WSC trains over 9,000 youth, records 99% placements: Odisha Minister reviews expansion roadmap

Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s flagship skilling institution, the World Skill Center (WSC), has trained more than 9,000 candidates since its inception while achieving an impressive placement rate of over 99 per cent, including 251 international placements, officials informed during a high-level review meeting held on Tuesday.

The progress and future roadmap of the institution were reviewed by Odisha’s Skill Development & Technical Education and Industries Minister, who stressed the need to further expand the Centre’s reach and strengthen industry-oriented training programmes.

According to officials, WSC has partnered with several leading employers including Tata Group, Hitachi, Wipro, Emrill and EFS, helping skilled youth secure employment opportunities both within India and abroad.

The Centre has also played a major role in strengthening technical education capacity by training over 4,000 faculty members under its Training of Trainers programmes. In addition, it has established Centres of Excellence in advanced domains such as industrial automation, smart manufacturing and advanced welding.

During the meeting, the Minister emphasised the optimal utilisation of the institution’s infrastructure and called for increasing student intake and introducing more short-term, industry-focused courses. He also suggested adding specialised skill programmes such as underwater welding and pipe welding to meet emerging industrial demands.

“World Skill Center has laid a strong foundation for advanced skilling in Odisha. We must now scale its reach by fully utilising its infrastructure, strengthening industry partnerships, and aligning institutions across the State. Our focus is to prepare Odisha’s youth not only for domestic opportunities but also for global platforms like WorldSkills,” the Minister said.

He further stressed the importance of stronger collaboration among government institutions, private Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and polytechnics to create a more integrated skilling ecosystem in the state.

The meeting was attended by Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Skill Development & Technical Education Department Bhupendra Singh Poonia, WSC CEO Rashmi Ranjan Mohapatra, COO Pinaki Pattnaik, Principal Dr Subhanga Kishore Das and other senior officials.