World Youth Skills Day 2025: Experts Urge AI, Digital Skills with Integrity & Sustainability

Empower Youth with AI and Digital Skills alongside with values of Integrity and Sustainability
– Eminent Experts at World Youth Skills Day-2025

New Delhi: July 16, 2025: Recognising the important role of youth in nation building and in accelerating economic growth on the pathways of sustainable development, fostering an era of peace and harmony around the globe, the World Youth Skills Day-2025 was celebrated on July 15th, 2025, at India International Centre by the World Academy of Higher Education and Development, W-AHEAD. Dr VK Saraswat, Hon’ble Member NITI Aayog was the Chief Guest and Prof TG Sitharam, Chairman AICTE was the Distinguished Guest of Honour. Er Pradeep Chaturvedi, Vice President of Indian National Academy of Engineering, IANE, Prof Prem Vrat, Chairman BoG, IIT Dhanbad, Shri VK Yadav, Former Chairman Railway Board, Dr V Suresh, Former CMD HUDCO and Mr Zafar Sareshwala, Former Chancellor Maulana Azad University were the Eminent Fellows of the Academcy, W-AHEAD present on the occasion. Prof PR Trivedi, Executive Chairman of W-AHEAD and Founder of NIS and IIEE, Dr Markandey Rai, President GPF India, a number of Vice Chancellors and Principals of the Colleges of Delhi University were present at the function besides celebrated young innovators of the new age.

Welcoming the distinguished gathering of luminaries and young innovators present on the occasion, Prof PB Sharma, President W-AHEAD and Vice Chancellor Amity University Gurugram highlighted the importance of the day and invited education providers, industry and corporate to join hands in empowering youth with the future ready skills and a mindset tuned to Viksit Bharat@2047. In a rapidly evolving world shaped and powered by the innovative genius of inspired and enterprising minds who are engaged in developing pathbreaking scientific solutions and game changing technology innovations, we are in times of great opportunities here in India as the nation is making a rapid progress on economic fronts and causing social transformation at a scale unprecedented, said Prof Sharma.

The World Academy of Higher Education and Development, World-AHEAD, is a global body of professionals from the world of learning and the world of industries and corporate, deeply devoted to serve as a catalyst for excellence in higher education and development- promoting equity, inclusivity, and sustainability. Through cutting-edge research, innovative teaching methodologies, Skilling for Youth and impactful outreach initiatives, World-AHEAD seeks to empower individuals, institutions, and communities to thrive in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. Grounded in the principles of integrity, diversity, and collaboration, W-AHEAD is committed to fostering a culture of lifelong learning, nurturing AI and Digital skills, social responsibility and commitment to environmental sustainability, said Prof. Sharma, himself an eminent academician, founder Vice Chancellor of DTU and the past President of Association of Indian Universities, AIU.

In his opening remarks the Executive Chairman of W-AHEAD Prof PR Trivedi emphasized the importance of youth skills for nation building. He further stated that higher education institutions should impart training programs for developing skilled workforce to generate employment both in the urban as well as rural areas. The celebration of the World Youth Skills Day 2025 is a call for action for the universities and institutions to take up the task of empowering youth with the skills akin to the rapidly changing world of work.
On this momentous occasion, the illustrious scientist and technologist of India, Dr VK Saraswat, was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award by W-AHEAD for his distinguished service to the nation and monumental contributions to the rise of India to great eminence in science and technology and self-reliance in Defence R&D.

Dr VK Saraswat, Hon’ble member NITI Aayog in his inaugural address congratulated the World Academy, W-AHEAD for organizing such an important day as skilling the youth is of vital importance to our success in achieving the goals of the Viksit Bharat@2047. Dr Saraswat stressed the need for effective linkages between universities and the industries to impart knowledge and skills for the new age learners. The higher education curriculum must be aligned with NEP-2020 with the emphasis on interdisciplinary learning environment and solution research. India is in a highly opportune time as its young population is greatly motivated towards STEM education and Technology Skills.

Prof (Dr) TG Sitharam, Hon’ble Chairman AICTE addressing the august gathering said that the AICTE has developed the model curriculum for engineering and technology programs to foster innovation, interdisciplinary research and skill sets as per the requirements of the industry. Special emphasis has been provided to integrating higher end technology skills of AI, ML, Data Analytics and Computing in all the disciplines of engineering including the core disciplines. Innovation Incubation and industry entrepreneurship has been given a special focus in the curriculum framework inline with NEP-2020.

The book, The Making of a New India: Vision for India@2050 by Prof PB Sharma was released by Dr VK Saraswat, Hon’ble Member NITI Aayog and the dignitaries present on the occasion. A set of books published by IIEE were also released on the occasion.
Introducing the theme of the Summit, Prof (Dr) HRP Yadav, Organizing Secretary emphasized the role of higher technical education for developing green technologies, digital skills and aligning the learning environment as per the needs of the industry.

Eminent Speakers who addressed the Summit included Dr Markandey Rai, Chairman, GPF India, Mr Zafar Sareshwala, Former Chancellor, Maulana Azad University, Dr Subi Chaturvedi, Global Senior Vice President, inMobi, Dr Nagendra Kaushik, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Nano-Science at Kwangwoon University, Seoul South Korea, Prof MN Hoda, Director Bharti Vidyapeeth Institute of Engineering and Technology, Dr V Suresh, Former CMD, HUDCO and Prof (Dr) Amrendra Kumar Misra, Vice Chancellor, Jagatguru Kirpalu University, Odissa and Dr Murgunatham Ponnusamy, Registrar, IIIT Dharwad.

Addressing the young-inspired minds in present of peers Dr Subi Chaturvedi Global Senior Vice President, inMobi said that AI has moved beyond laboratories and workstations to power governance, healthcare, agriculture, education and entrepreneurship. India’s AI sector is expected to reach US $17 billion by 2027 as outlined in the India AI Mission 2024. The digitally skilled youth are also a national security asset. Top skills for 2025 will centre around adaptability, technological proficiency and women centric capabilities according to the World Economic Forum. It would be equally important to train the youth for ingenuity, resilience, creative thinking and empathy, opined Dr Subi Chaturvedi.

The celebration of the World Youth Skills Day – 2025 also marked the conferment of the Fellowships of Eminence upon Dr V Suresh, Former CMD, HUDCO, Dr Subi Chaturvedi, Global Senior Vice President, inMobi, Dr Nagendra Kaushik, Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Nano-Science at Kwangwoon University, Seoul, Dr Amrendra Misra, Vice Chancellor, Jagatguru Kirpalu University, Odissa. Fellowship of W-AHEAD was awarded to Prof MN Hoda, Director BVICAM, Dr Ranganath M Singari, Founder Head, Institute of Design, DTU, Dr Abdul Q Ansari of JMI and Dr Murganantham Ponnusamy, Registrar, IIIT Dharwad in the august presence of the dignitaries.

On this occasion W-AHEAD also awarded Global Innovation Excellence Award -2025 to the team UAS-DTU under the mentorship of Dr S Indu and Vice Chancellor DTU Dr Prateek Sharma, Prof (Dr) Gagan Deep Sharma, Director Atal Innovation Centre, GGSIPU under the mentorship of Vice Chancellor Dr Mahesh Verma, Mr Uyed Inamdar, Accountable Manager, Berry Avionics, Lucknow, Prof Shatendra K Sharma, Founder and CEO Aashima Herbs and Spices, New Delhi, Mr Aadeesh Sharma for Innovation SentiStocks, Dr Akhilesh Dubey of CoE in Hydroponics, NSUT, New Delhi and Mr Nikhil Malhotra, CEO, iSTEP Mentors.

The Ambassadors of Viksit Bharat Awards was also awarded to the Principals and students of Maitreyi College, Shri Venkateswara College, PG DAV College (Evening) and Jesus and Merry College of Delhi University in presence of the august gathering.

The summit concluded with adaptation of the New Delhi Declaration of Youth Skills presented by Prof PR Trivedi, Executive Director, W-AHEAD and Founder, IIEE. The ten point declaration comprised of empowering youth through future ready skills, mainstreaming digital and ecological literacy, recognising ancient Indian knowledge system, promoting gender equality and inclusion in skilling, fostering university skilling ecosystem linkages, establishing a nation youth skilling repository, leveraging AI for personized skilling pathways, encouraging global cooperation for youth mobility, institutionalizing youth-led innovation councils and annual youth skilling impact assessments. The august gathering present comprising of peers from world of higher education and young inspired minds of students and innovation celebrities applauded the declaration and committed to its adaptation and implementation with commitment and resolve.