Guwahati: The Assam Skill Development Mission (ASDM) and the Northeast Skill Centre (NESC) are looking to improve the tourism sector in the state by training the youth in various fields.

Speaking at a programme recently, ASDM managing director Ankur Jain said they would scale up various agents present from airport to hotels, like drivers, hotel staff and tour operators, among others. They will also train 50 street food vendors and caregivers.

ASDM is planning to send the students abroad for better salary and placement. Apart from the courses, they are also conducting many corporate social responsibility programmes.

The programme was organised to sensitise MLAs about the various programmes of ASDM and NESC.

Jain said ASDM, which was established in 2015 under the Ministry of Skill Development, offers many specialised courses. Among the many short-term schemes are the Prime Minister Kaushal Vikas Yojana, the Sankalp Scheme, and the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana—National Urban Livelihood Mission.

But as there are only a hundred seats available, they cannot expand the sector.

ASDM will now provide hostel facilities for the benefit of the students.

NESC has been established in collaboration with ITE Education Services (ITEES), Singapore, and operates under the aegis of ASDM. NESC aims to achieve international standard quality skill training facilities in the state of Assam to make Assam ‘the skill capital of the nation’.

NESC has the capacity to train 400 candidates annually in four disciplines. These disciplines are food and beverage services, hospitality and housekeeping services, retail services, and beauty and wellness services. At present, two batches of students have graduated from NESC in the last two years.

The MD proudly acclaimed that as many as 90% of the students who passed had been placed in leading organisations, such as JW Marriot, Radisson Blue, Grand Hyatt, The Oberoi, Ibis, Hilton Group and Novotel.

State skill development minister Jayanta Mallabaruah said the government will do away with employment exchanges and introduce 35 district skill development centres. Speaking at the event, the minister said those working at the employment exchanges and district programme managers will man the new kendras. This will be done so that whenever there is skill-related work, people will understand that this office should be visited.

These kendras will work as model career centres for counselling job applicants. In Assam, government has started 6 Career Counselling Centres till now. They are planning to make 6 more centres in this year.

The same District Skill Development Centre from time to time will organise job fairs and also tell job opportunities to people.

As the ITI under the Government of Assam and Polytechnique is run by the Education Department, the Chief Minister of the State aspires to put skill education under one umbrella.

They have decided to make ITI equivalent to Higher Secondary and matriculate so that students completing an ITI education can proceed for higher education. This scope was not possible until now. This decision will be brought to the Cabinet soon.

Mallahbaruah informed the MLAs that when the Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Bishwa Sarma, entrusted the skill development department to him, he was told by the CM to take the department very seriously. The Chief Minister has high hopes that skill development will bring employment to the new generation of job aspirants. Keeping the words of CM, they have started many tasks in the same years.

According to Mallahbaruah, skill development can bring about an unbelievable change in the future of Assam.
The Asian Development Bank has funded Rs. 1000 crores for the construction of Assam Skill University, but initially the progress was very slow. He is thankful to MD of ASDM Ankur Jain for working regularly for the setting up of the university. He also thanked the Vice Chancellor of Assam Skill University Subhash Das, IAS, who was present in the meeting, with whose administrative capacity the works related to skill university could be streamlined.

He reminded them that the Chief Minister of Assam had performed a Bhumi Pujan for the construction of the Assam Skill University in Mangaldoi. Given the pace of work, the university should be completed by 2027. But the chief minister wants it completed by 2024 or 2025.

Meanwhile, an interim campus has been started in Guwahati itself. They are expecting to move the interim campus to Mangaldai by 2024. There are 9 schools that is to trained in the university from 2024 onwards.

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