SRINAGAR: The Jammu & Kashmir Skill Development Mission (JKSDM) today launched the India Skills Competition 2025 across all 20 districts of the Union Territory, signaling a significant push to empower the skilled youth of J&K and align them with national and global platforms of excellence.
The launch, held simultaneously across the districts, is part of the nationwide campaign initiated by the Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) to discover and reward the most skilled young professionals across India through India’s largest skill competition.
On the occasion, the Mission Director, JKSDM, remarked that India Skills 2025 is more than just a competition, it is a movement that recognises skill as a tool for empowerment. “Launching it across all 20 districts ensures inclusivity and access for every aspiring youth in J&K. Our goal is to continue building on past successes and prepare our youth to meet world-class standards.”
The district-level rollouts were conducted in collaboration with the District Skill Committees, ITIs, Polytechnics, educational institutions and industry partners. The activities included awareness sessions, orientation drives and registration support for the interested candidates. On-the-spot registration kiosks were set up and many candidates registered for the competitions. All the information related to India Skills was provided to the aspirants.
As per J&K’s track record in the India Skills 2023–24, the UT showcased stellar performance during the India Skills 2023–24 competition, securing 3 Gold Medals, 4 Bronze Medals and 6 Medallions of Excellence.
This performance reflects the growing competence and potential of youth across the Union Territory. With expanded outreach and strategic mentoring, JKSDM is aiming for even greater success in the upcoming national rounds.
India Skills 2025 features 63 official and provisional skill trades, including sectors like Mechatronics, Welding, Web Technologies, Fashion Technology, Cyber Security, Bakery, Health, Social Care and many more.
All the eligible youth born on or after 01 January 2004 (and for select skills, after 01 January 2001) are encouraged to register for the competition. “There is no formal educational requirement for participation; the only eligibility criteria is that participants should fall in the specified age group and should have skills to showcase in the competitions, even if acquired informally,” said one of the Officers of J&K Skill Mission.
As per the format, the participants shall have to compete at the District Level Competitions, which will lead to the State Level Competitions. The State Level Winners will form Team J&K and will represent the UT at the Regional Level Competitions that shall be conducted by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), and the winner will proceed to the National Level Competitions.
The winners of National Level Competitions will form Team India and represent India in the World Skills Competitions scheduled in Shangai, China in 2026. In the previous edition, J&K sent 03 candidates who won Gold at the National Level and represented India at the World Skills Competitions that were held in Lyon, France in September 2024. All the expenses on the part of competitions and trainings for the level of competitions shall be borne by the Government.
“This is the biggest platform where the youth can showcase their skills and get recognised and appreciated at the State, National and International Levels. The India Skills Competitions are aimed at glamorising the skills and evading the blue-collar stigma, added Leena Padha, Mission Director JKSDM.
JKSDM will continue its outreach and mobilisation through institutional networks and local industry. District Nodal Officers have been activated, and SPOCs (Single Points of Contact) will be assigned for each skill sector to streamline the registration and training coordination. All the information about India Skills 2025 and the guidelines and tutorials for registration are available at www.skill.jk.gov.in/cms/competition.
All the eligible candidates can register themselves for the competitions by or before the 30th of September 2025, which is the last date for registrations.
