The government is aiming at imparting skills and job training to 2.5 lakh youth in the next one year, Skill Development Minister R V Deshpande announced on Monday.
Addressing a press conference after holding a meeting with skill development department officials, Deshpande said the government would make efforts to ensure placements to at least 70% of those trained.
Deshpande recalled that it was the previous Congress regime that had started an exclusive skill development department. He said the department had achieved a lot in the last two years.
“Jobs are available in the market, only we need to train suitable candidates to meet the requirements,” he said. A Skill Development Authority will come up at Kengeri, Bengaluru, he added.
Deshpande said the government proposed to actively involve industries while imparting training to students of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).
There are 270 ITIs in the state. Training would be provided to those keen on seeking employment abroad also, he added.
Replying to a query, Deshpande said there was nothing wrong in selling “pakoras” for a living. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement in February this year that even selling pakoras was a job had received a lot of flak from the Opposition.
“What he (Modi) said is nothing new. Any legal and self-respecting job, big or small, is acceptable,” Deshpande said.