Gandhinagar, Gujarat – October 8, 2025 – ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) today celebrated the graduation of employees and trainees, who received degrees and diplomas at the first-ever convocation of Kaushalya – The Skill University (KSU), Government of Gujarat. The landmark ceremony, marking the first convocation since KSU’s establishment, was held on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at the AURA Auditorium, Gujarat National Law University Campus in Gandhinagar.
Distinguished Attendance Highlights Significance of Industry Skilling
The monumental achievement of the AM/NS India graduates was celebrated in the presence of several prominent dignitaries, underscoring the state’s commitment to industry-academia partnerships. The convocation was graced by Shri Balvantsinh Rajput, Hon’ble Cabinet Minister – Industry, MSME, Cottage, Khadi & Rural Industries, Civil Aviation, Labour & Employment, Government of Gujarat, who served as the Chief Guest. Shri Pankaj Joshi, IAS, Chief Secretary, Government of Gujarat & President of Kaushalya – The Skill University, presided over the ceremony.
Mr. Ashutosh Telang, Director & Vice President – HR & Administration, AM/NS India, served as the Guest of Honour at the ceremony. Other distinguished guests included Dr. Vinod Rao, IAS, Principal Secretary, Labour, Skill Development & Employment Department, and Chairman, Board of Management, and Dr S P Singh, Director General, Kaushalya – The Skill University.
The significant presence of AM/NS India’s graduates, nurtured through its specialized Academy for Skill Development, underscores the success of the company’s dedicated Work Integrated Learning Programs (WILPs) designed to create a future-ready workforce for the industry.
Graduating Students & Industry-Aligned Programs: A total of 184 AM/NS India employees and trainees from the company’s Academy for Skill Development received their qualifications from KSU:
- Bachelor’s Degree in Steel Technology: 107 graduates
- Bachelor’s Degree in Green & Renewable Energy: 36 graduates
- Post Graduate Diploma in Steel Technology: 41 graduates
The curriculum for all three courses has been exclusively designed and is delivered by AM/NS India’s Academy for Skill Development in Hazira, Gujarat, demonstrating a powerful collaboration between academia and industry.
Shri Pankaj Joshi, IAS, Chief Secretary, Government of Gujarat and President of Kaushalya – The Skill University, said: “The Government of Gujarat is resolutely committed to strengthening the skill development ecosystem through strategic initiatives like Kaushalya- The Skill University. Our goal is to make our youth highly employable, thereby driving significant employment growth across the state. We congratulate AM/NS India on their remarkable commitment and pioneering efforts in establishing such a unique, industry-aligned training initiative, which has already resulted in the successful graduation of 184 highly skilled employees.”
Speaking on occasion, Mr. Ashutosh Telang, Director & Vice President – HR & Administration, AM/NS India said: “At AM/NS India, we view our partnership with Kaushalya – The Skill University as vital, setting a leading example of a successful public-private collaboration that directly addresses the nation’s skill needs. By creating an Industry-Aligned and Future-Ready Curriculum, which includes 50% on-the-job training, we ensure our talent gains hands-on experience aligned with Industry 4.0 and green jobs. As we grow our Hazira capacity from 9 MTPA to 15 MTPA, we remain fully committed to promoting initiatives that foster employability, innovation and lifetime careers.”
Pioneering Work Integrated Learning
The partnership between AM/NS India’s Academy for Skill Development and Kaushalya- The Skill University began in 2022 to launch the Work Integrated Learning Programs (WILPs). This collaboration holds several distinctions:
- First in the Country: These are the first graduate degree programs in India for Steel Technology and Green and Renewable Energy.
- Integrated Curriculum: The programs follow a unique structure where 50% of the credit is dedicated to academia and 50% is earned through structured on-the-job training.
- Duration: The bachelor’s courses span two years, and the Post Graduate Diploma course is one year respectively.
ABOUT ARCELORMITTAL NIPPON STEEL INDIA (AM/NS India):
ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) is a joint venture between ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel, two of the world’s leading steel manufacturing organisations. A leading integrated flat carbon steel producer in India, the company has a crude steel capacity of 9 million tonnes per annum with state-of-the-art downstream facilities. It produces a fully diversified range of flat steel products, including value-added steel, and has a pellet capacity of 20 million tonnes.
ABOUT KAUSHALYA – THE SKILL UNIVERSITY (KSU), GOVERNMENT OF GUJARAT:
Kaushalya – The Skill University (KSU), Government of Gujarat, is a pioneering institution dedicated to transforming skill education by integrating academic excellence with hands-on vocational training. Established in October 2021 with the vision to empower youth through industry-aligned programs, KSU offers a wide range of undergraduate, postgraduate, and diploma courses focused on employability, entrepreneurship, and innovation. The university collaborates closely with industry partners and government bodies to deliver outcome-driven education that meets the evolving demands of the workforce, making it a key driver of Gujarat’s skill development mission.
