Chennai: The National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation (TNSDC), organized a Capacity Building and Awareness Workshop for Southern States and Union Territories on 24 September 2025 in Chennai.

The workshop brought together key stakeholders from Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Puducherry, and Lakshadweep, including government officials, industry leaders, academia, and skilling organizations, to deliberate on strengthening the Vocational Education and Training (VET) ecosystem. The focus was on quality assurance, convergence of efforts, and integration of future-ready skills.

A special video message was delivered by Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge), MSDE and MoS for Education, commending NCVET for spearheading regional workshops and emphasizing skill development as a cornerstone of India's growth strategy. He highlighted recent reforms, including the National Credit Framework (NCrF) and guidelines on recognition of Awarding Bodies and Assessment Agencies, alongside initiatives such as PMKVY 4.0, NAPS, Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH), and Skilling for AI Readiness (SOAR), which has seen over 70,000 enrolments.

Dr. Vinita Aggarwal, Executive Member, NCVET, stressed collaborative efforts among regulators, states, and industry to create a robust vocational education ecosystem, while Dr. Neena Pahuja highlighted the integration of emerging technologies and AI skills into training programs.

Shri K. Veera Raghava Rao, Secretary, Labour Welfare and Skill Development Department, Tamil Nadu, and Shri Kranthi Kumar Pati, MD, TNSDC, discussed aligning state priorities with national reforms and bridging industry-training gaps.

Col. Gunjan Chowdhary, Director, NCVET, outlined NCVET's role in standardization, quality assurance, and institutional strengthening. Shri Naveen Kumar, Joint Director, MSDE, emphasized convergence of central and state skilling programs to optimize resources.

Representatives from southern states shared insights on state-level initiatives, while experts from NCVET, MSDE, Digital India Corporation, HCL, NTTF, and ASAP Kerala discussed best practices, onboarding of Awarding Bodies, and integration with Skill India platforms.

The Chennai workshop is part of NCVET's national zonal capacity-building series, aimed at enhancing the quality, relevance, and integration of vocational education across India, aligning with NCVET's mission to create a transparent, equitable, and unified skilling ecosystem.