Srinagar :The UT steering committee meeting chaired by Principal Secretary, Skill Development Department (SDD), Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon today approved the Industry Apprenticeship Initiative (IAI) plan under STRIVE project submitted by Industry Cluster (IC), Bari Brahmana, Jammu.The plan is the beginning of Result Area-4 of this World Bank funded, centrally sponsored project under which improved and broadened apprenticeship training has to be imparted to member firms and facilitate registering of apprentices on apprenticeship portal and signing apprenticeship contracts thereof.The meeting was attended by Director SDD, representatives from DG Employment &Training, GoI, Finance, PWD, Joint Directors of SDD, ITI Principals, representatives of Industrial bodies and many others.Outside station participants joined the meeting through video conferencing.Speaking in the meeting, Asgar Samoon impressed upon the officers to increase the industry-academia partnerships so that the youth can be trained as per the requirements of the industries.He asked the officers to optimally utilize the services of two premier institutes, CIIIT Jammu and CIIIT Baramulla for skill upgradation of workforce besides attracting youth towards the courses offered by these institutes. Samoon assured the officers that sufficient funds for all the skill plans as per the requirements of all districts would be made available under this plan for upgradation of infrastructure related to Skill Development.The Principal Secretary further said that the Department is planning to start training program for health workers so that required workforce can be created in this sector. Samoon also assured the industrialists of full support from the department and asked them for hand holding of youth so that their skills can be upgraded and made self reliant.The meeting was informed that under IAI programme a sum of Rs 100 lacs has to be spent on the training of apprenticeship to member companies and their subsequent registration of apprentices under different trades.It was given in the meeting that the selected IC has been shortlisted out of 12 clusters who participated in the process as per standard evaluation procedure as per the given operational manual. And a tripartite grant agreement stands signed between GoI, local government and IC.It was also said that 22 members companies of this IC would participate in which capacity building of about 120 member companies shall be conducted. Around 70 apprentices would be taken for training by these member companies during the first year of this programme.The committee was also informed that these apprentices would be trained to take up jobs like printing operator, electronic mechanic, packer and tailor. These candidates, as said, would be later provided employment in printing/packaging industry, warehouses, garment fabrication industry, boutiques and electronics and communication industry.It was also elucidated that this programme would generate skilled work force who would eventually find jobs in their apprenticing firms and thus would help providing employment to a large chunk of youth over a period of time.On the occasion the representatives of several industrial associations appreciated the Principal Secretary for his constant support and cooperation in development of skill sector across Jammu and Kashmir. They further assured him of reciprocating the same on their part in future.
