Training for youth to boost employability

Several IT companies, including National Institute of Information and Technology (NIIT) and Wipro, have been roped in by the State Government to start training programmes to boost employment opportunities of the youth.

 The State Government has also started discussion with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) for engaging more training partners for creating a skilled manpower base in Odisha. The Government has forged partnerships with Larsen & Toubro, Tata Motors, Toyota, Kirloskar and other companies for appointment of youths after getting training from the IT companies.

 Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik reviewed the progress in implementation of the State Government’s skill-based employment programme at a high-level meeting in the Secretariat on Saturday. It was decided that quality of training and employability of different companies will be closely monitored.

 Companies, imparting quality training, will be awarded. Naveen directed the officials to create training infrastructure in those districts, which lack the facilities, on a priority basis.

 The Chief Minister asked the officials to monitor the training programmes of companies with which the State Government has signed agreements in this regard. Besides the programmes, both Government and private ITIs will coordinate to make training-based employment programme more wider in scale.

 The State Government has set a target to train 1.7 lakh youths on different skills for increasing their employability. Official sources said 10 lakh youths will be given employment-based training by different companies during the next five years.

 In the first phase, L&T, Construction Industry Development Council (CIDC), Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL & FS) and Skylark will train 19,000 youths. In the second phase, other companies will impart training to 22,000 youths.

 Different departments and Directorate of Technical Education and Training (DTET) will also continue with their training programmes. Panchayati Raj, Commerce, Textile and Handloom, Fisheries and Animal Resources Development, Women and Child Development, Health and Family Welfare and other departments will also start their training programmes to boost employment opportunities for the unemployed youth.