Dehradun, 29th July, 2024: The State Council of Educational Research and Training Uttarakhand and its partner organization Udhyam Learning Foundation organized a Kaushalam Expo for secondary level students, celebrating World Youth Skills Day. The Kaushalam curriculum has been implemented in the state since 2022-23 for secondary level students. The objective of this curriculum is to develop an entrepreneurial mindset among students and make them proficient in 21st century skills. With this, the students may also be motivated to build their careers in the field of entrepreneurship after completing their education, and this will help in addressing the problem of unemployment and migration in the state.
The Kaushalam Expo 2024 was inaugurated by Bandana Garbyal, Director of Academic Research and Training Uttarakhand, by lighting the lamp. Students from various schools across the state showcased their innovative ideas and products at the expo. Addressing the students, Bandana Garbyal, Director of Academic Research and Training Uttarakhand, said that they should move towards self-employment and try to become job creators instead of job seekers by building their careers in the field of entrepreneurship.
Mr. Harish Manwani of Director, Udhyam Learning Foundation informed that this year we will see a major expansion and update to our Kaushalam program, which was showcased at Kaushalam Expo 24. The program, which started with just 10 schools in 2020, has now surpassed 2200 schools, impacting over 3 lakh students from grades 9 to 12. Based on the feedback we received last year, we have made several significant changes to our curriculum to ensure higher impact education for our students.”
Speaking about the Kaushalam program, Anita Kumar, Head – Amazon Community Impact, India and APAC, said, “It’s truly exciting to see this kind of expansion and development. We are grateful to the state government for their support. Also, we are proud to partner with Udhyam Learning Foundation on the Kaushalam program in Uttarakhand as part of our joint mission to strengthen the entrepreneurship culture in India. Our goal is to provide every young person with the skills and mindset they need to do something new, take risks, and create opportunities. At Amazon, we are committed to promoting the spirit of entrepreneurship among youth across India.”
Mamta Negi Chauhan, Assistant Director of Employment, informed the students about various opportunities available in the field of entrepreneurship and various government schemes to assist new entrepreneurs. Harshit Sahdev, founder of Himshakti Foundation, explained to the students in a very interesting way about entrepreneurial mindset and opportunities for entrepreneurship in Uttarakhand. The program was conducted by Mr. Rajesh Khatri, State Coordinator of the Kaushalam program. Mrs. Asha Rani Painyuli, Joint Director SCERT, Mrs. Kanchan Devradi Joint Director SCERT, Dr. Krishnanand Bijalwan, Assistant Director SCERT, and members of Udhyam Learning Foundation were present at the event.