Coining the slogan of ‘One institution, one block’ for imparting skill training to youth across the state, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today underscored the need of cooperation between state government and private educational institutions to emerge the state as a pool of skilled manpower across the country.Addressing the gathering after inaugurating National Summit on Higher Education for Skill Development & Employability being organised by Education Promotion Society for India (EPSI) here today, the Chief Minister said that today the country was confronting major problems of unemployment and poverty, which could be resolved by imparting quality skill training to the youth. Terming the skill training as the only mantra for poverty alleviation in the country, he said that this could open new avenues of employment for the youth, which was the need of hour. Mr. Badal said that this was only possible if every educational institutions, with the support of government, adopts an administrative block in the state to impart skill training to the youth.
The Chief Minister said that India was one of the youngest nations in the world with more than 65% of its population below the age of 35. However, he said that it was unfortunate that currently only three percent populace of the country was skilled as compared to the advanced countries where more than 90% of their population was highly skilled.The Chief Minister said that under the able leadership of Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi an atmosphere of change was prevailing in the country and schemes like ‘Digital India’, ‘Make In India’ and others were aimed at promotion of skill training in the country, which was hitherto ignored by the previous governments. He said that realising the vast potential skill training in the state, the SAD-BJP alliance government has already taken a slew of measures to promote it in a big way. Mr. Badal said that in line with the National Skill Development Policy, the State has set up an empowered State Skill Development Mission to bring synergy, scale and effective oversight in the implementation of various Skill development initiatives in the State.The Chief Minister further said that the state government has already chalked out a detailed action program to provide the best skill training to the unemployed youth as well as up-skilling them in specific fields viz healthcare & paramedics, driving & automotive, animal husbandry & allied farming and construction activity. He said that the State Technical Education & Industrial Training department has been asked to rope in the world class skill development agencies for this purpose. Mr. Badal said that three skill development centres were being established in the Government Medical Colleges of Patiala, Amritsar and Faridkot to impart training in healthcare and paramedics.
The Chief Minister further said that the state government has decided to set up five Multi-Skill Development Centres (MSDCs) at Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur and Patiala with an aim to offer new skill training courses in light engineering, hand tools, garment & fashion technology and welding and so on to our youth in accordance with the felt needs of the local industry. Likewise, he said that youth would be imparted training in specially designed courses related to activities in the field of animal husbandry and allied farming such as dairying, piggery, bee keeping, fishery, floriculture and horticulture etc. in the Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) and Guru Arjan Dev Veterinary and Animal Science University (GADVASU), Ludhiana with a focused approach to promote the much needed program of agriculture diversification in a big way.Soliciting the support of the private educational institutions for promotion of the skill education in the state, the Chief Minister said that the state government would extend fulsome support and cooperation to them for this noble cause. He also announced to have detailed deliberations with the private educational institutes to turn Skill development program as a ‘mass revolution’.Earlier welcoming the Chief Minister, the President of North Western Chapter of EPSI Mr. Satnam Singh Sandhu lauded the various steps taken by him to promote education in the state.On the occasion the Chief Minister was felicitated by the organisers with a shawl and a momento. The Chief Minister was accompanied by his Special Principal Secretary Mr. KJS Cheema.