotics category, they said, "Vibhor Meshram is a robotics enthusiast who loves designing, fabricating and developing robots.
Currently in his final year of engineering at the MIT College of Engineering, he has won gold at IndiaSkills 2016. He represented India at EuroSkills 2016, Sweden."
Samarth Goudar is an engineer with a passion for robotics and automation, who completed his Bachelors of technology with specialisation in electronics and telecommunication from the MIT College of Engineering. He has been an active participant in robotics competitions, including the Indian Robotics Olympiad (IRO) and the Robocon, the officials said. He was the runner-up at the final selections of WorldSkills India 2015 and won a gold medal at IndiaSkills 2016, they added.
The fourth candidate is 21-year-old Omkar Sawant, who works as a trainee welder with Mahindra Ltd. "He was inspired by his peer Sachin Narale, who won at Brazil 2015 and also selected him for his job. Under Narale's guidance, Sawant has been putting a lot of effort into his training. He won a bronze medal in IndiaSkills 2016. He stood first in the final round selection for WorldSkills and is now going to represent India at the WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017," they stated.
Congratulating the candidates representing India at WorldSkills 2017, MD and CEO, NSDC, Manish Kumar said, "On behalf of NSDC, we would like to congratulate the candidates for being selected as finalists to represent India at the WordSkills competition. Representing India on a global platform is a matter of great pride and honour for all our competitors, many of whom come from very humble background. We are elated to see them develop and utilise their skills with dedication, enthusiasm and passion. We are confident that Pune candidates and all others will perform their best at the competition and make India proud." He said the competitors are the ambassadors for skills in India and will motivate many in society to hone a skill and contribute positively towards nation building.
