By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The gap between the number of jobs available and the number of youth in the State is likely to further broaden by 2022.
The assertion was made by the Principal of the National Skills Development Council (NSDC) Ranjan Choudhury during the three-day CII North East Career and Skills expo-2012 which was inaugurated in the city on Wednesday.
While giving details of a survey carried out by the Council in the North Eastern states including Meghalaya, Choudhury said that basic job absorption will only be 2.5 lakh in the State in 2022 while there will be 6.5 lakh youths available for jobs leaving a gap of 4 lakh.
He was of the view that there is a need to focus on the skills of the youth to enable them for outside opportunities.
Deputy Chief Minister Rowell Lyngdoh, while speaking on the occasion, said training for skill development is very important to cope with the present situation. “Opportunities must be provided to students so as to acquire required technical skills for the upcoming job market,” he said while adding that many of youths in the State are not skilled in various trades resulting in jobs in various sectors being taken up by import labour force.
“It is because of this that we have communal problems and develop the seed of mistrust,” he added.
Chief Secretary WMS Pariat, while lauding the programme, admitted that the State’s employment potential is almost saturated, while adding that the Government has initiated various flagship programmes to create employment opportunities for the youth.
Principal Secretary, Labour and Employment, MS Rao, also spoke on the dismal unemployment scenario in the State.
He said that about 173 new technical courses will be introduced in the State educational system which can fill the gaps by providing employment opportunities and will decrease dependence on private sector jobs.
Various organisations and institutions including the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and others are participating in the expo.
