Bhubaneswar: In a major push towards green-energy skilling and workforce development, the Odisha Hydro Power Corporation Ltd. (OHPC) and World Skill Centre (WSC), Bhubaneswar, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish an OHPC-WSC Centre of Excellence in Green Energy.
The Centre will come up at Kaushal Bhawan on the WSC campus at Mancheswar Industrial Estate in Bhubaneswar. The project, estimated to cost Rs 1.48 crore, will be fully funded under OHPC’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister and Energy Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Industries and Skill Development & Technical Education Sampad Chandra Swain, Energy Department Additional Chief Secretary and OHPC CMD Vishal Kumar Dev, and Skill Development & Technical Education Department Commissioner-cum-Secretary Bhupendra Singh Poonia.
OHPC Director (HR) Sandeep Patnaik signed the agreement on behalf of OHPC, while WSC CEO Rashmi Ranjan Mohapatra represented the World Skill Centre.
Focus on emerging green-energy technologies
Spread across around 3,000 sq ft, the Centre will offer advanced training and demonstration facilities covering a range of renewable-energy and digital technologies.
The training will include rooftop solar, floating solar and solar-tracker technologies, along with emerging areas such as PLC and SCADA, Industrial IoT, remote monitoring, digital technologies, predictive maintenance, energy management and energy-storage systems.
The facility is expected to train around 300 young people every year for emerging roles such as Solar PV Technicians, Operations and Maintenance Technicians, Site Supervisors and Energy Auditors.
The initiative will also seek to promote entrepreneurship by creating opportunities for trained youth to establish ventures in solar installation and maintenance.
Focus on youth from OHPC operational districts
Speaking at the event, Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo said the initiative would provide selected youth from OHPC’s operational districts with access to advanced green-energy training.
He said the programme would create pathways to employment, entrepreneurship and self-employment in the rapidly expanding renewable-energy sector.
Industries and Skill Development & Technical Education Minister Sampad Chandra Swain said the initiative would expose Odisha’s youth to new opportunities in the green-energy sector.
“The world is making its way towards a green future, and so are we. We will build our youth not just for the country but for the world as well,” Swain said.
Bhupendra Singh Poonia said the transition towards clean energy was already underway and highlighted the role of advanced skilling in meeting the changing requirements of the energy sector.
“Energy transition is a reality. For skilling, WSC is one of the best institutions in the country. This partnership will help align advanced skilling with the emerging requirements of the energy sector,” he said.
Building a future-ready workforce
OHPC CMD Vishal Kumar Dev said the shift from conventional energy to green energy would create significant new opportunities for skilled youth.
“The transition from conventional energy to green energy is immense. India has set an ambitious target for green energy and we are already working towards it. We are creating new opportunities for the skilled youth of Odisha,” he said.
WSC CEO Rashmi Ranjan Mohapatra said the partnership would help create the skilled workforce needed to support the energy sector’s transformation.
He said Odisha’s skilled youth would play an important role in the sector in the coming years and described the collaboration as a step towards a future-ready Odisha, Viksit Odisha and Viksit Bharat.
Smt. Santoshi Sahoo, OAS, Special Secretary to Government, Skill Development & Technical Education Department-cum-COO, WSC, said green energy and a skilled workforce were both essential to achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat.
The establishment of the Centre of Excellence is expected to strengthen Odisha’s capacity in green-energy skilling while equipping young people with industry-relevant skills for the evolving renewable-energy economy.
