Prasanth P: Skill Catalyst Award Winner 2025 shares his journey of passion and innovation in skilling youth for the Indian woodworking and furniture industry.
When Prasanth P received the Skill Catalyst Award – GOLD (Individual) at the India Kitchen Congress Awards 2025, it was a recognition not only of his tireless efforts but also of his passion for transforming India’s skilling landscape. Working with the Furniture & Fittings Skill Council (FFSC) in Hyderabad as vice president, Prasanth has been instrumental in mobilising students, engaging industry, and creating pathways for a new generation of woodworking and carpentry professionals.
From Corporate HR to Skill Evangelist
Prasanth’s journey began far from the world of carpentry and furniture. A management and finance graduate from Kerala University, he built a corporate career spanning multinationals and Indian enterprises. His early exposure to student recruitment ignited a lifelong empathy: “Some students were nervous in interviews, but I could see their potential. I felt I had to support them,” he recalls.
The turning point came after the pandemic, when he joined Hyfurn India, a leading furniture manufacturer in Kerala. There he collaborated with FFSC on local skilling initiatives, helping to launch the company’s Beginner Academy. He even translated curricula into Malayalam and facilitated the full skilling cycle of students – training, assessment, apprenticeship, placement. This experience cemented his commitment to skilling.
Building FFSC in Hyderabad
When Prasanth moved to Hyderabad in 2023 to lead FFSC’s regional efforts, he applied the same rigour and passion. His daily schedule was split in two: mornings devoted to orienting ITI students about career opportunities, and afternoons spent meeting 3–4 enterprises to bring them into FFSC’s fold. Within 18 months, this strategy yielded a strong base of 36 member companies, from MSMEs to large-scale manufacturers.
Alongside industry outreach, Prasanth addressed one of the most overlooked barriers to skilling—language. Recognising that trainees struggled with non-local instructors, he recruited and trained a regional language trainer. “Only passionate trainers can pass on the right message,” he emphasises. This localised approach made training relatable, and within a year, four batches comprising 75 students completed the short-term training, with most securing jobs soon after.
Discover Prasanth P’s Skill Catalyst Award journey in this 13-min video.
Raising Aspirations in Carpentry
Perhaps Prasanth’s most enduring contribution has been reshaping perceptions about carpentry. Once an unpopular trade with limited presence in Telangana’s ITIs, the woodworking sector has now gained visibility and demand. His efforts in setting up FFSC’s Centre of Excellence at NSTI Hyderabad not only increased enrolments but also inspired ITIs to sign MoUs for joint training programmes.
One landmark initiative involved training government ITI students at the Centre of Excellence when their own labs were inadequate. The students later passed their exams and joined FFSC member companies—an example of collaborative problem-solving that is now being replicated elsewhere.
The FRSC Vision
Prasanth also takes pride in helping conceptualise the FFSC Regional Skill Chapter (FRSC) model, which has since been adopted nationally. The idea was simple yet powerful: create local industry–institution clusters to accelerate the Skill India mission. By aligning stakeholders, FRSCs ensure that students, trainers, and companies all move forward together.
A Call to Think Differently
For Prasanth, continuous learning is the thread that connects his career. Drawing parallels with the rapid evolution of the IT industry, he stresses the urgency of lifelong learning to stay relevant. His message to peers is clear: “We’ve enjoyed our careers. Now it’s time to give back. If we don’t keep learning, we risk losing touch with the youth we aim to serve.”
The story of Prasanth P, and his winning of the Skill Catalyst Award,is a reminder that skilling is not just about training hands—it is about igniting aspirations. His journey shows how one individual’s commitment, creativity, and belief in collaboration can inspire an entire community to reimagine the future of work.
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