Established in 1997, the SKOCH Award framework recognizes organizations that create meaningful and measurable impact rather than merely rewarding scale or visibility, making it one of the most respected independent recognitions in the country. The SKOCH Awards are notable for their independent research led evaluation, evidence-based assessment, peer review by similar organisations, and focus on identifying scalable models of excellence.

The 2026 SKOCH Awards honoured leading government institutions, public sector enterprises, banks and private organisations. This year’s awardees included Union Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, Central Bank of India, Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC), Shipping Corporation of India, and the Governments of Punjab, Maharashtra (UMED Mission), Uttarakhand and Sikkim.

Over the years, the SKOCH platform has also featured leading private sector organisations such as Reliance Industries Limited, Mahindra Group, Tech Mahindra, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, HCL Technologies, JSW Group, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Adani Group. In the renewable energy sector, POWERCON joins a select group of 2026 SKOCH awardees that includes REC Limited, NLC India Limited and GAIL (India) Limited.

“This recognition is a strong validation of our belief that sustainability and operational excellence are inseparable in maximising the value of renewable energy assets. It reaffirms our mission of delivering ‘more MWh of clean Energy per MW of installed Power’ through responsible and sustainable business practices. In doing so, we create lasting value for our customers, communities, and the environment, while contributing to India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat@2047,” said Mr. Praveen Kakulte, CEO & Founder, POWERCON.

As India accelerates toward 1,800 GW of Clean Energy by 2047 and net-zero by 2070, POWERCON continues to play a critical role across the renewable energy value chain from project development and construction to lifetime O&M operations, asset performance optimization, diagnostics, analytics, and advanced asset management services.

CORE Academy focuses on building a future-ready workforce in key domains such as Wind Energy, Solar PV Systems, Energy Storage, Pumped Hydro Storage, and Electrical Safety, all pivotal to India’s clean energy transition. The launch of Certificate, Diploma, and Advanced Diploma programs in Wind, Solar, and Safety in RE at YCMOU marks a significant step in making specialized skilling programs accessible to a wider and more diverse learner base. These programs blend academic depth with hands-on industry experience, ensuring learners gain both theoretical knowledge and practical exposure preparing “RE Commandos” who are immediately employable and industry-ready. 

The curriculum aligns with the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). Each course has been developed in-house by industry experts at POWERCON, combining the company’s extensive operational experience with globally benchmarked training practices. The programs cater to students, working professionals, and individuals seeking skill certification in RE technologies, with flexible course durations ranging from three months to one year.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Praveen Kakulte, CEO of The POWERCON Group, said, “We experienced a critical gap between what the RE industry needed and what training institutions delivered. So, CORE Academy was born to create programs designed by practicing engineers, not just educators. Today, we are proud to see our approach shaping professionals who are technically skilled, adaptable, and ready to thrive in a fast-evolving global RE industry.” 

CORE Academy has trained 6000+ students and facilitated placements across 25 leading RE companies. The partnership with YCMOU further strengthens the Academy’s reach and impact, enabling large-scale access to RE education and empowering the next generation of green energy professionals for India.

As India moves towards a net-zero emissions by 2070, the demand for skilled professionals in solar, wind, energy storage, electric vehicles, and hydrogen technologies is surging. By 2030, it is estimated that about 24 million green jobs will be created globally of which over 1.8 million would be the need for Indian Renewables alone. This translates into crafting of 200,000 fresh careers per year over the next 6 years and additionally half of it to be reskilled / upskilled, underscoring the urgency for a structured, industry-driven education.

This collaboration directly aligns with national initiatives like the National Solar Mission, National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy, and Green Hydrogen Mission, ensuring that training programs meet real-world industry needs and government mandates under MNRE and Skill India. The launch of said career courses clears a headway for the youth to get profiled with state-of-the-art clean energy technologies and gain hands-on work exposure to be certified as Wind, Solar or Renewable Energy (RE) Commandos.

YCMOU is one of the Mega Open Universities of the world, offering a diverse array of 120+ academic programmes spanning a full range from the certificate to the post-graduate level, and annually registers over 600,000 learners. It provides an innovative system of university level education, flexible and open to larger segments particularly to those living in remote and rural areas including working people, housewives and other adults who wish to upgrade or acquire knowledge, while focusing on the needs of employment and economic development.

CORE, a ‘Not for Profit’ initiative of the POWERCON Group, is a RE Academy imparting clean energy education and training to beginners, raw and experienced professionals through a sandwich workshop curriculum. CORE’s infrastructure of Wind, Solar and Hybrid Simulators, a set-up for remote Command, Control and Energy management; and facilities for Analytics, Diagnostics and Restoration enables imparting of the need based practical knowledge. Topping it up with “attitude” and “skills” to operate in an open to sky work environment develops the learners as “Renewable Energy Commandos”.

Praveen Kakulte, CEO, the POWERCON Group, emphasized the significance of this collaboration: “India’s clean energy transition depends on a skilled and future-ready workforce. CORE’s partnership with YCMOU enables the masses to acquire the most critical and difficult to get RE industry skills, qualification and an University certification. This secures employability of the youth and working professionals across the domestic and global RE industry.”

Prof. Dr Sanjeev Sonawane, Vice-Chancellor YCMOU, added, “Partnering with CORE allows us to introduce very specialized programs that directly contribute to India’s RE goals. Together, we are committed to developing a talent pool at a faster pace. YCMOU being a Mass Varsity and with its recent recognition as a Digital University, the access for and development of talent is augmented further without any limitation to geographical boundaries.”

Beyond classroom learning, this MoU also facilitates internships, faculty exchanges, and job placements, ensuring practical exposure to the RE industry. This collaboration between the POWERCON Group’s CORE and YCMOU marks a pivotal step in shaping a highly skilled workforce capable of driving India’s clean energy revolution.