Labour Dept to revamp Skill Development Allowance Scheme

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, December 3

The Labour and Employment Department is revamping the Skill Development Allowance Scheme to provide jobs to trained youths in the state.

Being the flagship scheme of the state government, around 60,000 youngsters are getting Rs 1,000 as monthly allowance to acquire employable skills from recognised institutes.

Labour Commissioner Amit Kashyap said the department had added trades such as textile designing, shoe making, mobile repair, food processing, retail marketing and tourism guides to give employment opportunities to the youth.

With several industry-specific trades being left out of the scheme, officials have asked industry associations to train youngsters in desired skills for which the state government will provide skill development allowance. This would help plug the gap between skills required by the industry and those available.

Besides, the state-owned Himachal Road Transport Corporation has been asked to train youth in required trades, including heavy vehicle driving, to ensure that trained drivers are available. The Tourism Department has also been asked to train youngsters as tourist guides. The department was planning to introduce new trades such as animation and call centre training under the scheme, said Kashyap.

He said committees headed by employment officers were monitoring institutes imparting employable skills to youths. The institutes found lacking in staff and infrastructure had been removed from the department list, he said.

YS Guleria, general secretary of the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Industries’ Association and general manager of TVS Motor said it would be beneficial for the industry if the department includes trades of vehicle painting, fabrication and welding in its list. This would also provide job opportunities to trained youths, he said.