New Delhi : Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Minister of State for Education, Government of India, Shri Jayant Chaudhary launched the IndiaSkills Competition 2026–27, the country’s flagship skill competition that seeks to identify, nurture and showcase India’s most talented youth across 63 industry-relevant skill categories. Organised under the aegis of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and supported by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) as the knowledge and implementation partner, the competition will provide a national platform for young skilled professionals to compete against the highest standards of excellence and earn the opportunity to represent India on the global stage.
With this launch, registrations for the competition have opened on the Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH), providing a transparent, accessible and digital platform for youth across the country to participate.The competition will follow a structured pathway from District, State and Regional Competitions to the National Competition, where India’s finest skilled youth will be selected for advanced training and assessment before representing the country at global platforms such as the WorldSkills Competition.
Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Minister of State for Education, Government of India, said, “IndiaSkills is not just a competition; it is a powerful platform for transforming skill into aspiration, excellence into opportunity, and talent into national pride. It reflects a new India where skilled youth are not only job-ready, but world-ready. As industries evolve and technology reshapes the future of work, India’s greatest advantage will be its ability to prepare young people with globally benchmarked skills, confidence and ambition. IndiaSkills 2026–27 is an invitation to every young aspirant across the country to step forward, showcase their capability and become part of India’s journey towards becoming the skill capital of the world.”
The IndiaSkills Competition 2026–27 will continue to feature the same 63 future-ready and industry-aligned skills as the previous cycle, covering advanced manufacturing, construction, digital technologies, engineering, hospitality, transportation, creative industries and emerging sectors.
Since its inception in 2016, IndiaSkills has evolved into India’s largest skill competition ecosystem. Participation has grown exponentially from around 5,000 registrations across 20 skills in 2016 to over 3.5 lakh registrations across 63 skills in the recently concluded IndiaSkills Competition 2025–26, with participation from all 36 States and Union Territories. The competition has emerged as a powerful platform for promoting vocational excellence, strengthening industry-academia collaboration, aligning training with international standards, and inspiring youth to pursue careers based on skills.
IndiaSkills has also become the country’s primary talent identification pathway for global skill competitions, contributing significantly to India’s improving performance on the international stage. At the WorldSkills Competition 2024 held in Lyon, France, India secured its best-ever global ranking of 13th, winning 4 Bronze Medals and 12 Medallions for Excellence. Building on this momentum, India further improved its standing by securing 8th position at the WorldSkills Asia Competition 2025, reflecting the growing strength and global competitiveness of India’s skilling ecosystem. Most recently, Team India delivered an outstanding performance at the Global Skills Challenge 2026 in Australia, winning 3 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze medals across advanced manufacturing, digital technologies, creative industries and service-sector skills. The country now looks ahead to showcasing its skill capabilities at the WorldSkills Competition 2026 in Shanghai later this year.
The Ministry has encouraged all States and Union Territories to maximise participation across skill categories and undertake extensive mobilisation through schools, ITIs, polytechnics, engineering colleges, universities, skill training institutions and industry partners to ensure wider outreach and talent identification.
