‘J&K can become India’s human resource capital’

Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Sunday said Sunday said that Jammu and Kashmir could become India’s highly-skilled human resource capital.

An official spokesman in a statement issued here said that addressing the first convocation of Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) graduates, who have cleared the All India Trade Test 2023, the LG while speaking about the demographic advantage of J&K said, “J&K has the potential to become the highly-skilled human resource capital of the country.”

He said that to convert its potential into reality and create a future workforce, the skill ecosystem like ITIs and polytechnics would have to play a crucial role.

“Skilled workforce will drive the growth of the economy in the future. Therefore, the skills our workforce possesses should be future-ready,” Sinha said

He felicitated the national-level toppers and wished them success in their future endeavours.

The LG also launched several new initiatives including a portal for ranking of polytechnics, JK Innovation Hub portal, a Centralised Academic Monitoring and Improvement System, and the implementation of a revised curriculum as per National Educational Policy 2020.

He highlighted the need to revamp and modernise ITIs and transform the training and infrastructure to par with global standards.

“A holistic and quality-driven ITI ecosystem should be strengthened in line with the increasing demand for skilled workforce in J&K,” Sinha said. “For many decades ITIs served as a backbone of the skill sector and made immense contributions to the progress and production of industries. With the exponential growth of technology and emergence of new sunrise sectors, ITIs need to be transformed to meet the demand of skilled workforce.”

He directed the Skill Development Department to assess the demand for district-wise skills, carry out mapping of existing skills and demands to make necessary changes in the curriculum, or introduce new vocational training courses keeping in mind the demand and aspirations of the youth.

The LG said that all the ITIs should have direct links with the local job market and industries, and relevant departments must support the ITI graduates who want to start their enterprises.

He advised roping in experts for training in Industries 4.0 and started a Training of Trainers programme so that the trainers of both ITI and polytechnic institutions are fully skilled and capable of producing the workforce of the future.

“We need to put special focus on the hospitality sector, promotion of agri-preneurs, and support to Self Help Groups. Every ITI should also establish linkage with one industry and it should ensure the passing out students of ITIs get employment,” Sinha said.

He also felicitated the young entrepreneurs and presided over the Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony between the Skill Development Department and J&K Energy Development Agency (JKEDA) for the training of 500 Suryamitras.

A booklet on skill development in J&K was also released on the occasion.

Advisor to LG, Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar lauded the contribution of skilled workforce in the development of J&K and the country.

Commissioner Secretary of, Skill Development Department, Saurabh Bhagat highlighted the ongoing programmes of the department and the key features of new initiatives launched on Sunday.

District Development Council (DDC) Srinagar Chairman, Aftab Malik, and Vice Chancellor Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Nazir Ahmed Ganai were also present on the occasion.