Kerala’s future-forward upskilling ecosystem
Access – Learning – Careers

Additional Skill Acquisition Programme (ASAP) Kerala is an undertaking of the Higher Education Department, Government of Kerala, that focuses on skilling students and the general community to enhance their employability. Instituted in 2012, ASAP Kerala transitioned to a company under the Companies Act, 2013, in 2021.
With nearly a decade of service, we at ASAP Kerala have become a premier government edTech company, building integrated learning and talent management solutions. ASAP Kerala has nearly become synonymous with skilling, upskilling and reskilling in corporate and academic domains, by offering 100+ contemporary courses in 16+ advanced sectors and curating a ready-to-deploy workforce. We undertake training through 16 Community Skill Parks and 126 Skill Development Centres instituted across Kerala.
The journey so far
2012
ASAP Kerala was instituted
2013
Skill Development Centres (SDC) established across Kerala
2015
ASAP Kerala partnered with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Sector Skill Councils (SSC)
2016
Community Skill Park conceptualised and designed
2017
ASAP Kerala awarded ‘Best Practice in Skilling’ by NITI Aayog
2018
Advanced Skill Development Centres set up
2019
Community Skill Parks became operational across the state
2020
Hosted Reboot Kerala Hackathon, and approvals accorded for 12 NSQF courses
2020
Awarded ‘Best project for effective GAP Implementation’ by ADB
2021
Registered as ASAP Kerala Government Company under the Companies Act, 2013
2021
Special mention for ASAP Kerala in CII-Wheebox ‘India Skills Report 2022’
2022
K-Skill Campaign launched
2022
ASAP Kerala gets dual recognition as awarding and assessment agency from NCVET
Where we stand today
2,50,000+
Students Trained
2,744
Skill Development Executives
1,299
Partner Institutions
126
Skill Development Centres
133
Skill Courses
16
Community Skill Parks
16+
Skill Sectors
12
NSQF Skill Qualifications
Why ASAP Kerala?
Futureproof courses
Our Research team identifies advanced industries based on an extensive examination, and offers contemporary and industry-relevant courses.
Easy access training centres
Our training centres are spread out across Kerala to ensure state-wide reach.
Industry experts as trainers
Students are mentored by forward-thinking experts in the field.
Placement Assistance
We facilitate correspondence between firms and students, ensuring potential candidates work with the best in business, upon training and course completion.
Internship Opportunities
We offer internships in all advanced courses and sectors that can be accessed through our online portal
Develop Career Skills
The critical skills that students learn through the courses help them design a better and brighter future for themselves.
Board of directors

Dr K M Abraham
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Dr K M Abraham
Executive Director, Executive Vice-Chairperson, K-DISC

Dr Usha Titus
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Dr Usha Titus
Executive Director, Chairperson & Managing Director, ASAP Kerala

Smt. Ishita Roy IAS
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Smt. Ishita Roy IAS
Executive Director, Principal Secretary, Higher Education Department, Government of Kerala

Shri. Mohammed Y Safirulla K IAS
-
Shri. Mohammed Y Safirulla K IAS
Director, Secretary, Officer on Special Duty (Finance)

Shri APM Muhammed Hanish IAS
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Shri APM Muhammed Hanish IAS
Director, Principal Secretary, General Education Department, Government of Kerala

Smt Mini Antony IAS
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Smt Mini Antony IAS
Director, Principal Secretary, Labour Department, Government of Kerala

Shri Suman Billa IAS
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Shri Suman Billa IAS
Director, Principal Secretary, Industries Department, Government of Kerala

Shri Faizal Kotikollon
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Shri Faizal Kotikollon
Independent Director, Co-founder, Faizal & Shabana Foundation

Shri V Abdul Razak
-
Shri V Abdul Razak
Independent Director, Director, VKC Group
ASAP leadership
Meet the stellar team that inspires us to set our eyes on brighter avenues, and build a sustainable system.

Dr Usha Titus
Chairperson & Managing Director
Dr Usha Titus joined the Kerala cadre of the Indian Administrative Service in 1993 after completing her MBBS from CMC Vellore and MD in General Medicine. She served as the District Collector of Palakkad and Kozhikode where she was the first lady to hold charge. Dr Titus was also the Secretary-in-charge of the Departments of Medical Education, Social Welfare, Non-Resident Keralite Affairs, Environment and Education.
She has served as the Registrar of IIT Madras and as the Vice-Chancellor of Kerala Technological University. In 2010, she was deputed to the Government of India as the Joint Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance where she handled the Multilateral Relations Division and contributed to the G20 negotiations between 2010 and 2015. The negotiations led to the establishment of the BRICS New Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The Government of Kerala appointed her as the Chairperson and Managing Director of the newly incorporated company ASAP Kerala in February 2021.
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Mr Anwar Hussain
Head of Finance
Shri Anwar Hussain joined the Government service in 1990 in the Secretariat’s Finance Department. After taking charge as an Under Secretary in 2015 he served as the Finance Officer in the Excise Department. In 2017, he was appointed as the Finance Officer of the Kerala Government’s Karunya Benevolent Fund. At present, he serves as the Deputy Secretary of the Finance Department and has been deputed as the Head of Finance Division, ASAP Kerala.
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Mr Vigil Kumar V V
Division Head - Marketing & Mobilization
Shri Vigil Kumar VV was deputed to ASAP Kerala in 2018. With 15 years of an expansive body of work in academia, industrial training and consultancy, Shri Vigil Kumar VV works as an Associate Professor in Information Technology at the Government Engineering College, Idukki. He completed his Bachelor of Technology from MS University and Masters in Computer Science and Engineering from Anna University.
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Dr Anej Somaraj
Division Head - Curriculum & NSQF Division
Dr Anej Somaraj was deputed to ASAP Kerala in 2021. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at the Christian College Chengannur. He received his PhD in English from the English and Foreign Language University, Hyderabad. With 14 years of experience in academia, Dr Somaraj served as the Assistant Professor in The Faculty of Education in Misurata University, Libya, from 2009 to 2011.
He was the Foreign Language Consultant (English) at the King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between 2006 and 2009. Dr Somaraj is the Subject-Expert Consultant for HSTTP, an initiative of SCERT Kerala, and a Member of the Kerala State Panel of Translators in English and Hindi for Kerala Niyamasabha.
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Mr Francis T V
State Coordination
With 30 years of service in the Technical Education Department, Mr Francis has served as a Lecturer in Electrical Engineering, Project Officer at the State Institute of Technical Teachers' Training & Research, and Assistant Director at the Regional Directorate of Technical Education, Kothamangalam. Post his retirement in 2019, Mr Francis joined ASAP Kerala as the State Coordinator of Polytechnics.
In 2007, he was conferred with the ‘Best Polytechnic Teacher’ award by the state.
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Mr Vinod T V
Division Head - Business Development
Mr Vinod TV joined ASAP Kerala in 2018 as the Head of the Business Development Division. Mr Vinod has over 20 years of experience behind him in managerial roles. He was the Managing Director of the Kerala Artisans Development Corporation Ltd (KADCO) from 2016 to 2018. Under his leadership, KADCO attained the status of an Accredited Agency since its incorporation in 1981.
He led multiple teams at firms like Nandana Overseas, Alleppey; Coir Tuft International Pvt. Ltd, Alleppey; Foam Mattings (India) Ltd, a Kerala Government PSU; and Charankattu Coir Manufacturing Company (Pvt) Ltd.
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Commander Vinod Sankar (rtd)
Division Head - Management
Commander Vinod Sankar joined ASAP Kerala in 2021. He was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1988. In his 21 years of naval career, Cdr Sankar held appointments associated with the design and fabrication of two famed projects of the Indian Navy – ATV Programme (First indigenous Nuclear Submarine) and ADS Programme (First indigenous Aircraft Carrier). He has also sailed onboard Naval Warships INS RANA and INS JAMUNA as a Chief Engineer Officer.
Consequent to his voluntary retirement from the Navy in 2009, he worked as an AGM (Commercial) at M/s Tebma Shipyards, Karnataka; General Manager (Operations) at M/s Brahmos Aerospace, Trivandrum; and Deputy Director of Indian Institute of Infrastructure and Construction (IIIC) in Kollam, Kerala.
A Mechanical Engineer from NIT Calicut, Cdr Sankar completed his ME (Mechanical - Advanced Marine Engineering) from Poona University and MBA (International Business) from Pondicherry University. He has also undergone advanced submarine design training at “RUBIN’, St Petersburg, Russia; and training in Missile Canister manufacturing technology from 'Rafael’, Israel.
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Lt Cdr Sajith Kumar EV (rtd)
Division Head - Projects & Planning
Lt Cdr Sajith Kumar EV (rtd) joined ASAP as a Consultant (Quality & Projects) after 10 years of service as a Short Service Commissioned Officer in the Indian Navy. He also served as a Group Head in KITCO Ltd for over eight years. His professional expertise is in design, engineering, and contract management responsibilities as part of India’s indigenous Submarine Programmes.
As a Group Head at KITCO, Lt Cdr Kumar was in charge of overseeing consultancy services for the commissioning of education, healthcare, industrial infrastructure projects and business development activities.
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Sri I.P Laiju
Division Head- Training & Clusters
Shri IP Laiju joined ASAP as Consultant (Training), with an extensive body of work of 25 years in the Electric Power Industry, with specialisation in the fields of electricity, power system protection relays, substation automation and smart grid projects, to name a few, for the Governments of India and Kerala, apart from working in the Middle-East. He served in the capacity of an authorised Consultant for GE (General Electric Co)/ALSTOM Grid for digital substations, protection & automation; and Smart Grid solutions for KSEB Industries in Kerala. He was also a part-time Consultant to the Aluminium Industries Ltd., Relays division, Trivandrum, for leading R&D engineers in developing latest technology, Numerical IEDs and Smart Grid products for the Indian market.
Shri Laiju is currently an MIE member of The Institution of Engineers (IEI), and has contributed as an active member of the International GCC-CIGRE Committee and CIGRE India. He held the position of ‘AREVA T&D Technical Institute manager’ in Dubai, and has gained professional expertise with MNCs like GE (General Electric), ABB AUTOMATION CO, AVK-SEG, ALIND, Govt. of India Organisation - IISER (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research) and Kerala Govt. PSU - TRAVANCORE TITANIUM PRODUCTS Ltd etc. Shri Laiju is also well-versed with international standards of quality process methodologies under ISO 9001-2008.
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If you wish to help make a positive impact on the workforce in Kerala, keep a tab on the current vacancies section in the Careers page.
A Note on the post-COVID world

The global pandemic COVID-19 is reconfiguring all sectors, including education. Significant changes would be visible in the State too as there is a sizable population aspiring for quality international education and who are ready to move outside the state to top universities and institutions. Future choices of this cohort for higher studies would be unpredictable, but as experts point out, a significant section of Keralites would be looking for quality programmes and institutions within the state and within the country. Higher education institutions in the state, as their counterparts in the rest of the world, have understood this reality and are taking conscious efforts to co-opt technology-enabled educational practices and offer their programmes on a blended learning mode. Equipping faculty, technology platforms, introducing blended learning programmes through learning management systems and curricular reforms are priority areas for higher education institutions of the State if they have to be relevant in the Post-Covid era.
The Future of Jobs Report published by the World Economic Forum in 2018 had already predicted drastic changes in the world of work, with most of the conventional jobs becoming redundant and new job roles becoming relevant. The report highlights the importance of equipping future learners with new skills to work in a technology-based world and universities to evolve new programmes and practices to equip their graduates with future skills. The pandemic has fastened the change and pushed the world to a new reality to which most institutional systems are not ready. Kerala has a slight edge in this regard as the Skill Development Centres under ASAP in Engineering Colleges have already begun to equip engineering students in courses of futuristic technology, including Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Robotics, Cloud technologies and Virtual Reality. Industry-on-campus and training-cum production centres have already been initiated in Polytechnic colleges in futuristic areas. Contemporary technology infrastructure has been established at Skill Development Centres under ASAP for a blended mode of training. This combined with ASAP’s effort to refashion skill development strategies of the state to meet the requirements of the new normal world will help take vocational training to the next level in Kerala.
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