Guwahati, Nov 2 (IANS) The Centre and the Assam Government on Monday exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up a Skill India International Centre as part of the strategic partnership under the PM-SETU initiative.
The announcement was made at a programme organised here by the Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) on ‘Skilling for International Mobility & PM-SETU’, with a special focus on the tourism and hospitality sector.
Letters of Intent (LoIs) were also signed for two ITI clusters in Jorhat and Tinsukhia, supported by Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) and Oil India Limited (OIL), respectively, under the PM-SETU scheme. This marks a significant milestone in strengthening industry participation and fostering industry-led transformation of the vocational education and training ecosystem in the region.
The programme also deliberated on international mobility and WorldSkills as avenues for expanding opportunities for young people from the North-Eastern Region.
Delivering the keynote address, Jayant Chaudhary, Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, highlighted the importance of aligning India’s skilling architecture with the changing requirements of industry and the global economy.
He emphasised that initiatives such as PM-SETU are aimed at bringing industry closer to skill development and training, ensuring that ITIs evolve into modern, demand-driven institutions capable of preparing young people for emerging opportunities.
“Through PM-SETU, we are working towards transforming our ITIs into modern, industry-responsive institutions that equip young people with skills relevant to the future of work. The North-Eastern Region has enormous potential, particularly in tourism and hospitality, and our endeavour is to ensure that its youth are not only prepared for opportunities within the country but are also equipped to participate confidently in the global workforce,” the minister said.
The programme brought together senior representatives of the Central and Assam Governments, industry stakeholders and the skilling ecosystem to deliberate on strengthening the North-Eastern Region’s skilling infrastructure, expanding international employment opportunities for its youth and fostering industry-led transformation of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) under the Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs (PM-SETU).
The programme highlighted the immense potential of the North-Eastern Region in tourism and hospitality, particularly in the context of the growing demand for skilled professionals in domestic and international markets. Discussions focused on aligning skill development programmes with emerging industry requirements, international standards and opportunities for global workforce mobility.
Biswajit Daimary, Assam’s Minister for Skills, Employment and Entrepreneurship, highlighted the importance of equipping the youth of Assam with industry-relevant skills and creating pathways to employment opportunities both within India and internationally.
“Assam and the entire North-Eastern Region have tremendous potential in sectors such as tourism and hospitality. Our priority is to ensure that the youth of the region are equipped with the right skills, exposure and opportunities to participate in the emerging global economy. Through stronger collaboration between the Central Government, the State Government and industry, we can build a robust skilling ecosystem that translates the aspirations of our youth into meaningful employment and entrepreneurship opportunities,” the minister said.
–IANS
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