IndiaSkills 2025–26: 162 Young Talents from Northeast Step onto a National Stage for the First Time

For 162 youngsters of India's Northeast, the following couple of days will not simply be a competition. Besides that, it is going to become a time packed with pride, hope, and recognition which these people have been waiting for a long time. The North East Regional Competition of IndiaSkills 2025, 26, a Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) initiative, will be held at Gauhati University from January 19 to 22, 2026. It will mark an important milestone in the country's skill development journey.

This is the first time that a separate IndiaSkills regional competition has been held exclusively for the Northeast, thus consolidating the efforts and talents of participants from all eight states, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura, at one national, level platform.

Almost all the contestants live in dusty towns, secluded villages, and quarters, where the chance for national opportunities has always been considered as a distant dream.For such communities, IndiaSkills is way beyond winning medals, it is about getting recognized, heard, and appreciated.

More Than a Competition

IndiaSkills is the largest platform for vocational and technical excellence in India. It is also a major pillar of the Skill India Mission. The regional rounds serve as the gateway to the national finals, and the winning teams are the ones who get to represent their country at international competitions such as WorldSkills.

Nevertheless, every participant has a story that is entirely their own, for example, learning a trade, practicing late at night, managing family expectations, and daring to dream beyond geographical boundaries.

Skills That Carry Dreams

Competitors will go head to head in an extensive range of twofold future, ready skills such as IT, electronics, fashion technology, graphic design, web technologies, hospitality, automotive services, beauty and wellness, plumbing, and electrical trades. These are not just skills, they are doors to livelihoods, liberty, and self respect.

Choosing Gauhati University as the venue for the competition will contribute to bridging education, industry, and regional talent in the Northeast. Besides creating such strong links, mentorship, training, and employment opportunities will also be made available.

A Stage for Togetherness

Youngsters from the Northeast have been expressing their feeling of being overlooked in national dialogues for a long time. This initiative aims at altering the narrative. The government, thus, by putting Northeastern strengths at the core of India's largest skills platform, is issuing a very straightforward message: Every area is significant. Every wish is valid.

As India intends to be a world center of skills, these 162 youngsters are more than just contenders they are the creators of their futures. Moreover, for some of these young people, this platform might be the first step towards a life they had considered beyond their reach.