Kerala opens premier academy for workers

Institution to tap into ITIs, where more than 60,000 youth enrol annually

Many in Kerala look down upon blue-collar jobs even though thousands of Keralites do such jobs in India and abroad.

To get rid of this perception is the primary objective of state-owned Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence (KASE), a top official has said.

Blue-collar jobs primarily include electricians, plumbers, carpenters, traditional craftsmen, refrigeration and air-conditioning mechanics, those involved in wall and floor tiling, bakery and restaurant services, florists and others.

Aiming to skill the young workforce of Kerala, and also elevate their skills to global standards, KASE promotes, establishes, sets up, monitors, governs and regulates institutions and academies.

KASE director Sriram Venkitaraman, a young doctorturned-bureaucrat, said “the day the perception towards blue-collar jobs in our state changes, Kerala will have no reason to look back”.

He said they have started to tap into the industrial training institutes where more than 60,000 youth who have completed school education join annually.