Assam sets up North East Skill Centre in Guwahati

Guwahati, March 7 (IANS) The Assam government in collaboration with the Singapore-based ITE Education Services (ITEES) set up the North East Skill Centre (NESC) here on Thursday.

The NSESC will aim to provide better skill training to thousands of unemployed youth of the state.

The state government set up the NESC, a first of its kind in the region, as part of a MoU signed between the government of Assam and the government of Singapore in October 2016. NESC is a collaboration between the Assam Skill Development Mission, the government of Assam and the ITEES, Singapore.

"Assam has a large youth talent pool. We want to skill the young generation to harness the potential of this human resource and make Assam one of the top states in the country.

"The youth are not only leaders of tomorrow, but also partners of today. India is driven by its youth as the country has an unrivalled youth population and we must capitalise on this human capital by making 'Skill India' a successful endeavour," Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said at the inauguration ceremony of NESC in the city.

The NESC would offer one-year diploma courses in four segments -- beauty and wellness, retail services, hospitality - food and beverages and hospitality - housekeeping.

Leading industrial players would facilitate the training of the students through guest lectures, industry visits and internship projects.

Preparing the trainees for national and international job markets through cutting edge training methods of the ITEES, the NESC would ensure holistic development of the trainees by teaching them the best practices prevailing in the industry.

Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been steadfast in his commitment to develop the Northeast region at a rapid pace, Sonowal highlighted the landmark investment of nearly Rs 23,000 crore by the Central government to augment the production capacity of the Numaligarh Refinery and setting up of the gas pipeline from Barauni to Assam as steps that would open up newer avenues of employment for the youth of the state.

"For taking advantage of this positive environment, the youth of the state must empower themselves by acquiring skills in various sectors," Sonowal said.

The Chief Minister also urged the parents and teachers to motivate the young generation to strive hard for establishing themselves as able citizens and guide them through their formative years by sharing information about various disciplines of study and their employment prospects.