Call to equip youth with industry-relevant skills

Madireddy Pratap, Director General of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Response & Fire Services, stressed the importance of equipping youth with industry-relevant skills to enhance employment opportunities. During his visit to Andhra University (AU) on Wednesday, he met with Vice-Chancellor Prof G Sasibhushan Rao and Registrar Prof EN Dhanunjaya Rao.
“We need to focus on developing skills that align with industry requirements,” Pratap stated, emphasising the need for strong partnerships between academia and industry. “My goal is to introduce new courses that foster employment, and I am keen on setting up a drone training centre at AU to further this vision.” Pratap assured his continued support in the development of AU, signalling his interest in being actively involved in the university’s growth.
Prof G Sasibhushan Rao echoed these sentiments, announcing, “We are in the process of establishing an Industry 4.0 laboratory and are introducing a VLSI course in collaboration with the Central government’s Mighty Department.” He added, “Our mission is to ensure that every student finds employment, and to that end, we are developing a food and farm testing laboratory as well.” As AU prepares to celebrate its centenary, Prof Rao called for active alumni engagement. “We welcome the participation, cooperation, and suggestions of our alumni as we move towards this historic milestone.”  Prof Dhanunjaya Rao shared insights on the university’s global presence. “Currently, students from 64 countries are enrolled at AU, with eight percent of our student body being international students.”
The event was attended by Rector Prof  N Kishore Babu and Suresh Betha. Director General Madireddy Pratap was honoured by AU and presented with a memento.