New Delhi, Sep 5 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday highlighted the importance of skill development and said it had the potential to prepare the youth for any kind of employment opportunity.

"There is a need for skill development across the world, and that is why students should also have talent and skill along with degrees. We have no dearth of plumbers or drivers in the country, but the only problem is that they are not properly trained. So, skill development will prepare the youth for any kind of employment in the country," Modi said while responding to a question from students at the Manekshaw Centre here on the occasion of Teachers' Day.

He also said that skills have to be developed in accordance to the requirement of the region.

"When the Nano (car) was being manufactured in Gujarat, I told them to start a syllabus on automobile engineering in the surrounding ITIs and train the youth. The company adopted a few ITIs around their plant and imparted the students with the required skills and once they started operation the youths were employed in the plants. There should be mapping this way," added Modi.

He also pointed out that his government was focused on this aspect for which they have created a separate ministry for skill development.

A mere two percent of Indian workers are formally skilled and the Indian government has set an ambitious target of skilling 500 million people by 2022.