Telangana building future-ready workforce: Sridhar Babu

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Telangana is building a future-ready workforce by bringing education, industry and employment onto a common platform, IT & Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu said. Addressing the Future Skills Summit & Awards 2026 at T-Works, Rayadurgam, Hyderabad on Saturday, the Minister said the key question today is not how many young people graduate, but how many are equipped for the jobs and industries of tomorrow.

“Telangana produces more than 2 lakh graduates every year from engineering, pharmacy, MBA and other professional courses. They have degrees, ambition and the desire to succeed. But a degree alone is no longer enough. Industry needs skills, practical knowledge, problem-solving ability, communication, adaptability and the capacity to continuously learn,” he said.

He congratulated the Quality Thought Future Skills Foundation for bringing industry, academia and youth together to address the growing skills gap. The Minister said the government, under the leadership of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, recognised that Telangana's greatest strength is its young population. As part of its approach, the government is building a comprehensive skills ecosystem connecting government, industry, educational institutions and youth, he said.

Referring to the transformation of 65 government ITIs into Advanced Technology Centres (ATCs), the Minister said technical education is being redesigned to meet the needs of modern manufacturing. “Many ITI courses were designed decades ago for a very different industrial economy. Today, manufacturing requires automation, robotics, AI, electronics, advanced manufacturing and digital technologies. Our ITIs must therefore prepare students for tomorrow's factories, not yesterday's industry," he said. “Our objective is to produce skilled technicians who can contribute to modern industry from day one,” Sridhar Babu said. The Minister said the Young India Skills University represents a new philosophy in skill development.

Sridhar Babu said Telangana is targeting 100 Global Capability Centres (GCCs) this year, creating high-value opportunities in technology, engineering, finance, healthcare, research and innovation.