Bhubaneswar: The World Skill Center (WSC), Odisha’s flagship institute for advanced skill training, celebrated the graduation of its 6th batch on Tuesday, marking another milestone in the state’s mission to build a globally competitive workforce.
Attending the ceremony, Sampad Chandra Swain, Minister of Skill Development & Technical Education, congratulated the 1,088 graduating students, lauding their readiness to take on industry challenges. The Minister highlighted the strong placement record of the batch, with over 93% students already placed in reputed firms, and many more offers in the pipeline.
A notable achievement this year is the 94 international job offers in the UAE, with leading employers such as EMRILL and Jindal SAW, underscoring the rising global demand for the “Skilled-in-Odisha” brand.
“This is not just a moment of celebration, but of transformation. Skill development has been a cornerstone of our journey towards Viksit Odisha. By empowering our youth with industry-ready skills, we are building both livelihoods and the future of the State,” Swain said.
On the occasion, the Minister inaugurated two state-of-the-art Centers of Excellence – one in Smart Manufacturing (with FESTO) and another in Industrial Automation (with Schneider) – aimed at equipping students with globally benchmarked training.
Placements spanned leading organizations: School of Engineering graduates secured positions with Johnson Lifts, Reliance Solar, Jindal Steel, Fujitec, JSW, Tata Steel, Tata Autocomp, Airtel, and Wipro Aerospace, while School of Services students joined reputed firms including IHLC of Tata, Green Trends, VLCC, Jawed Habib, Mahindra, and Swosti Hotels. Salary packages reached as high as ₹5.25 lakh annually, reflecting industry demand and the center’s high-quality training.
In recognition of excellence, 29 students were awarded Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals for topping their trades.
The event was also attended by Bhupendra Singh Poonia, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, SD&TE Department, and Rashmita Panda, Director, Skill Development-cum-Employment and CEO, OSDA & WSC, along with senior corporate leaders, underscoring strong industry-academia partnerships driving Odisha’s skilling ecosystem.