The event was organised in collaboration with Punjab Skill Development Mission
The Skill Development Centre, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), conducted Punjab Skills Competition 2021 in the skill categories of florist and landscape gardening. The event was organised in collaboration with Punjab Skill Development Mission.
Dr Kuldip Singh, Associate Director (Skill Development), informed that the state-level competition included 10 participants, five in each skill which was screened after preliminary testing. The winners of the event will get the opportunity to participate in World Skills Competition 2022, he said.
Dr Kiran Grover, Principal Extension Scientist (Food and Nutrition) and Kanwaljit Brar, Demonstrator, coordinated the event. They shared that this type of competition was conducted for the first time at Skill Development Centre and from now onwards it will be an annual feature. The participants of the competition were tested both through theoretical knowledge and practical skills, they added.
Dr Ranjit Singh, Assistant Professor (Floriculture) and Technical Coordinator, said that the florist must have the knowledge of post-harvest care and conditioning of the materials that they work with. The florists must apply principles and elements of design to composition and colour, additionally demonstrating ideas by the expert use of appropriate techniques, he added.
Dr Simrat Singh, Scientist (Floriculture and Landscaping), highlighted that a key role of a gardener is to design, install and maintain gardens and landscaped areas with a variety of plants, natural resources and other materials. Gardeners must be aware of the impact of such materials on the environment, he observed.
Dr Rupinder Kaur, Professor, Skill Development Centre; Dr Ranjit Singh and Dr Simrat Singh, PAU experts; and Dr Gagandeep Kaur, a scientist from the Department of Fruit Science were the judges for the competition.
Gazal Rani and Harkirat Kaur won the first and second prize in florist skill. Navjeet Kaur, Jagjit Singh and Arshdeep Singh secured the first, second and third positions in landscape gardening skills, respectively.
