New Skill Hubs, New Jobs: NIAIMT and Krishnendu Paul Chart Roadmap for Barak Youth

way2barak, Aug 25 : Officials of the National Institute for Automotive Inspection, Maintenance and Training (NIAIMT) held a meeting with Assam Minister for Barak Valley Development Krishnendu Paul to discuss skill development and employment opportunities for the youth of the Barak Valley. NIAIMT was represented by Site Head Dr. Aninda Bijoy Paul and Engineer Bikramjit Das Gupta. The discussion focused on the lack of adequate employment opportunities for the region’s youth and the need for skill development initiatives to address the issue.

Minister Paul said that employment has emerged as a major challenge in the Barak Valley, particularly for the Gen-Z generation. He stressed the need for coordinated and effective initiatives to create employment and self-employment opportunities for young people by equipping them with skills aligned with industry requirements.

The meeting also discussed the need to develop a strong skill-development infrastructure to meet the growing employment needs of the youth in the Barak Valley.

NIAIMT Site Head Dr. Aninda Bijoy Paul said it was essential to introduce skill-development programmes in line with local and industry requirements. Training in areas such as professional driving, automobile technology, welding, electrical work, plumbing, masonry, carpentry and hospitality could create new avenues for employment and self-employment for young people.

Minister Paul also highlighted the potential of the hospitality sector. He said that industry-oriented training in areas such as hotel operations, food and beverage services, front-office operations, housekeeping and customer service could help young men and women from the Barak Valley secure employment in the rapidly growing hospitality and tourism sectors.

Dr. Aninda also proposed introducing professional and technical courses in Tally accounting, income tax return filing, GST filing and AutoCAD drafting. He said such training could be offered through NIAIMT’s Skill Development Institute to enhance the skills and employability of young people and help them become financially self-reliant.

Welcoming the initiative, Minister Krishnendu Paul asked NIAIMT to submit detailed proposals for potential skill-development programmes aimed at addressing the employment challenges faced by the youth of the Barak Valley.

The meeting also explored the possibility of developing Silchar and Hailakandi as skill-development hubs for the Barak Valley. The proposal will be considered based on the institution’s infrastructure, technical resources and experience in conducting skill-development and training programmes.

The meeting is being viewed as an important step towards creating opportunities for skill development, employment and self-employment for the youth of the Barak Valley. According to NIAIMT, one of the key objectives of the initiative is to create long-term and sustainable employment opportunities, particularly for the Gen-Z generation.