Kerala - Kochi   

CNRI to run 100 centres to train youth

KOCHI: The Confederation of NGOs of Rural India (CNRI), the apex body of non-governmental organisations of rural India, a Union government initiative, in association with HCL Infosystems Ltd., will open 100 centres for development of employable skills in Kerala. As many as 1,000 such centres will be opened across the country.

N. Balagopal, executive chairman of the CNRI, told The Hindu that the centres in Kerala would start functioning in the second week of January. They were primarily intended to provide training to the rural youth in various disciplines to bring their skills on a par with those of their urban counterparts. The rural youth often failed to take advantage of economic opportunities presented by the modern world owing to lack of communication skills, poor exposure to the English language and few skills in information technology. The centres would provide training to help develop such skills among the youth.

He said those who had completed the Plus Two course would be ideal candidates for the course, but the criterion on educational qualifications could be relaxed. Those who had completed the eighth standard or even school dropouts could be considered for various vocational skill development programmes in carpentry, plumbing and masonry.

According to an analysis made by the CNRI, only 5 per cent of the Indian labour force in the age group of 20-24 in India has obtained vocational skills through formal means, while it is 60-96 per cent in the industrialised countries. Only 2.5 million people enter the labour market every year in the country. This number can go up considerably if sufficient skill training was provided. There is a need to have more skilled labour as the largest share of new jobs is likely to come from the unorganised sector which employs up to 93 per cent of the national workforce. The short-term training programme will run two hours a day for three months.

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