TURA, July 3 - Meghalaya Social Welfare Minister Deborah Marak has urged youths of the State to catch up with the rest of the country and experience the opportunities outside the region.
Deborah was addressing a gathering at an awareness programme for the educated unemployed recently at Williamnagar in East Garo Hills on � supporting human capital development in Meghalaya, an Asian Development Bank funded project.
She asked youths to empower themselves with adequate skills and adopt to changing situations and environment in order to make themselves employable.
�Jobs in government departments have come to standstill. After completing formal education youths should learn skill-based courses, so that they can embark on a new journey and grab the opportunities in different service and manufacturing sectors�, said Deborah.
The project aims to improve the quality and delivery of secondary education including teacher training and skill development programmes, thereby reinforcing the efforts of the government towards developing the State�s human capital.
The project will target to provide skill-based training to at least 60,000 youths in the next five years. It also aims to promote equitable and quality education and skill building for both boys and girls.
Marak further urged the youths to take advantage of the training programme, which is underway at different centres in the State.
�The courses are free-of-cost and is linked to placement, so we should avail the opportunity�, Marak emphasised.
Making an effort to educate the youths to respect dignity of labour, Marak said, �No work is big or small. There is shortage of masonry workers, weavers, drivers, cobblers, cooks, etc. We have to prepare ourselves to contribute to society by preparing ourselves for different jobs�, she added.
Cyril Diengdoh, DC of EGH spoke about self-employment. He also motivated the youths, who are generally reluctant to go outside the State. �Experience work culture and situations outside the region and make yourself capable to set up your own enterprise�, the DC said.
