Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 24: In order to ensure that the latest Skill Development Mission doesn’t meet the fate as that of the earlier one constituted during the regime of previous Government, the Finance Department has spelt out methodology to be adopted to bridge the skill gaps in Jammu and Kashmir. Moreover, the department has identified the district wise priority sectors and trainings to be imparted for skill and entrepreneurship development.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that after detailed exercise the Finance Department has identified the sectors where skill gaps are required to be bridged in order to ensure employability of the unemployed youth of the State. These sectors include Agriculture and Allied, Food Processing, Auto Servicing, Banking, Financial Services and Insurance, Construction, Handloom and Handicrafts, Trade, Hotels and Restaurants, Textiles and Clothing, Transport, Storage and Communication and Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals.
In the Agriculture and Allied sector, there is lack of awareness about the modern farming techniques, supplements, extension services and product diversification while as the food processing sector is reeling under inadequate ability to build on value addition, inadequate ability in the marketing arena and inadequate managerial skills.
As far as banking, financial services and insurance sector is concerned, the skill gaps are in the shape of limited selling capabilities, lack of communication skills and inadequate understanding of the bank products and banking laws and insufficient HR management skills. Similarly, the construction sector is facing skill gaps in the shape of insufficient ability to manage multiple contractor, inadequate orientation to develop and adhere to safety norms at construction site and lack of basic knowledge of handling machines.
In the Handloom and Handicrafts sector, the artisans are suffering from inability to brand the product for its religious, cultural and spiritual value, reduce lead time in production and inadequate understanding of modern designs to tap current market. Likewise, the trade, hotels and restaurants sector is reeling under the skill gaps in the form of lack of motivation among local youth to work as guides, inability to optimize the routes and day plan and inability to communicate in English language especially with the foreign tourists.
About the transport, storage and communication sector, the skill gaps are in the form of lack of awareness of health and safety standards especially in the packaging process, lack of knowledge of tax regimes and permit rules and inadequate knowledge about material handling equipments.
Keeping all these and other skill gaps in mind, the State Government has identified high priority, medium priority and low priority sectors across the districts for immediate attention, sources said, adding under agriculture and allied sector, which comes under high priority, all the districts would get required focus while as in another high priority sector of trade, hotels and restaurants, the districts of Srinagar, Jammu, Leh, Anantnag, Pulwama, Budgam, Baramulla, Kulgam, Bandipora, Kupwara, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur, Kathua, Samba, Reasi and Doda would be covered.
Similarly, in manufacturing sector, which is the third high priority sector, Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Srinagar, Anantnag, Leh, Udhampur and Reasi would be the focused districts while as all districts would receive attention under transport, storage and communication sector, which also comes under high priority sector. About the fifth high priority sector of banking and insurance, the sources said Srinagar and Jammu districts would be mainly focused.
The sectors of handicrafts, education and skill development, construction and power, auto servicing and healthcare have been placed in the medium priority category. In handicrafts and handloom sector, the districts of Srinagar, Budgam, Leh, Kargil, Anantnag, Pulwama, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Shopian, Kulgam, Bandipora and Kupwara would be the focused districts while as all the districts would receive equal attention in education and skill development and construction and power sectors.
In Auto servicing sector, Jammu, Srinagar, Anantnag, Budgam, Baramulla, Kulgam, Bandipora, Kupwara, Kathua, Samba and Reasi districts would be concentrated while as in Healthcare sector, the districts of Srinagar, Anantnag, Pulwama, Ganderbal, Budgam, Baramulla, Bandipora, Kupwara, Jammu, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur, Kathua and Doda would get priority attention.
As far as low priority sectors are concerned, Jammu, Samba, Srinagar, Budgam, Udhampur and Reasi would receive focus under chemicals and pharmaceuticals sector while as Srinagar, Baramulla, Jammu and Kathua would be the priority districts under gems and jewellery category. The districts of Anantnag, Baramulla, Shopian, Kulgam and Kupwara would receive attention under food processing sector while as Srinagar, Jammu and Kathua under textiles sector.
Sources informed that based on the identified skill gaps and sectors placed in high priority, medium priority and low priority, the Government has identified the courses to be imparted to the youth through the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in collaboration with some reputed institutions from outside the State.
Moreover, required focus would also be laid on exploring the new opportunities for entrepreneurship, which otherwise have not been taken care of till date, sources further said, adding the training would be incentivized in high growth and emerging sectors.
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