Uttarakhand Skill Development Mission's two-day workshop concludes

DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand Skill Development Mission (UKSDM)'s two-day workshop 'Synergy" aimed at creating coordination among varied departments for the theme of "Skilled Uttarakhand" concluded on Friday and deliberations over the ways to hone the youth of the state in skill development are likely to play a good role in making at least 10,000 youth in the state employable by 2017. In a bid to give a boost to the mission of making the unemployed youth of the hill state skilled in requisite sectors, "Uttarakhand Training Information Portal" was also launched by UKSDM on the concluding day.

Dr Pankaj Kumar Pandey, Project Director, UKSDM said, "The workshop proved that there is tremendous scope for manpower recruitment in the state in varied sectors like tourism and hospitality, renewable energy sector besides many others and the need of the hour is to train and skill them. In fact, we already have signed MOUs with over 20 sector skill councils which include agriculture, tourism and hospitality, telecom, health, beauty and wellness which will be of major help in achieving our aim of skilling the maximum youth of our state with required skills"

Adding to which, Pandey said, "Uttarakhand Training Information Portal is meant for all departments concerned with skilling activities. Departments are expected to provide their information relating to skill development activities so that all information can be available with UKSDM being a nodal agency for information as to skills in the state. This way the state government in future at all times will have the exact record and database of training going on, the needed skills and bridge the gap if any, thereby creating employment opportunities in varied sectors as per demand and supply analysis"

UKSDM claims that such workshop has been organised for the first time not just in the city but the state and will be instrumental in establishing better coordination amongst all department that are concerned with skilling youth in the state. Even though the mission aims to aims to skill 5 lakh youth in the state in next 5 years, it is trying to hold such workshops which will now be analysed, such that more than quantity, the UKSDM emphasize on quality skilled youth.

Initiatives taken by UKSDM like the launch of the mobile app -"KUSHAL UTTARAKHAND" which will bring together job seekers and job providers thereby boosting employment opportunities as per skills in the state and the launch of "Uttarakhand Training Information Portal" which will have information about all departments and the requisite skill related activities being conducted, skills required and the gap needed to be filled by training besides the current skilled youth available in the sectors were applauded by all those involved in the sector of giving a fillip to skill training,

Meanwhile, Nidhi Gautam, consultant, National Skill Development Agency under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship who had come from New Delhi to attend the workshop said, "I was happy to attend and update participants about the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) concepts. It is imperative that such workshops are regularly conducted to bring together people from all sectors and departments who can collectively come together and brainstorm and come up with solutions to train and skill youth across India."