The State government intends to provide skill training to 18,000 persons as part of the advanced skills acquisition programme.

This is part of the larger state skill development initiative, chief minister Ommen Chandy said while addressing a familiarisation session with newspaper editors.

According to him, an estimated 3.5 lakh students would be imparted skills over a period of the next four years.

The advanced programme is designed with a view to transform students as well-rounded employable hands by training them suitably in those areas offering the maximum number of opportunities.

It is also aimed at generating the required skilled persons to cater to the needs of new industries and enterprises in due course of time, the chief minister said.