Amid the pandemic, over 5,000 youth in Jammu and Kashmir have been provided job offer letters by the private sector during placement drives conducted in the year 2020, in different parts of the Union Territory (UT).
When the entire country, including the UT, was fighting the deadly Coronavirus, job fairs and placement drives were launched in J&K to provide employment to the pass-outs of different technical institutes.
"Multiple placement drives and job fairs were conducted last year and near about 5000 polytechnic and ITI pass-outs were provided job offer letters in private sectors", Principal Secretary, Skill Development Department, Dr. Asgar Hassan Samoon, informed during a meeting to review the functioning of the Skill Development Department.
Placement and career counseling centers, set up the government at different places, also guided students for further assistance and monitor placements in the private sector. Under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PMKVY)-3, the Skill Development Department has also provided crash course training to 3,000 candidates in different trades from January 2020 to March 2021.
The placement drive was also organized in areas like Tral in Kashmir Valley, which is dubbed as a hotbed of terrorism. "In the year 2020 we organized job fairs and placement drives in areas like Tral, Kulgam, Anantnag, Budgam, and Srinagar," Farooq Ahmad, joint director, Skill Development Department told The International Business Times, adding, "response of the youth was over-whelming in such events".
Ahmad said that private companies from different parts of the country have shown interest in giving employment to the polytechnics and ITI pass-outs of J&K. After getting an encouraging response, authorities have decided to organize similar placement drives in the north Kashmir's Baramulla and Kupwara districts to provide employment opportunities to local youth at their doorsteps.
J&K students to be trained in robotics, electric vehicle manufacturing
Under a joint venture between the J&K government and Tata Technologies, an investment of Rs. 361 crore has been made in Union Territory to train the students in robotics, electric vehicle manufacture, industry professionals, and promoting entrepreneurship.
The Centres for Invention, Innovation, Incubation, and Training (CIIIT) have been established at Government Polytechnic, Bikram Chowk, at a cost of Rs 181.56 crore and at Government Polytechnic College, Baramulla at the cost of Rs 181.57 crore.
The measures are coming at a time when the dynamics of industry requirements are changing rapidly due to continuous advancements being made in today's global technological era.
