Government has decided to commission studies to identify employment opportunities and locate and fill up skill gaps to boost overseas job prospects for Indians. The decision was taken in the first meeting of the Governing Council of the Council for Promotion of Overseas Employment (CPOE) of the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs in New Delhi. The Council, chaired by Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. K Mohandas, decided that the studies will go in to emerging labour supply gaps & skill shortages in the international labour market and the net availability of workers with requisite skills in India to fill up such shortages.
The study will seek to quantify the need for development of specific skills and their benchmarking keeping in mind different destination countries. There will also be a review of skill development, vocational training and pre-departure orientation training systems in India. The study is expected to recommend interventions for standardized curriculum, testing and third party certification and process re-engineering to discourage emigration of workers without appropriate skills and knowledge/orientation. The Council also decided to carry out focused studies on Household Service Workers, hospitality and healthcare sector to identify skill gaps vis-à-vis international standards and ways and means to fill the gaps.
The CPOE decided that the sectors in which there is demand of workers overseas may be identified. Apex institutions with credibility may similarly be identified for developing curricula, conducting training, standardized testing and certification.
The Governing Council approved holding of job fairs, which should be country specific and sector specific and organizing workshops to provide the potential recruiters and the Indian Recruiting agencies/Project Exporters to interact with each other.
The CPOE is a major exercise in the direction of promoting overseas employment of Indians and enhancing quality migration from India. The Council operates as a strategic think tank for helping out intending emigrants to reap the dividends of globalisation. About five million Indians are living and working mostly in the Gulf and South East Asia who account for nearly 50 percent of the foreign remittances of the country. In 2006, they remitted an estimated 26 billion US dollars.
Akshay Rout/vk
(Release ID :42993)