Gen Z Jobs on the Agenda! NIAIMT, Minister Krishnendu Paul Discuss Barak Valley Skill Hub

Senior officials of the National Institute for Automotive Inspection, Maintenance and Training (NIAIMT), Silchar, met Assam’s Minister for Barak Valley Development, Krishnendu Paul, on Monday, August 24, at the BJP party office in Patharkandi, to discuss skill development and employment opportunities for young people in Barak Valley.

The meeting focused on the limited employment opportunities available to the region’s youth, particularly the Gen Z population. Krishnendu Paul stressed the need for meaningful and industry-relevant training programmes to help young people secure jobs and explore self-employment opportunities.

Aninda Bijoy Paul, Site Head of NIAIMT Silchar, and Bikramjit Das Gupta, Engineer at NIAIMT, took part in the discussions with the Minister.

During the meeting, Aninda Bijoy Paul highlighted the need for demand-driven skill development programmes in areas such as professional driving, automobile technology, welding, electrical work, plumbing, masonry, carpentry and hospitality.

He said training in these sectors could help create opportunities for both employment and self-employment among the youth of the region.

The discussions also focused on the growing potential of the hospitality sector in generating employment. Training in hotel operations, food and beverage services, front office operations, housekeeping and customer service could help prepare young people for jobs in the hospitality and tourism sectors.

Aninda Bijoy Paul also highlighted the demand for professional and technical courses, including Tally Accounting, Income Tax Return filing, GST filing and AutoCAD drafting. Such programmes could be introduced through NIAIMT’s Skill Development Institute to improve employability and support the economic empowerment of young people.

Krishnendu Paul appreciated the initiatives undertaken by NIAIMT and asked the institute to submit a detailed proposal on skill development programmes that could help address the employment challenges faced by the youth of Barak Valley.

The proposed plan will also explore the possibility of nominating NIAIMT Silchar as a skill development hub for Barak Valley, considering the institute’s infrastructure, technical resources and experience in training programmes.

The meeting was seen as a step towards creating more structured pathways for skill development, employability and self-employment for the young population of Barak Valley.