By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Unemployment is one of the most serious problems afflicting the State over the years, Chief Secretary WMS Pariat said.
The Chief Secretary was addressing a gathering after the inauguration of the IL&FS Institute of Skills here on Tuesday.
Stating that the number of jobs is dwindling in the State, Pariat said that Meghalaya has not been able to keep pace with the latest skill developments.
The inauguration, thus, assumes significance as it would provide the much needed skill training to the youth of the State.
The IL&FS Institute of Skills is a premiere ‘short term’ skills training institute that aims at providing the required skills to unemployed youth in order to provide them with placements.
The multi-skills training school is a joint venture with the IL&FS Skills Development Corporation Limited which is the collaboration between IL&FS Education & Technology Services Limited and National Skill Development Corporation Limited (NSDC).
This initiative is a part of National Skill Development Mission of the Union Government to fulfill the growing need for skilled manpower.
Even as Pariat said that the government jobs have reached a saturation point he, however, informed that the government has taken steps to increase employment opportunities in the State with special emphasis on self employment.
He also informed that the Meghalaya State Skill Development Society which is being spearheaded by the C&RD department for providing training to youths to develop skills that will eventually make them employable was formed for raising the employment levels.
Principal Secretary of Community and Rural Development (C&RD) KH Kumar who was also present on the occasion informed that in the last two years altogether 2137 youths were
trained by IL&FS and other agencies out of which 1272 have already been placed while 300 more have been given job offers.
“73 per cent placement is reasonable in our circumstances,” he said.
He also informed that the Meghalaya State Skill Development Society has decided to fix a target of 5000 youths to be trained and placed over the next three years.