To give Uttar Pradesh a spiffy image and capitalise on the sheer number of its huge population, the state government, along with its partners, the industry and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), has chalked out a plan to enhance the employability of its youth through skill. For this, the government is giving final shape to the proposal for setting up of a separate board for vocational education. This board will work on the lines of any other educational board as far as developing a curriculum, conducting examinations and maintaining the standard of the training is concerned. 'The proposal is being given shape and once the elections are over, we hope to get it cleared by the cabinet,' said Alok Ranjan, principal secretary, vocational training & technical education, government of UP.
Stating that skill development should be in proportion to the population of a state, Ranjan said UP's share in the national population is 17 % and this should reflect in the skill development of our population. Taking part in a round-table discussion on enhancing employability through skill development and knowledge economy, industrial development commissioner, VK Sharma said, 'Skills and knowledge are the driving forces of economic growth and social development for any country.' He added that the potential target group for skill development comprises all those in the labour force, including those entering the labour market for the first time (12.8 million annually), those employed in the organised sector (26 million) and those working in the unorganised sector (433 million) in 2004-05. The current capacity of the skill development programmes is 3.1 million. The objective of the session, organised by CII, was to help the industry to be able to share its concerns for trained manpower in diverse disciplines, and the academia. Ranjan requested industry members to consider forming Vocational Training Providers (VTPs) at their respective industry units to enhance skill development.
