the goan I network
PANAJI
Minister of Industries and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Vishwajit Rane has announced that Goa will soon get an ‘International Skilling Centre’. Vishwajit further said that international level skills will be imparted to the people in Goa and also from neighbouring areas at the skill centre.
Vishwajit was speaking at the inauguration of National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) at Hotel Fidalgo in the city on Friday.
To this effect, even a letter of intent has been exchanged between the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Directorate of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
Vishwajit said, “Many companies absorb boys for apprenticeship and then they remove them when the period is over. No evaluation is done of such people. I think evaluation of manpower at apprenticeship must be done. It also needs to be legislated by a law so that the government can evaluate through third party agency.”
“It is actually a huge problem not only in Goa but in rest of India as well that companies employ young people as apprentices for limited period like 12 months. No one does any assessment of how they performed and they hardly ever get skilled and employed. It is a huge social and economic problem.”
To tackle it, the Central government, over the last five years, has made a number of amendments in rules making it easier for companies to take people on board as apprentices.
In fact, Sunita Sanghi, senior advisor, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Kailash Chand Gupta, joint secretary from the ministry were also part of the event with Vishwajit.
In his presentation, Gupta said, “The government shares 25% of prescribed stipend with a company subject to a maximum of Rs 1,500 per month per apprentice. The companies are now allowed to increase the proportion of apprentices to 15% of their workforce compared to 2.5-10% limit earlier.”
Sanghi said that western part of India is already having aging population, which makes it very important to expeditiously skill young people for expanding the economy in the next two decades.
Vishwajit assured the gathering of industrialists and officials that Goa government was serious about making the State a skilling hub.
He further said, “International Skilling Institute with NSDC is a dream project. I have already spoken to the Chief Minister. Once it gets conceptualised in Delhi, we will take it forward.”
