Lokesh tells officials to focus on job creation for youths in A.P.

Minister for HRD, IT and Electronics Nara Lokesh on Thursday directed the officials of the Skill Development Department to focus on employment generation, especially at a time when large-scale industrial investments are flowing into Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a review meeting with officials of A.P. State skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) at his Undavalli residence, Mr. Lokesh said the government had set a target of generating 2 lakh jobs this year in industries that had been grounded. He directed the officials to prepare a concrete roadmap accordingly and focus on maximising employment opportunities for youth in these operational industries.

Mr. Lokesh wanted the officials to identify skill requirements of the industries such as Reliance Industries (CBG projects), Jupiter Wagons, Lauras Labs, Hetero Drugs and the upcoming renewable energy projects and undertake skilling initiatives accordingly.

He said curriculum design should be developed in consultation with the reputed industries in respective sectors. Citing the examples of some organisations which had established dedicated skill development training centres, Mr. Lokesh asked the officials to study such models and set up similar training centers attached to ITIs.

Mr. Lokesh claimed large-scale employment was being facilitated through job melas conducted every three months in the constituency headquarters and directed the officials to work in alignment with Key Performance Indicator (KPI) targets.

AI-based skill portal soon

Referring to the proposed skill portal, the Minister directed the officials to expedite its launch. Officials informed him that modules had already been prepared and data integration for 25 sectors had been completed.

Currently, 1,14,899 job opportunities are available on the platform, including 3,100 overseas jobs, the officials said, adding that 16 nationally and internationally reputed recruiters were onboard and on a trial basis and AI-based interviews had been conducted for over 20,000 students and 60,000 job seekers.

Speaking about measures to fill vacant faculty posts in State universities and government degree colleges, Mr. Lokesh asked the officials to include the notification for faculty posts in the Ugadi Job Calendar, similar to the DSC held last year, ensuring that there were no legal complications in the recruitment process.

He discussed incentives and procedural frameworks for Foreign Higher Education Institutions (FHEIs) that had come forward to establish campuses in the State.

He said the officials should draft regulations for coaching centres in line with the Supreme Court guidelines to prevent mental stress and suicides among students. He wanted them to seek public opinion before finalising them.

The meeting was attended by Secretary, Education Department Kona Sasidhar, Commissioner, Department of Higher Education Narayana Bharat Gupta, Skill Development Corporation CEO Ganesh Kumar and others.