Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma inaugurated the new block of the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) campus in Tura yesterday evening.
With 33 per cent of the state’s population belonging to the youth segment, Sangma said that around 50,000 youth join the workforce every year and the government needs to come up with plans and strategies to be able to provide employment to them.
Appreciating the performance of the trainees, Sangma said that they can be associated with the tourism sector in future. He added that the sector has received a sanction of Rs 700 crore from the New Development Bank to develop tourism in the State, out of which Rs 350 crore will be specifically allocated to South West Khasi Hills and the other half to West Garo Hills, especially in the Nokrek region.
Highlighting the contributions of ITI Tura, the Director of Employment and Craftsmen Training, Bhupesh Hajong, informed that the institute has produced many technically-skilled graduates who are placed in government and the private sector as well as creating entrepreneurs.
The institute started with only three trades on offer, namely welding, fitting and carpentry, which gradually increased with more trades introduced through funding by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.