Bhubaneswar/Sambalpur: Stressing that degrees alone no longer guarantee employment, former Union minister and Sambalpur MP Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said bridging the gap between education and employability remains the biggest challenge facing India’s education system.Speaking at Odisha State Open University (OSOU) during the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Residential Internship & Skill Hub for Industry (RISHI), Pradhan said the changing global economic landscape, supply-chain disruptions and rapid technological advancements have made skill-based learning more important than ever.Launching the RISHI initiative and two new courses, self-health care & wellness and AI tools for collaborative learning, he said a combination of academic knowledge and practical skills would be crucial in preparing young people for the future job market. “Today, the biggest challenge before our education system is to bridge the gap between earning a degree and becoming employable. Degrees alone are not enough. What will make our youth truly capable is a blend of classroom learning, practical exposure and industry-relevant skills,” Pradhan said.He said skill development must be accorded equal importance alongside formal education. “We need to move beyond the old belief that a degree is everything. Innovation, curiosity and hands-on learning will play a key role in creating opportunities for young people,” he added.Pradhan said the RISHI centre would provide students with practical training, internships and professional skills aligned with industry requirements. He expressed confidence that the hub would help transform Odisha’s youth into job creators rather than job seekers and contribute to the development of the state.Highlighting the inclusive nature of open universities, he said institutions such as OSOU have expanded access to education by removing conventional barriers. “A rural learner, farmer or trader can enrol in short-term courses and acquire new knowledge and skills regardless of age or academic background,” he said.The Sambalpur MP also pointed to emerging challenges arising from artificial intelligence, cybercrime and rapidly evolving technologies, saying continuous skill upgradation would be essential to narrow the growing gap between human capabilities and machine-driven processes.He further said Sambalpur could emerge as a major skill-development hub in western Odisha, with future programmes focusing on areas such as digital and social media content creation. Such initiatives, he said, would enable young people to showcase the culture, lifestyle and economic potential of their villages to wider audiences.