Skill enhancement, the need of the hour

Shivani Bhakoo

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 16

There has always been a shortage of skilled labourers in the industrial city of Ludhiana as Punjabi youths are more interested in settling abroad and the industry is solely dependent on migrant population.

But of late, even the migrant workers have started preferring to stay back in their home state like UP and Bihar as they get better employment opportunities there.

The need of the hour is to come up with more skill development training centres for the local youth.

“The Central Government has come up with skill development ministry, which provides youth with guidelines and directions. To make up for the shortage of skilled workers, this is an ideal project initiated by the government. The government has been reimbursing all expenses and has been inviting applications quarterly to start skill development training centres. I am also coming up with a training centre at the Focal Point area, where girls and other skilled labourers will be trained for garment industry (cutters, packers, tailors etc). It will be a three-month course for unskilled workers and they will be provided with a certificate after the training,” said Ajit Lakra, MD, Superfine Industries-cum-president of the Ludhiana Knitters’ Association.

“The government has provided us with a solution. We need to make efforts to train the workers by arranging space, managers, trainers, consultants etc. Though, it is not easy to open training centres, but once you are successful, you will never face the problem of labour shortage in the city,” he said.

Considering the option of opening training centres as “not viable”, Avtar Singh Bhogal of Bhogal Sons, however, said they were providing training to labourers at their factory premises, but they still left the industry.

“MGNREGA has been worst for industries as the labourers are paid wages even when they do not work. The government should attach it with the industries to generate revenue, so that workers start working and earning. There are many formalities if one wants to open a training centre. We will lose focus on our business. We have lost trust in the government’s functioning. We are not going to make rounds at the offices to get reimbursements,” he added.

On the contrary

"The option of opening training centres is “not viable”. We provided training to labourers at our factory premises, still they left the industry. MGNREGA has been worst for industries as the labourers are paid wages even when they do not work. There are many formalities in opening a training centre. We will lose focus on our business. We have lost trust in the government’s functioning. We are not going to make rounds at the offices to get reimbursements" Avtar Singh Bhogal, Owner of Bhogal Sons