Neeraj Rohmetra
Jammu, Nov 20: Nearly three years after it came into existence, the Jammu and Kashmir State Overseas Employment Corporation Limited (JKSOECL) has failed to meet the very objectives for which it had been constituted.
Official sources confirmed to EXCELSIOR that the Corporation, which was constituted with the sole objective of facilitating employment opportunities to the job seekers and unemployed youth outside the country, had not achieved much.
“The major hurdle in seeking employment for these youth is the fact that their skills hardly match the international job requirements. Thought, the Corporation had contacted several overseas employers for recruitment of manpower from the State, there was a big gap between the skills required and profile of job-seekers”, sources remarked.
They stated that in September this year, the third meeting of the Board of Directors of the Corporation was held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah and it was decided to identify two ITIs– one each in Jammu and Srinagar for launching skill upgradation program in consultation with JKEDI to match international job requirements. The Board meeting was attended by Minister for Planning and Development, Ajay Sadhotra, Principal Secretary Planning and Development B R Sharma, various Administrative Secretaries, Managing Director, JKSOECL and several other senior officers.
It was decided in the Board meeting that to identify two ITIs– one each in Srinagar and Jammu and launch skill upgradation program in consultation with JKEDI to enhance the employability of youth to match international job requirements. “However, the state of affairs can be gauged from the fact that more than two months after the proposal was mooted by the Board, none of its officials have even bothered to contact the JKEDI or the Technical Education Department for necessary tie-up with ITIs”, sources remarked.
Official sources in both the Departments, on condition of anonymity, admitted that they weren’t even aware of any such proposal and no officials had contacted them for necessary tie-up.
Besides, sources opined, “the present manpower from ITI is not even skilled enough to meet the requirement of existing industrial set up in the State, what to talk of international standards. The existing programs are facing lot of challenges in meeting the demands at international level due to lack of facilities in the State to polish the expertise of the youth coming from different technical backgrounds”.
“To match the skill required in overseas markets, the Government need to hone the skills of workers as is being done in countries like Nepal, Bangladesh and Philippines. Though India has to such policy to train its potential workers, countries like Nepal are imparting full training to their people keeping in mind the construction boom witnessed by markets in Middle East”, sources added.
Sources pointed out that though nearly 2000 persons including professional and unskilled persons had registered with the JKSOECL, but only a minuscule of them managed to find a job in the overseas market.
“Further, unskilled works including those associated with construction comprise the second largest unorganized labour sector in the country. The State Government to regulate these works had constituted —- J&K Building and Other Construction Works Welfare Board in 2010 and is now strictly enforcing its rules for the past few two years”, sources said adding, “but, there is further need for upgradation of skill standards in view of demand in international market”.
Sources added, “though it is proposed to have tie-up with it is to provide necessary training for upgradation of skills standards, it is necessary to continuously improve upon these training modules with changing technology”.
Minister for Employment, Ajay Sadhotra when contacted said, that though the Department was facing some problems, it was doing everything possible to make the programes a sucess. “We are tying up with ITIs to provide certification and skill upgradation to job-seekers as per international standards”, he added.
Commissioner/ Secretary, Labour and Employment, B A Runiyal when contacted said, “there is need for making youth aware of skills in demand in international market so that they prepare themselves accordingly and seek their livelihood respectfully. More than 100 overseas employers had been contacted by the Corporation for recruitment of manpower from the State”.
“We had also been participating in employment fairs and seminars like the one held in Dubai recently to keep us informed about the trends and opportunities available in the overseas market”.
It is pertinent to mention here that JKSOECL was set up by the State Government as a ‘landmark initiative’ under Sher-e-Kashmir Employment and Welfare Program for Youth (SKEWPY), on the pattern of what existed in Tamil Nadu to boost employment opportunities in the State. The Corporation had been authorized to use its New Delhi Office to tie-up with the outside Governments and private companies for recruitment of youth.
Presently, Director Employment Department is working as ex-officio Managing Director (MD) of the OEC, while some other officials from the department at division and district level are too working as ex-officio employees of the Corporation. General Manager, Marketing, OEC posted at New Delhi is working as an employee of the body, which was designated as recruiting agency after it registration with Ministry of Indian Overseas Affairs in December 2011.
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