For the first time in the history of Manipur, a Skill Development & Placement Fair was organized at Imphal, Manipur on 2nd December 2016 by the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). The event was graced by the Dr. Najma Heptulla, Governor of Manipur, Shri Okram Ibobi Singh, Chief Minister of Manipur and Shri Rajesh Agrawal, Joint Secretary – Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship along with other dignitaries from the state government.
The Skill Development & Placement Fair saw participation from 10 training providers, Beauty & Wellness Sector Skill Council, Textile Sector Skill Council, Agriculture Sector Skill Council and 30 corporate offering jobs to the youth in the states. The event witnessed a large participation of more than 3000 people exploring various skill development and employment opportunities. NSDC training partners i.e. JCRE Skill Solutions, Rooman Technologies, DB Tech and Manipal City & Guilds also participated at the event, which was concluded with the Skill March flagged off by the Governor of the state. More than 450 youth walked together with banners and placards to raise awareness about Skill Development in the state.
One of the key highlight of the event included the certification of 15 surrendered militants by JCRE Skill Solutions under the first phase of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) with support from Home Department, Government of Manipur. These former militants completed the training of ‘Distribution Linemen’ under Power Sector Skill Council and received a certificate from the Governor and Chief Minister of Manipur. Also the first batch of candidates trained under RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) component of PMKVY were certified by Chanu Creations an industry partner under Textile Sector Skill Council.
The event urged the need of active participation of the state government to promote skill development amongst the youth in Manipur, where more than 7 lakh candidates are registered with employment exchange as unemployed. According to the Skill Gap analysis of NSDC, there is incremental demand of 25.45 lakh skilled manpower across 8 states of Northeast (2012-2022). Sectors where there is a maximum potential for skilled development include Handloom & Handicraft, Agriculture, Construction, Beauty-Wellness, IT & IT-es, BFSI, Automotive, Healthcare, Tourism & Hospitality and Telecom. Promotion of MSME’s, Entrepreneurship in Handloom, Handicrafts, and agro-based products could act as a catalyst in supporting the skill development initiatives in the state. NSDC has a dedicated team working towards development of skill ecosystem in the North-East region to tap the immense human potential in these states.
NSDC Training Providers- JCRE, Don Bosco Tech, Manipal City and Guilds, Quivan Skills and Rooman Technologies already have operational centers in Manipur. Till date, more than 3000 candidates have been trained in both fee-based model and phase 1 of PMKVY. Under phase 2 of PMKVY, training are underway at JCRE Skill Solutions and Manipal City and Guilds in Beauty & Wellness, Apparel, Power and Tourism & Hospitality sector.
Under the special initiative of MSDE, multi-skill Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK) centers are also being set up by Don Bosco Tech (Tamenglong & Senapati district) and Rooman Technologies (Imphal West and Thoubal District). NSDC training partner, JCRE is instrumental in mainstreaming surrendered insurgents through skill development initiatives and has trained 30 people for the job role of Distributor Linesman in the power sector. Out of these, 15 candidates were certified during the event.
Under phase 2 of PMKVY, more than 95,000 candidates will be trained and certified over the next four years (state and center combined) including 7,000 certifications under RPL.
The one day event in Imphal, Manipur also stressed on the need of local industry bodies such as Manipur Chamber of Commerce (MCCI), All Manipur Entrepreneurs Association (AMEA), Manipur Apex Handloom Weavers & Handicrafts Association, Federation of Industries & Commerce of North Eastern region (FINER) and North East Federation of International Trade (NEFIT) to come forward and build better awareness on availability of skilled manpower across different sectors.
