Kolkata, Aug 17 (IANS) India’s young people bring extraordinary ambition, adaptability and potential, and the responsibility is to connect it with future-ready skills and real opportunities, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhary said on Monday, asserting that the PM-SETU scheme offers a historic opportunity to reimagine ITIs as vibrant centres of excellence, innovation and aspiration.
Addressing the Regional Conference of Skill Ministers, ‘Kaushal Manthan’, convened by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) here, Chaudhary said the success of PM-SETU would ultimately be reflected in the careers, enterprises and upward mobility enabled for young people.
“India’s young people bring extraordinary ambition, adaptability and potential. Our responsibility is to connect that potential with future-ready, industry-valued skills and real opportunities,” he stated.
He stressed that the Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs (PM-SETU) Scheme should be implemented as a comprehensive institutional reform, with stronger convergence between the Centre, States, industry and training institutions.
The Minister urged States to align PM-SETU clusters with priority economic value chains, industrial corridors, MSME concentrations, emerging technologies and upcoming investments.
He said Spoke ITIs should have dependable access to Hub laboratories, master trainers, career services and employer networks.
“PM-SETU gives us a historic opportunity to reimagine ITIs as vibrant centres of excellence, innovation and aspiration. Achieving this will require strong convergence between the Centre, States, industry and training institutions, aligning policy, infrastructure and investment around the learner. Its success will ultimately be reflected in the careers, enterprises and upward mobility we enable,” he mentioned.
The conference brought together Ministers and senior officials from participating States and the Union Territory to strengthen Centre-State coordination and advance an industry-connected and outcome-oriented skilling ecosystem.
Chaudhary also highlighted the growing importance of artificial intelligence in skilling, noting that more than 2.10 lakh learners had enrolled under SOAR (Skilling for AI Readiness) as of July 16, 2026.
He said AI learning must reach schools, ITIs and skill centres across districts so that young people are equipped not only to use AI but also to apply, adapt and create with the technology.
–IANS
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