Rajasthan government has expanded the ambit of Employment Linked Skill Training Program to partner trade and industry bodies in the process of skilling youths in Rajasthan for a sustainable career. The industrial bodies associated with the program will develop facilities to ensure that the youth are skilled-up in accordance to contemporary demand and future work demand trends of the industries. The setup will be established by the partner agencies while the state government will partly bear the cost of the process. As this will assure better employment opportunities for the youth, the participant industries would also be able to generate adequately skilled manpower for themselves.
A recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Rajasthan State Livelihood Development Corporation (RSLDC) and the Federation of Rajasthan Trade and Industries (FORTI) is a step in the direction. The memorandum follows a similar MoU with the Gem and Jewellery association whereas other major industry and commerce organizations and skill training institutes are in process for a similar agreement with the skill development corporation.
Dr. Neeraj Kumar Pawan, Chairman, RSLDC said “Honourable Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has insisted that skill development programs must be in accordance with the requirement of the local industries. Also, that the existing initiatives must be simplified and integrated. The recent memorandums are a positive step in the direction,”
In addition to the industry-oriented skill development, the ELSTP will have another advantage of higher assured employment possibilities. The training centres have to assure a minimum guarantee for placement of 50 percent of the trained youth. However, the employment guarantee is expected only to be higher as the industry bodies become partners of the skilling process, FORTI has assured an above 80 percent placement.
The industry promoted skill training centres are also more advantageous in consideration of the COVID impact. The industries are undergoing a transformation while the labour migration has altered the manpower availability scenario. Amid the present circumstances industries are in dire need of adequately skilled workforce while those to have returned from other states need jobs. The gap between these homecoming workers and employment can be levelled with skill development and association of the industries with efforts of the government is a promising advancement.
