A.P. invests in skill development as a core economic growth strategy

Recognising skill development as the central pillar of economic growth, the government is integrating education, industry needs and global labour markets. The State’s approach emphasised aspiration-led skilling, strong industry partnership, technology-enabled governance and preparation of youth for both domestic and international employment.

A statement issued to this effect said that during 2024–25, Andhra Pradesh achieved significant outcomes by imparting training to over 4.10 lakh youth, conducting over 2.10 lakh assessments, and by issuing 1.88 lakh certifications. Job-linked initiatives led to 1.45 lakh placements, supported by 1,483 job fairs conducted across all 175 Assembly constituencies. The State also initiated structured programmes for international skilling and overseas employment, reflecting its global outlook, said the statement.

The idea is to build a comprehensive lifelong learning ecosystem that begins with early skill exposure in schools and extends through vocational education, modernised ITIs and polytechnics, short-term market-driven skilling, higher-education-linked employability programmes and international mobility pathways. A unified digital platform tracks the entire candidate lifecycle, ensuring transparency and efficiency.

At school and intermediate levels, vocational education has expanded significantly, reaching over 3.2 lakh school students and nearly 93,000 junior college students, with 100% on-the-job training and over 51,000 internships facilitated. ITIs have witnessed good placement outcomes, active industry collaborations and infrastructure upgrades through CSR partnerships, alongside initiatives such as German language training and PM-SETU modernisation planning.

The statement says polytechnics have recorded improvement in admissions, placement rates, accreditation and curriculum modernisation, including the introduction of AI and Quantum Computing basics and employability is further enhanced through industry-linked add-on courses, skill hours and multi-tier placement strategies.

Market-driven short-term skilling, led by A.P. State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC), Society for Employment Generation and Enterprise Development in Andhra Pradesh (SEEDAP) and the National Academy of Construction, has trained and placed large numbers of youth across urban and rural areas, earning national recognition for performance and innovation.

Similarly, the Overseas Manpower Company of Andhra Pradesh (OMCAP) implemented international mobility programmes, which opened pathways in healthcare, engineering and technical trades across Germany, Japan, the GCC countries and Europe, supported by language training, safe migration initiatives and global partnerships.

To power the entire ecosystem, the skill development wing has designed ‘Naipunyam’, an AI-enabled, unified digital (portal) platform that integrates skilling, certification, employment and analytics into a single system, positioning Andhra Pradesh as a national role model.