 EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Dec 21: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today called for creating an ecosystem to promote self-employment & continuous encouragement for the skilled youth. Through the Himayat Programme, we can reconstruct a better & more resilient workforce in J&K, which will also be able to bridge social inequality, he said.
The Lt Governor made these remarks during Industry Connect Meet-Himayat 2020 organized by Himayat Mission Management Unit, Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj.
Baseer Ahmad Khan, Advisor to the Lt Governor; BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary were present on the occasion.
While addressing the gathering of representatives from over 60 organizations from private sector, the Lt Governor termed ‘Himayat Programme’ as a perfect example of great synergy between the government, training partners, job providers and the people.
The Lt Governor observed that the Youth requires both conventional as well as evolving skills. The industry, demand and skill set requirements are changing at a faster pace. Since skill training can only be commensurate with levels of education, it is important to focus on the sectors, which are known to be employing a large workforce, he added.
The Lt Governor said that in the coming days, we will have huge requirements of skilled workforce in Electricity, Gas, Water, Construction, Electronics, Wholesale and Retail Trade, E-commerce, Hotels, Transport, Information and Communication Technology, Finance and Insurance, Real Estate, IT enabled Services, Health and Social Services, Manufacturing, Horticulture, Education, Automobile and Packaged Food Industry.
The Lt Governor observed that according to a global research firm, job opportunities for skilled, but inexperienced, workforce have increased from 43% to 67% between 2015 and 2019. Last year, under Himayat programme of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana, youth were given skill training in 77 trades. Ubaid Hussain, of Baramulla, is one youngster who was trained under Himayat and is working as a robot operator at present, he added. He also gave example of Meenakshi Devi, from a remote area of district Doda, who had to drop out of school due to some domestic circumstances. Though she may have given up formal studies, she had not yet given up on her dreams. Himayat provided her with an opportunity to step out and get professionally trained in the hospitality sector. Today she is earning a living in Hyderabad, said the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor also suggested for carrying out skill mismatch challenges in the villages and urban areas, to identify such youth who may be a perfect candidate for different dimensions of skill set and is keen to participate in innovative learning initiatives. This exercise may reshape the upcoming skilling and job market, he added.
The Lt Governor stressed on the urgent need of reallocation of activities and production factors in skill education programmes in face of the challenges posed by the COVID pandemic. Since, pandemic is reconfiguring the society, job market and work culture, the industries and business leaders are looking for creative and innovative talents.
The Lt Governor also interacted with participating organizations and extended full support and assistance of the Government for making J&K a land of opportunities. |
