Andhra Pradesh places 543,000 youths via skill schemes and aims for 100,000 jobs each year

Andhra Pradesh’s skill development programmes have placed 5.43 lakh youths in jobs, officials said, marking the state’s strongest employment drive among major states. The placement rate stands at 76%, well above the national average of 64%, and the state ranks second for the number of youths trained. Job melas across the state helped 1.02 lakh youths secure work, while the Society for Employment Generation and Enterprise Development in Andhra Pradesh (SEEDAP) trained 41,288 youths in 2024. HRD Minister Nara Lokesh, meeting Skill Development officials at his Undavalli residence, directed SEEDAP to set a target of employing one lakh youths each year. He also urged coordination between the Overseas Manpower Company Andhra Pradesh (OMCAP) and SEEDAP to boost overseas job prospects for trained candidates. The state will upgrade all 192 PM‑Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) centres and finalise industry partners for the 18 ITI clusters created under the PM‑SETU programme; ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel (AM/NS) is already the partner for the Visakhapatnam cluster.

Context

The push aligns with the central PM Internship Scheme and the broader aim to turn skill training into steady employment, a strategy that has helped Andhra Pradesh outpace many other states in youth job creation.