CII Uttarakhand Annual Session 2025: Growth Summit
By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 4 Mar: Industry and government must collaborate in the interest of the workforce, providing meaningful learning opportunities and the right skill sets to make them industry-ready, said Dr Pankaj Pandey, Secretary, Labour, Government of Uttarakhand. Speaking as a special guest at the CII Uttarakhand Annual Session 2025 in Dehradun, he emphasised the need for industry-led on-the-job training and urged industries to create platforms for in-demand skill development. Highlighting Uttarakhand’s economic landscape, he stressed that the service sector should be a key focus area for skill enhancement.
Expressing concern over the migration of Uttarakhand’s skilled workforce, C Ravi Shankar, Secretary, Skill Development & Employment, Government of Uttarakhand, stressed the importance of retaining talent by creating local employment opportunities. He noted that industry-driven initiatives would help reduce attrition rates and thanked Tata Motors for supporting 23 ITI centres and initiating the Dual System of Training (DST). He urged industries to focus on DST and the National Apprenticeship Scheme.
Kanishk Jain, Chairman, CII Uttarakhand & Executive Director, Akums Drugs, emphasised the industry’s vital role in skill development. He apprised that the CII Foundation and PwC Acceleration Centre launched 1st MCC in Uttarakhand, Project Kafal, aiming to transform youth employment in Uttarakhand.
Sonia Garg, Past Chairperson, CII Uttarakhand State Council & Director, Forace Specialty Chemicals Ltd, moderated Session -I on the theme “Government and Industry Collaborations for Managing Skills Gaps & Enhancing Employability”. The panel consisted of C Ravi Shankar, Secretary, Skill Development & Employment; Dr Arun Prakash Pandey, Joint President, HR, Century Pulp and Paper (Aditya Birla); Dr Anil Subba Rao Paila, Vice Chancellor, IMS Unison University; Abhishek Pathak, Project Lead – Dual VET, Tata Strive and Jaya Awasthi, Principal and Head – Centre of Excellence on Skills, Confederation of Indian Industry. Discussions centred around strategic workforce planning, the creation of a skill census for Uttarakhand, and upskilling and re-skilling initiatives to enhance youth employability. Panelists emphasised the need for multidisciplinary programmes, live mentorship, and industry-led sessions to provide holistic student development.
Verendra Kalra, Convener – CII Uttarakhand, Panel on Education & Skills Development & Managing Partner, Verendra Kalra & Co, moderated session II on the theme “Enhancing Skills with Emerging Technologies”. Prof Akshay Dvivedi, Dean, Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy (SRIC), IIT Roorkee; Dipak Prakash Shinde, Unit Head, ITC Limited, Haridwar; Atul Kumar Rajpoot, Centre Coordinator, Skill & Entrepreneurship Development Institute (SEDI), Ambuja Foundation; Vikash Kumar, AGM, AKGEC Skills Foundation were among the panellists. Discussions highlighted the importance of adapting emerging technologies, the need for institutional support in technological training, and the application of AI, VR, AR, and gamification in skill development. The panel also noted the relevance of EVs, drone manufacturing, and defence-related technologies for Uttarakhand, emphasising the importance of industry-academia collaboration for global competitiveness.
Suyash Agrawal, Vice Chairman, CII Uttarakhand proposed the vote of thanks.
The session was attended by over 100 delegates, including industry leaders, academicians, representatives from institutions, NGOs, and civil society, reinforcing the commitment to strengthening Uttarakhand’s skill development ecosystem.
