The Uttar Pradesh government has taken the initiative to connect students with eminent technological educational institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and in this sequence, a group of 100 students and 100 teachers from Uttar Pradesh left for IIT-Mandi in Himachal Pradesh from Lucknow on Friday.

The one-month course (June 5-July 5) on 'new age of modern technology' offered by IIT-Mandi will equip these students with the necessary skills and knowledge to pursue new employment opportunities in India and abroad.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has emphasised the importance of skill development and has been working towards ‘Sabko Hunar, Sabko Kaam’. The Skill Development Mission’s ‘Prayas’ is aligned with this vision, striving to groom youth in new and demanding courses, ensuring they are well-prepared for the job market.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was previously signed between the Uttar Pradesh Skill Development Mission and IIT-Mandi. According to this, all students who have passed their 12th grade this year would be given summer courses with new technologies like advanced computing, artificial intelligence, and robotics. They have organised an online test for the same. Based on the merit, 100 students from internmediate colleges and ITIs were selected. The selection criteria focused on students who have recently completed their 12th grade with a science background.

Alongside the students, 50 teachers of secondary education and 50 ITI teachers were also chosen to be part of these courses.

On Friday, five buses were arranged to transport the group to Mandi. Vocational Education and Skill Development Minister (Independent Charge) Kapil Dev Aggarwal and Secondary Education Minister (Independent Charge) Gulab Devi flagged off these buses.

According to the officials, the funding of the entire programme will be done by the Uttar Pradesh Skill Development Mission.

The Uttar Pradesh Skill Development Mission is actively exploring opportunities to collaborate with other institutes like IIT-Bombay, IIT-Kanpur, and IIT-BHU to organise such summer courses for UP students. The potential for future MoUs with these institutes demonstrates the mission's commitment to expanding access to high-quality technical education.

The Skill Development Mission is engaging in discussions with private companies, such as HCL Technology, to provide students in UP with opportunities to develop skills. Similarly, in technology like 5G, there is a possibility of starting a training programme to provide skills to the youth.