Commerce and Industry Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman laid the Foundation Stone for a premier Gem & Jewellery Training Institute today in Udupi, Karnataka . Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery (IIGJ) is being set up in association with National Institute of Design(NID), Ahmedabad. This training centre shall be amongst the series of Training Institutes & Facility Centres set up by GJEPC(Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council) across India. With IIGJ Udupi , GJEPC forays into Education & Training field in the Southern India for the first time.

Addressing the function Smt. Sitharaman said that Across the Globe, the best of jewellery pieces are majority hand made. Global retail giants like Cartier, Boucheron or Van Cliff command premium prices for their hand made jewellery. She said India, whose forte lies in crafting most intricate handmade jewellery should capitalise on this opportunity by building necessary infrastructure.The Minister said by setting up institutes like IIGJ and other facility centres GJEPC once again has come forward to further equip Indian Gem & Jewellery sector and make it globally competitive. She said she was confident that IIGJ in Udupi will aid in providing exciting career opportunities to youth of surrounding regions in this sector.

Mr. Manoj Dwivedi, Joint secretary said With over 100 retail stores and engaging workforce of over 5000 people, Udupi boasts of a rich jewellery lineage. By setting up IIGJ here, GJEPC envisions to productively use the talent available here by providing required training and guidance.He said GJEPC has joined hands with NID, Ahmedabad to ensure that best of jewellery and manufacturing courses are offered to the enrolled students. He applauded GJEPC for taking this visionary step which would not only skill the youth but also create more job opportunities in Southern India.

Commenting on setting up of Institute, Praveenshankar Pandya, Chairman, GJEPC said that IIGJ in Udupi is one of the ambitious projects taken up by GJEPC to tap the unutilised potential of youth in this region and thereby giving a significant boost to Indian G& J sector. This Institute strongly embodies Honourable Prime Minister’s ‘Make in India’ initiative and much professed emphasis on design & handmade jewellery. It is closely aligned with the vision of Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Honourable Commerce & Industry Minister to establish a one of its kind, full-fledged Jewellery Institute at Udupi with strong Design focus. He said this is yet another step towards the pursuit of “Skill India”.

The Institute will provide training to the youth in the region in various aspects of hand-crafted jewellery making, which could eventually lead to employment opportunities in the G & J sector. It will also aim at enhancing the skills of the existing work force already engaged with the industry. Creation and upgradation of such trained work force will in turn help in fostering development of the local jewellery industry.

The Institute will focus on three levels of skills:

1. NEW SKILLING for developing fresh skills in candidates who have no prior domain learning/working knowledge of jewellery

2. UP-SKILLING for upgrading the skills of candidates who have prior domain learning and are already working in the sector.

3. Give a design & technological orientation to the local industry to be competitive in the Indian & world market

Keeping the objectives in mind, the Institute shall offer Manufacturing & CAD designing courses on jewellery. Indian Diamond Institute, based in Surat & IIGJ has been involved on behalf of GJEPC to collaboratively develop the programme curriculum with NID, India’s Premier Design Institution.